1. Tools and Equipment Ruler Try Square (Any square would work fine) Scratch Awl Aviation Snips Foot Shear (optional) Sheet Metal Break Bar Folder...

2. Before we begin we need a plan of action. If you can't visualize how the flat pattern for a box should look with sheet metal, find an old shoe b...

3. Making a mock up out of cheap material is always a good practice to have when building something you are unfamiliar with doing. I have my studen...

4. Once you are prepared to work with your metal the first step you will need to take is to get your stock piece to the needed size. Using your pla...

5. Now that your metal is to the correct size, it is time to mark your layout pattern onto the metal. I recommend using a square for this step if y...

6. With your layout marked it is time to use aviation snips to cut your metal to shape. Overall this step is pretty easy, but using snips on metal...

7. When you spot weld the box together you want as clean of connection between the metal as possible. That means before you start doing any bending...

8. As stated earlier hems are just a section of your metal that has been rolled over onto itself. The hems will be located on the top edges of your...

9. You are almost done. Once the hems have been made the next step is to bend your metal into a box. You will be working with a sheet metal brake t...

10. You now have a box! But without some form of fastening/assembly the box can be unfolded or deform pretty easily. To keep it in the shape you wa...

1. We will make the box out of 0.032" (1/32") aluminum sheet metal. You'll want to get a 12" x 12" sheet at least. Here I'm usi...

2. We start the box by making its sides. The sides will be 3" x 3", but we add 1/2" tabs on three sides. So, mark out two 4" x...

3. Next, use the left and right metal shears to cut out the small squares at the corners. These tools have a bottom blade and a top blade. The bott...

4. Use the box brake to bend the tabs 90 degrees. First, set the nose back from the joint about 0.032" (1/32") -- the thickness of the sh...

5. Because we haven't done anything very precisely, we need to measure the width of the sides in order to make the rest of the box's body. Use cali...

6. Next, we're going to match-drill the holes. This involves putting the box together, drilling one hole through both pieces, fixing the two pi...

7. Now it's just a matter of replacing each cleco, one by one, with a rivet. Again, start from the middle and work your way out.

8. Cut a length of hinge so that it will fit inside the box between the tabs of the two sides. You will probably want to use a vertical bandsaw for...

9. Measure the dimensions of the opening box. The long side will likely be 4", since that's how wide the original sheet was. The short side wi...

10. The lid should fit on the box nicely, so that if you open the lid, it will open all the way and not get stuck. You can try it now, before you r...