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The MAKE A KEYLESS,

SECRET, WOODEN
UnaBox COMPARTMENT.
BY CLAUDIO BERNARDINI

M y architect friends Lorenzo Bini and Roberta Pezzulla made this little
project for a very young and dynamic client: Lorenzo’s 6-month-old
goddaughter. They wanted to make a box that the child could use her whole
life to store small, personal, precious things. So they created the UnaBox,
taking inspiration from an Indian box (by an anonymous designer) that had
an obscure opening system with 2 pivoting lids.
The box’s dimensions are based on the golden ratio, and it allows access
only to patient and curious people; many adults have tried to open it and
failed. Here’s how to build one yourself!

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6
7
8
4
5
1

3
2
9
11

10

A B

MATERIALS
Hardwood board 27.5cm×57.5cm×1.5cm thick
Our original box used the best Italian olive
wood. Sourcing the wood locally avoids hard-
woods with uncertain (and possibly destructive)
origins. 11
Thin wooden peg 3mm×20mm for the locking pin
Screw, 4mm×60mm for the cover pivot
Wood glue
Natural wax 9
10

TOOLS
Band saw or small handsaw
Carpenter’s square ruled
Pencil 6
Drill press or drill 7
Clamps 2 8 5
File
Sanding block with sandpaper, various grits

Photography and CAD drawings by Lorenzo Bini, GroS, and Roberta Pezzulla
1

4
3
Build Your UnaBox
Time: 1-2 Days Complexity: Easy
C

1. Cut the pieces.

The box is made from 11 pieces cut from a single in piece 9 that your screw will slide through (to cut
board, plus a screw and a thin peg for the pivot the slot, drill each end and then thread in a saw
and locking pin. Visit makezine.com/20/unabox blade). Also drill smaller holes in the pieces for the
for CAD drawings and an assembly sequence locking pin, running the drill only partway through
(Figures A and C). piece 9. Drill both holes with the 2 pieces stacked
To make the pieces, you can send the drawing to a together to make sure they align.
CAD/CAM company and wait for the mailman, give Figure C shows how the parts of the UnaBox fit
it to a good carpenter, or cut the pieces yourself together. With precise cutting, the bottom and sides
using a small handsaw or band saw (Figure B). of the box, parts 1–5, should assemble with almost
Finish everything roughly with a wood file, and no glue; use small clamps to hold them while the
then more precisely with plenty of sandpaper. glue cures (Figure D). Glue stacked pieces 6–8
together and glue them to piece 1, the bottom of the
2. Assemble the lid and box. box. Also glue together pieces 9 and 10 for the box’s
Following the plan, drill a hole in piece 11 and a slot top. Once you’re done with the glue and the clamps,

66 Make: Volume 20
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F G

H I

drill pieces 6–8 to hold the bottom of the pivot your own UnaBox, the architects would love to hear
screw (Figure E). from you at [email protected].
Finally, finish the box with a good natural wax
and polish it. This makes the most of the wood, Get SketchUp and AutoCAD models of the Una-
and gives it a nice smell and touch that kids love. Box pieces, and drawings of the assembly sequence
in Flash and SVG, at makezine.com/20/unabox.
3. Learn the secret.
The closed box gives few clues to how it’s opened.
You need to remove the peg and swing part of the top
away before the rest of the top has enough clearance
Claudio Bernardini lives in Milan, Italy, where he runs the
to slide back and swing open (Figures F–I).
clothing design and distribution firm Comvert. In his spare
So far, we’ve built 2 of these boxes: the first one time he rides a skateboard, writes on blog.bastard.it, and
with olive wood, the second with cherry. If you build builds things.

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