How to Build a Lunch Box Guitar

Many people use a lunchbox everyday: pack it in the morning, open it at lunch, then clean it out for another day's use. Not everyone thinks about turning that same lunchbox into a musical instrument. It is actually an entertaining and simple activity that can make for an interesting hobby. When done correctly, this crafty, little, lunchbox guitar---modified from a design from Cigar Box Guitars---can create quite a harmonious tune.

Things You'll Need

• 1-by-2-inch poplar wood, 2 1/2 feet long
• 3-by-1.5-inch poplar block
• 8/32-by-1.5-inch bolt
• Tin lunch box
• 5-inch piece of wood, 2 by 4 inches
• Drill
• 8 screws, 1/4-inch
• 3 tuning pegs
• Woodwork file
• Sharp blade

Instructions

1. Create the sound hole in your lunchbox, which is the body of your guitar. This is the hole that is usually at the center of guitars. You can make this hole with any design you like, but the easiest way is to trace a circle with a 2.5-inch diameter on the center of the lid of your lunchbox. Take your sharp blade and cut four lines from all sides of the circle creating eight triangles stemming from the center of your box. Fold each one back and under the lid. You should have a clean-cut octagon.

2. Measure 4 inches down from one end of your 2.5-foot piece of poplar. This will be the headstock for your box guitar. Drill three holes in this 4-inch area for your tuning pegs. When drilling, you might use a 1/4-inch drill bit, but this might vary depending on what size tuning pegs you decide to use. Drill two holes on the left side and one on the right side. Stagger the two on the left or you will not be able to string your guitar. File down the back of your headstock until the three tuning pegs fit and fasten snugly.

3. Attach your 3-by-1.5-inch poplar block to the back of the neck at the opposite end from the headstock. Do this by drilling two screws through the top of the neck, securing it to the block of the poplar.

4. File a groove across the width of the neck about a half inch below your head stock. This is where you will put the 8/32-by-1.5-inch bolt, acting as your bridge. File this groove deep enough so only two-thirds of the bold protrudes from the front surface of the neck.

5. Attach the neck of the guitar to the body. Cut your piece of 2-by-4 down until it fits into the lunchbox. Place it in the center of the side that you want to attach the neck of the guitar. Drill four screws in the shape of a square through the 2-by-4 and into the 2.5-inch poplar block, now attached to the neck. The side of the lunchbox should be sandwiched between these two pieces of wood, securing the neck of the guitar to the body.

6. Drill three small holes barely bigger than a guitar string through the remaining piece of 2-by-4. This is what will hold your strings at the base of your guitar. Attach this piece to the side of your lunchbox opposite the neck with two screws.

7. String your guitar by running an A string through the top hole out of the three holes on the back of your lunch box. A little nub on the end of the string will lock it into the hole while you loop it through the corresponding tuning peg. Wrap the string around the tuning peg and then bend it back around itself. This will create a knot around the peg and allow you to tighten the string and tune the guitar. Do this same thing with a D string and then with a G string, which will be the last string on your guitar.

Tips & Warnings

• Be careful when folding back the edges of the sound hole. The tin shards can be very sharp.

References

• Cigar Box Guitars