Making A Working Box
Scott Rolls takes you through how to make a box for your working ferrets
Someone asked about making a ferret box saying they are no good at DIY. I was in the father-in-law’s workshop and saw some 8mm ply hanging about so I decided to knock one up to show you how easy it is. Anyway here’s a simple box that is made using limited tools and I didn’t cheat with power tools, I forgot how tiring it can be without them. The tools used were a hammer, handsaw, tape measure, and pencil. Oh and a hand drill for holes, no power tools remember?
Materials:
8mm ply wood
small screws (use something less than wood thickness)
panel pins (I had loads of 25mm ones so I used them)
2 x hinges
4 x corner plates (zinc plated)
1 x latch (don’t know what the name of the thing is but
you will see it in photo)
wood glue
Cut your 6 pieces of ply to the size of box you need. I chose 400mm x 230mm x 230mm or 16" x 9" x 9" as I have small jills. Deduct twice the thickness of your chosen wood from the width of the end sections |
Apply glue to an edge to be joined |
Pin with panel pins |
Work your way round until you have a box with no lid |
Turn upside down and screw corner plates into position |
Wipe away excess glue with damp cloth |
Attach hinges to rear of lid and box, and latch or locking system to front |
You can make a series of holes with a drill for ventilation. I chose to use a hole saw and pc fan grill. |
You have the basic box. This one held me and the glue wasn't dry! I weigh just over 12 stone. |
Now your glue has dried sand all edges to a smooth finish, I like to round them off |
Wipe over with a damp cloth to remove any dust |
Treat your timber with a weatherproof treatment. Make sure its a non toxic treatment. I prefer to use a natural beeswax |
Now all you need is a strap. If you can get down the breakers yard the best thing you can get is a seatbelt. To fix the chosen strap I prefer to use a nut and bolt rather than a screw for extra strength but always use a washer to stop it pulling through the strap. If you position towards the top back of your box it will help to stop the corner from digging in when you carry it. Once the first side is fixed place the box on a table in the carrying position and mark the length to where you feel comfortable and fix as before |
Cut a piece of ply slightly smaller than your lid, say about 5mm in each direction. |
Remove any sharp edges |
Then use some rubber foam. I used one of these knee pad things for gardening or a camping roll mat would do. Glue them together using PVA and allow to dry |
Trim off excess and edges to 45 degree angle. You can sand down to a better finish if you wish. |
Take your covering and pin or staple in position. |
Screw through underside of lid into bottom of the seat. You can now give your ferrets longer underground and have a brew in comfort. |
You now have a finished box. |