Woodworking Course: Mitered Boxes

Box making foundations with an emphasis on hand tools, in Marrickville. (From 2027 onward in Mona Vale)



2 x 7 hours Location Marrickville and other locations Class size 1 to 12 guests   $590 (Afterpay available)
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Looking for fun things to do in Sydney? Join a woodworking class with Wood Academy (From 2027 onward in Mona Vale) and learn how to make mitered boxes!
This is a two-day workshop for students who wish to develop their skills in box-making.
A small mitered box is one of the most satisfying things you can build from wood. Done well, the corners close on themselves, the lid sits crisp on the opening, and the base floats in its trench, free to move with the seasons. Get those details right and you have the foundation for almost any cabinetry or fine woodworking project that follows.
This two-day workshop takes you through every step of building a mitered box with a floating base, a lift-off lid with a small dowel handle, and reinforced corners with veneer splines. The work is hand-tool led: shooting your miters true with a sharp plane, cutting a trench with a plow plane, planing a rebate, fitting splines with a chisel, and finishing the piece by hand.
The workshop suits beginners with no prior experience through to intermediate students looking to tidy up their fundamentals. By the end of the second day you'll have completed a small mitered box to take home, along with a working knowledge of the hand tools that produced it.
Why You'll Love This Workshop
Hand tools, the right way. Every joint is shot and trimmed by hand, so you finish the weekend with a real sense of how a plane, a saw, and a sharp chisel earn their place on the bench.
A box that asks for precision. Miters show every flaw. The work teaches you to mark accurately, plane to a line, and bring the corners square.
Skills that carry into everything you build next. Mitered joinery, captured panels, shop-made clamping, and decorative splines are foundations that come up again in drawers, cabinets, frames, and other small casework.
A finished piece to take home. You leave with a completed mitered box and lid, not just notes from a workshop.
Small group, hands-on instruction. Personalised feedback at every stage of the build, in a workshop set up for proper hand-tool work.
Accessible to true beginners. Students 14 and over are welcome with a parent or guardian on the premises, and no prior experience is required.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the weekend, you will be able to:
  • Mark out and lay out stock for a small mitered box
  • Cut box sides to length with a tenon saw or Japanese pull saw
  • Shoot crisp 45-degree miters with a block or smoothing plane
  • Cut a trench with a plow plane and a rebate with a rebate plane to capture a floating base
  • Size a base to allow for wood movement
  • Glue up a mitered box square, using a shop-made string-and-blocks clamping method
  • Cut and fit veneer splines into the corners to reinforce the joint and add a decorative detail
  • Pare splines flush with a chisel without tearing the surface grain
  • Fit and chamfer a lift-off lid using a hand plane
  • Fit a small dowel handle to the lid
  • Sand and apply a finish to a small box
Course Content and Structure
Day one is about preparation and joinery. You'll start with marking and laying out the stock, then cut the sides to length and plane the corners true to a 45-degree miter. From there you'll cut the trench for the floating base with a plow plane and a matching rebate with a rebate plane. By the end of the day, the box parts are ready for glue-up, captured with a shop-made string-and-blocks clamping method you can replicate at home.
Day two focuses on reinforcement, lid making, and finishing. Once the box is dry, you'll cut slots across the mitered corners with a tenon or dovetail saw and glue in veneer splines for both strength and a subtle decorative contrast. After paring the splines flush, you'll size and chamfer a lift-off lid, fit a small dowel handle, and sand the whole piece ready for the finish of your choice.
Throughout the weekend the emphasis is on understanding the process, not just completing the box. The skills transfer directly to drawer making, small cabinetry, and any joinery work that calls for clean corners and a square assembly.
Tools You'll Use
The workshop covers a working set of hand tools: block plane, smoothing plane, plow plane, rebate plane, and shooting board. You'll also work with a tenon or Japanese pull saw, marking and measuring tools, sharp chisels, and a shop-made string-and-blocks clamping system. All tools are supplied. Students with their own planes, chisels, or marking tools are welcome to bring them along to get more comfortable using them.
Hands-On Experience
This is an active workshop. From the first cut to the final coat of finish, you'll be working the wood yourself with direct instruction at the bench. You'll get feedback on technique, help reading the grain, and a hand at the bench where a small adjustment makes a real difference. Nothing is demonstrated and then watched from the bench. You build the box.
Join Us and Refine Your Craft
A weekend at the bench is one of the better ways to build a real foundation in box making. You leave with a finished piece you can be proud of, and a set of skills that carries into everything you build next. Book your spot now.

Upcoming dates for Woodworking Course: Mitered Boxes

Times are Sydney time. Dates and prices as of 22 Oct 2026, 3:22pm; availability and price are confirmed live when booking on this page.

1 upcoming date between 22 May 2027 and 22 May 2027.

  • Sat 22 May 2027, 9am-4pm then Sun 23 May, 9am-4pm (7/8 Wilmette Place, Mona Vale NSW • New Location 2027)
What you'll get
You depart with a completed mitered box with a lift-off lid, a working command of the hand tools and techniques that produced it, and the confidence to take on more involved box and small-cabinet projects on your own.
Read more details   
Knowledge required
Suitable for beginners with no experience up to intermediate students. Children 14+ are welcome to participate in this course.
Please note, we require a parent or guardian to be on the premises for the duration of the class if a minor is attending.
What to bring
  • PPE will be supplied however students wishing to bring their own should come with a face mask, safety glasses or goggles and earmuffs or earplugs.
  • Closed shoes are a mandatory requirement for all students.
  • Those with their own tools relevant to the class should also bring them along to get better accustomed to using them but we also supply all tools if you don't have any.
  • We have a kitchen onsite with fridge and microwave for those that want to bring their own food, and there are also takeaway options within walking distance.
Session repeats

This class series runs over 2 consecutive days.

