BUILD IT WITH CARDBOARD

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Once you've made your selection, cut the boxes' bottoms off with your utility knife and slice the sides apart. Each box, then, will produce four separate side panels for you to take home.

A SAMPLE PROJECT

Probably the easiest way to learn to build with cardboard is to assemble the flip-top box pictured here, since its construction involves most of the basic techniques you'll need for any other cardboard projects. And, of course, the lowcost, presentable storage container itself will be very handy.

First, to avoid marring your work surface, put the cutting board on a table, countertop, or workbench. Then select a couple of the scavenged cardboard sheets large enough for the project. You'll probably need at least one side from a refrigerator box to form the body of this little storage chest . . . but the top and bottom can be cut from smaller pieces.

Now, lay one section of cardboard on the table with its printed side up. Draw the pattern on this side, so that—when it's assembled—the outside of the finished flip-top box will have no advertising showing. (The white or yellow pencil is used wherever your lines cross any darkcolored areas on the container.) It's best to follow this procedure even if you plan to paint your project . . . because sometimes uneven absorption will allow the print to show through the paint.

THE CUTUP

After you've reproduced the plan on your sheets (following the dimensions shown in the accompanying illustration), cut around each piece with the utility knife. Use your straightedge to keep the lines true and unwavering. First, make a light pass with the blade, then follow up with one or two heavy cuts.

When that's done, slice only halfway through the cardboard along each fold line. The best way to do this is to tilt your knife back toward you until the lower front corner of the handle touches the surface of the cardboard, and then to use that point as a pivot to control the depth of the cut. (This process can be a bit tricky at first, but it'll become easy after a little practice.) As before, make one light cut and then follow with more pressure, being careful not to cut all the way through the material.

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