Dave B. of Cumming, Georgia built a pair of piggy banks for his grandchildren, each one fronted with a salvaged antique post office door — one that opens with a key, the other with a combination dial. The brass doors still carry their original box numbers, 6281 and 5963.
The boxes are black walnut with a coin slot cut in the top, finished with a clear sealant and no stain. Dave put the pair together in about five hours using a table saw and a miter sled, with roughly $75 in materials and no plans.
In Dave’s words
A friend mentioned this project and it caught my interest, so I made a couple for my grandchildren.
The build
- Project type: Boxes & small items
- Skill level: Intermediate
- Wood: Black walnut
- Finish: Clear natural sealant, no stain
- Tools: Table saw, miter cut sled
- Time: About 5 hours
- Cost: About $75 in materials
- Plans: No plans
Biggest challenge
Not too many issues or problems. It’s critical that you get the inside dimensions just right because of the interior design of the doors. The hinge mechanism can get in the way.
Dave’s notes on the hinges and coin slot
I decided to mortise the door hinges into the sides to assure the short screws would take a good bite. Next time I build one, I think I’ll resize the box so that the door slides in and just fits snugly.
As far as the coin slot goes, there are several ways you can cut it. I don’t have a scroll saw, but that would be the most efficient way. In my case, I drilled holes on each end of the area I wanted the slot to be, cut the opening with a jig saw, then cleaned up the cut with a sanding attachment on a Dremel tool.
Photos
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