A Cash Box

Four scraps pieces of Plywood glued together 

  A couple times this past summer I helped out at some of our local fundraisers.     Generally when that happens I end up sitting at the cash table collecting the money and making change.     I always think that I get placed in that position because people feel I am trustworthy and pretty good with numbers.   Maybe if the truth be told,  I tend to look a little crabby when serving food or become a little impatient when waiting on customers so hiding me at that lonely money table is a good idea. 

Cut the four corners off from the slab.  

    What happens most times is that there is no cash box to keep the change and bills separated.    I think you can buy one for not too much, but no one does.   They always give me a shoe box or some weird container to throw the money in.   The shoe box system works, but it's a struggle for me because I like to be a little organized - especially when handling cash.   (Maybe, in another life I could have been a banker, bookmaker, or poker player or something.  Because I am someone who likes to handle a lot of cash. )  

The goal was to come up with four coin areas and four bill areas. 

  I decided that I would build my own cash box to bring with me whenever that duty comes up again.   As with most of my projects this summer, I search through that old scrap wood pile of mine to see what I could use for this project.    The pieces are small and I picked some pine wood that I had on hand.  Also I made the curved parts out of plywood scrap that was almost ready for the fire pit. 
   The idea for the plan came from a You-tube video.    You just do a search for "cash box" and you can get all kinds of ideas.

All glue - no nails or screws. 

   Lately I have been using You-tube a lot when searching for ideas on how to do something.   I can't believe all the videos that are posted now days.   (Doesn't anybody blog about their projects any more?)   I don't know how people can do that - make videos of things they built.   I can't hardly remember to stop and take a picture every now and then.   To record myself cutting and gluing would be a challenge.

A couple coats of vanish and "Ta Da!"

    The box came together quite easily.    I wondered about building some kind of lid.   The fellow on You-tube was thinking that lids are not necessary.   His thinking was that if you have cash in a box like this you should stay with the cash.   You should not put a lid over the money while you go get a cup of coffee or something.   (That makes sense,  but unlike some of us  I'm guessing he must have a large bladder.) 

Ok... It ain't much but it's all I got. 

    I emptied the billfold, the dresser drawer, and the secret jar (I went everywhere except under our mattress) and put all my currency in the box to test how making change might work.     It looks like it will work okay.  I'm a little disappointed with the change section.   The coins do not slide as well as I had hoped.   I may have to wax the bottom or do something in that transition area to make the coins slide out a little better.   Now that I have this made, it most likely will be one of those items that will only get used once or twice a year.    If so, throw the shoe box away.   I'll be ready to try out my handy dandy wooden cash box --- right after I take time for a bathroom stop.