Location

7/8 Wilmette Place, Mona Vale NSW and 12 Gerald Street, Marrickville NSW (varies by date; click the date selector to see details)

Woodworking Course: Mitered Boxes location
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Recent reviews of Woodworking Course: Mitered Boxes

  • 5/5 from Mark Reilly, attended Oct 2026: Anne, assited by Eliza, put on a great course. I learnt more than I was anticipating and enjoyed the atmosphere and cameraderie in the room. Both were very helpful in ironing out difficulties I was having and supporting my efforts to creat something unique. When I say I, really it is more broadly 'we', since Anne and Eliza continually moved round the room admiring, assisting and encouraging all attendees, each with different background from beginner through to skilled users of the equpment. A great course and I would recommend it to anyone wanting to gain new skills, brush up on old ones or just meet new and interesting people in the pursuit of the same endeavour..
  • 5/5 from Sam Pemberton, attended Oct 2026: Good class size, plenty of interaction with the knowledgable and friendly instructors, course was paced well to get through the various skills without rushing. I picked up plenty of foundational skills that will be transferable to other types of project.
  • 5/5 from Dan Austin, attended Oct 2026: Tips on how to use the tools correctly and how to assemble the box without mechanical assistance
  • 5/5 from Stephanie Flinn, attended Jun 2026: A great course. Taken slowly so easy to keep up without pressure. Learning new skills to take home to use on other projects is a benefit of the course, in addition to the boxes made over the two days. Eliza is a very knowledgeable teacher.
  • 5/5 from Michael O'Sullivan, attended Feb 2026: Great, well structured course that taught the use of various hand tools to create a mitred box where you also had some design input. The venue was set up well with plenty of workroom for the students with Eliza giving valued insights into the whys of the processes. fantastic and would recommend to anyone wanting to experience the art
  • 5/5 from Rob Hedges, attended Oct 2025: Course was well organised and presented. I came away with lots of new skills and some very nice pieces
  • 5/5 from Betsy Pickering, attended Oct 2025: Great course.
  • 5/5 from Andrea Soriano, attended Aug 2025: Very knowledgeable and process oriented. What was taught is immediately actionable
  • 5/5 from Han Phan, attended Aug 2025: The short course is very enjoyable. The instructor, David and his assistant, Eliza, were very friendly and informative. The course enables me to explore the hand tools to create mitre box. David was very systematic in explaining the process of box making. I highly recommend the course to people who want to be a better woodworkers.
  • 5/5 from Mark Benson, attended Feb 2025: David is a very good teacher! Even though I’ve been woodworking for a number of years, I still picked up some new skills and techniques. Like how to clamp box glue ups with just a length of VB cord and some wood blocks. Definitely worth the price of admission.
  • 5/5 from Alex Worley, attended Feb 2025: The Mitred Box Class (2 days - handtools) was just fantastic - wow, just wow. This course teaches you a repeatable process to follow to create the box. How simple was the grain matching technique! (when you know how). David Lim was just great at explaining and demonstrating the steps. He was prepared to answer any questions I had and others had too. I loved the opportunity to try out different handplanes to see which ones fit into my hand nicely. Tried out different handsaws. I love the jigs that we used and you can make them yourself or buy them from Timberbits. And, I found a good shop apron too! There are others but no substitute for using the product and getting to know it and test it before purchase. Oh, BTW - I built a box too! I made mistakes and David showed my how to fix those and to prevent them happening again.
  • 5/5 from Nicholas Baldwin, attended Sep 2024: Best weekend ever! Not only did I get out of housework, but I spent 2 full days learning and practicing new skills and even making a few boxes. Best part was learning simpler processes and workflow from an expert - which resulted in better results in 48 hours than I had achieved by myself in 10 years. David is obviously a fantastic maker - but is also terrific teacher.
  • 5/5 from Sue Slater, attended Sep 2024: I received the class as a gift from my daughters for my birthday My teacher David and assistant Eliza were terrific, patiently helping me when needed and giving encouragement The venue was wonderful, beautifully presented, clean and well thought out for running classes. The tools we used were as good as new. Sharp and suited for the purpose intended. David gave us instructions step by step in the making of our boxes. I had no previous experience in wood working and was surprised at how I was able to achieve the required skill using the tools. I was very pleased with the boxes I made I consider that the class was good value for the money The atmosphere in the class was relaxed with everyone of different skill bases working together I would recommend this class to anyone.
  • 5/5 from David Pearson, attended Sep 2024: A well supported and resourced class. All instructions were clear. Teachers on hand to assist. Came away with more knowledge and skills. Teaches weee very positive in encouraging participants to gain skills. Great course. Highly recommend.
  • 5/5 from Nitesh Shrestha, attended Sep 2024: enjoyed two days mitred box making with David and Eliza. I liked David’s teaching style and like to thank him for sharing his skills with us. Gained very valuable lessons in a two day workshop.
  • 5/5 from Simone Doherty, attended Sep 2024: Mitred box class run by Dave and assisted by Eliza. Great tutors learned lots about hand planes and mitred boxes. Highly recommend!
  • 5/5 from Kyle Toff, attended Feb 2024: Awesome class and teachers. Great course and very happy with my creations. Very well thought out and planned.
Your teacher

Wood Academy
Wood Academy

5.0 (233)

There’s a certain magic in creating something with your own two hands. The focus it demands, the joy it imparts, the sense of accomplishment when you transform a simple piece of timber into something extraordinary. At Wood Academy, we celebrate the power of craftsmanship, the way it can ignite passion, inspire creativity, and instil a deep sense of satisfaction. It’s why we believe in one simple truth: Wood Work is good work. The more makers in this world, the better.
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