Remember the old slat boxes that oranges and many other foods used to come in? I make my own to store toys in the garage, like balls and stuff. Here's how I do it:

- A 2x4 in the US is 1.5" x 3.5". First I cut 4 "legs" of the box. Each leg is 1"x1" so I get 3 from a 3.5" wide piece of 2x4. I have .5" left over to make the slats. Cut legs to length, say 16".

- Cut slats. I do this on a table saw and set the width to about 1/8". An exact thickness of 1/8" is not critical. What you want is a sturdy slat and all slats the same thickness.

- Cut enough slats for 4 sides of your box PLUS the bottom, which will also be slats.

- Assemble a side, mark "bottom" on the bottom most slat on all sides so you can asssemble it correctly later on.

- Take 2 "legs" place them parallel. Glue AND nail slats perpendicular to the legs. The key here is glue AND nail. 3/4" finish nails should be fine, use 2 on each end of a slat. Designate the bottom of the box and start there. The slat should rest on the bottom of the leg. Work your way up putting a space between each slat. Use another slat, like a broken one or one that is the wrong length as a space between slats. It's ok if you end up with a little extra of the "leg" showing at the top of the box.

- Assemble another side the same way as above.

- Now attach the 2 sides to each other using more slats in the same manner as above. Start at the bottom and work your way up. When you are done you will have 4 sides of a box and no bottom.

- Make the bottom. Take 2 slats to be the "skids" which will rest on the ground. Nail and glue slats between them the correct distance.

- When done with the bottom, flip it over so the skids will rest on the ground, then nail and glue the bottom into the 4 legs.

That's it! For glue, I use Elmer's Wood Glue. Do not use white glue or craft glue, use some type of wood glue.