Make a Bandsaw Box From a Single Block: Your New Favorite Rainy-Day Project

One Block, One Saw, One Afternoon

A bandsaw box looks like a magic trick the first time you see one. You start with a solid block of wood. You make a few cuts. You glue a couple of pieces back on. And somehow you end up with a box that has drawers, curves, and the kind of organic shape that looks like a week of carving. The whole thing takes two hours.

Bandsaw boxes are one of those projects that punch way above their weight class. They make incredible gifts, they're a fantastic way to practice bandsaw control, and they use up those chunky offcuts and turning blanks that have been sitting in your scrap bin. If you've never made one, today's the day.

Choosing Your Block

Any solid piece of wood works, but some are better than others. You want something with interesting grain because the curves you'll cut expose the grain from multiple angles, creating visual effects you'd never get from flat boards. Walnut is gorgeous for this. So is cherry, maple, or any figured wood. Even cedar works if you want something lightweight with a nice smell.

The block should be at least 4 inches in every dimension. Bigger is actually easier because you have more room to maneuver the cuts. My favorite size is roughly 5" x 6" x 8", big enough for two drawers and dramatic enough to look impressive on a shelf.

The Process

Step 1: Slice Off the Back

Set your bandsaw fence and cut a flat slab about 3/8" thick off the back of the block. Set this piece aside, you'll glue it back on later as the back panel of the box. Label which face was the glue joint so you can match the grain when you reattach it.

Step 2: Draw Your Drawer Openings

On the front face of the remaining block, draw the shapes of your drawers. For a single-drawer box, one organic curve works beautifully. For two drawers, stack them vertically with a wall of wood between them. Leave at least 3/8" of wood all around the outside as the box walls, any thinner and you risk breaking through during sanding.

Step 3: Cut Out the Drawers

This is where the bandsaw does its thing. For each drawer, you need to cut into the block from one edge, follow the drawer outline, and exit from the same edge. You're essentially cutting a channel that removes the drawer blank from inside the box body. The entry cut creates a visible seam, but after gluing and sanding it nearly disappears.

Go slow. Let the blade do the cutting, don't force it through curves. A 1/4" blade handles tighter curves than a 3/8" blade, but either works for gentle flowing shapes. If you feel the blade binding, you're pushing too fast or trying to turn too sharply.

Step 4: Hollow the Drawers

Take each drawer blank you just cut out, and repeat the process, slice off a 3/8" back panel from the drawer, then cut out the interior to create the hollow cavity. You're making a box within a box. Glue the back panels onto the hollowed drawers and let them dry.

Step 5: Glue the Box Back Together

Glue the original back panel onto the box body. Match the grain alignment you marked earlier. Clamp lightly and let it dry overnight. The glue line will be nearly invisible if you kept the back panel oriented correctly.

Step 6: Sand, Shape, and Finish

This is where the box transforms from a rough cutout into something special. Round the edges, smooth the curves, and shape the exterior however you want. Some people keep it blocky with just softened edges. Others sculpt the outside into a fully organic form with no flat surfaces at all. Both approaches look great.

Sand the drawers to fit smoothly. They should slide in and out with gentle friction, not so tight they stick, not so loose they fall out. A little paste wax on the drawer sides helps them glide.

Finish with your preferred clear coat. Oil finishes work beautifully because they enhance the grain without building up a thick film. Danish oil, tung oil, or a wipe-on poly all work well.

Variations to Try

• Pivoting drawer, instead of a sliding drawer, drill a hole through one corner and use a dowel as a pivot pin. The drawer swings open like a little door.
• Secret compartment, add a hidden drawer behind a visible one. The front drawer slides out normally, revealing a second cavity behind it.
• Lined interior, glue a piece of felt or leather to the bottom of the drawer cavity for jewelry storage.
• Contrasting wood, laminate two different species into a block before you start cutting. The drawer boundaries become defined by the color change.

Need help figuring out what joint style to use for other box-making projects? The Wood Joint Selector covers options from simple to advanced.

The Perfect Gift Project

A stack of offcuts set aside for bandsaw boxes turns into gifts on demand. When a birthday or holiday comes up, one box takes a couple of hours. Every single one looks unique because the wood grain is different every time. People are always amazed that it started as a single block. That reaction alone makes this project worth learning.