ive had a bunch of prefabed boxes and now i want to build my own box, its for a 18 inch fi btl. i have a friend making me a design sheet so all i really am looking for here is some tips to a first time bulider, or advice to help me out. anything at all you think will help me out please let me know.

thanks

Well first thing is you're going to have to make a choice on wood. MDF or plywood. About the only benefit to MDF is that it is cheaper than ply, which is why most people use it. Tools that I find very useful are: Screw gun, hand saw, table saw, square, router, clamps, and a straight edge. You will need to pick up wood glue, and the recommended brand is "Titebond 3." This stuff is great.

After getting my wood set up I measure out my pieces and draw them on with a pencil. Measure three times, cut once. Try to set your pieces up on your board so you have to make a few separate cuts as possible. I like to cut ALL of my piece out first, but some will do it piece by piece. The big thing here is to make sure that all of your pieces are square. It's very hard to make a good box if you screw up your squaring. After that, start gluing together. Make sure that your pieces are squared up when you clamp. Check squareness after you clamp too, because sometimes it will move things out of square. I usually let my pieces clamp for about 45-60 minutes before I add another. I personally don't use screws on my boxes anymore, the Titebond is just that good in my opinion. To each his own though.

Building a box is very easy, give you have the tools. Just make sure you think everything through a few times to make sure it's right. Anymore questions I, or someone else will be sure to give you an answer.

you need time. haha

And patience. The first few you build will give you a headache, trust me. After you build a few though, your confidence will shoot up!