DIY Wooden Light Box

Finished Light box

I was using a light box made from a cardboard box.  I had three panels that were covered in tissue paper.  Unfortunately, children and tissue paper are not a lasting solution.  I had access to some hardwood tongue and grove flooring.  This gave me an idea.

Supplies

I needed a replacement for my cardboard box so that I can take pictures of my products.  I started by figuring out what dimensions I could get from the wood that I had available.  I started by evening up the wooden pieces.  Next I started to assemble the bottom and back of the box.  I glued 5 boards together for each panel.  I spread a thin layer of glue in the grooves.  I pulled two boards off of a pallet to screw these boards down onto.   This makes the base much more sturdy.

Box together

Next I Started assembling the top frame of the box.  This will not get closed at all with wood.  I started by attaching the corner boards together.  After  fitting the corner boards together I used screws to attach these boards to the board to go across the front of the box at the top.  Even with pre-drilling the holes, I had a hard time getting the screws to go all the way into the boards.

Rubber Feet

I ended up needing another pair of hand to get it completely put together.  My brother N very sweetly lent a hand.  We had some issues with the back panel.  The glue didn't keep the panel together as well as I had hoped.  We used a short board on either side to drill holes and screw into the boards of the back panel.  We also used screws to secure the back panel to the bottom panel as well for good measure.

Applying fabric to the sides

I used a glue gun to put a nickle sizes dot in three different places on each of the boards on the bottom of the box.  This should help to keep the box from scraping up any surface it is placed on.

In the process of pickling

After getting all of the box constructed I started by applying white muslin to each side.  I cut a fairly good sized piece for each side.  I glued each side with the glue gun, pulling the fabric taut on each side.  As I glue the fabric down I also folded the edge over to make each side nice and neat.  The fabric acts a filter for the light.  This keeps there from being glare on the object inside that you are photographing.
After getting the fabric adhered to the box, I painted the inside with wicker white craft paint.  After getting the entire inside painted I started using a rag to scrub off most of the paint.  This technique is called pickling.  It gives the wood an aged appearance.  I thought that I just wanted to  put a backdrop over this, but after I finished I realized that I really like the look of the soap especially in front of the wood.  As you can see from the picture the color of the item inside pulls that color out in the wood.

Pictures in the light box.

I am linking with the following blogs:

http://back2basichealth.blogspot.com                                http://www.bystephanielynn.com
http://blackfoxhomestead.com/                                          http://www.iamannekehn.blogspot.com
http://www.hopeineveryseason.com                                  http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.com
http://littlehomesteadonthehill.blogspot.com/                      http://www.sewcando.com/
http://www.campwander.com/                                          http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/
http://coloradolady.blogspot.com                                      www.aboverubies.net
http://abidingwoman.com/                                               http://www.besimplybetter.com/
http://www.deeprootsathome.com/                                   http://proverbs14verse1.blogspot.com/
http://raisinghomemakers.com                                          http://sandimyyellowdoor.blogspot.com/
http://www.52mantels.com/                                             http://www.the36thavenue.com/
http://www.create-with-joy.com                                       http://teachingwhatisgood.com/
http://www.the36thavenue.com/                                       http://seevanessacraft.com/
http://katherinescorner.com/                                           http://cupcake-n-bake.blogspot.com
http://alifeinbalance.net                                                   http://www.hopestudios.blogspot.com
http://thediydreamer.com                                                 http://www.the-chicken-chick.com
http://lavendergardencottage.blogspot.com                       http://www.flusterbuster.com
http://www.time-warp-wife.blogspot.com                        http://www.adelightsomelife.com/
http://www.growinghomeblog.com                                 http://nourishingjoy.com
http://momstheword--livingforhim.blogspot.com/              http://trayerwilderness.com/
http://timeforseason.blogspot.com                                     http://mylampisfull.blogspot.com/