Building shaped compartments for specific items means you might end up with some “dead space” somewhere in the box. One option is to do something clever with the space to make the box more useful on the surface. Another (much more fun!) option is to create a hidden space only you know exists.
If you look at my diagrams in the previous steps, you’ll likely notice the large dead space toward the back of the box under the shelf designed to hold the flat wide objects. There are a few different ways to handle accessing the space. You could work out a way to lift the self out, or maybe a trapdoor in the back. I’m sure there are many other Instructables projects that show you how to manage those types of secret spaces.
After thinking a lot about how I would use the case, what I might want to secretly store in the case, and what makes the most sense for a case like this I came up with a plan to incorporate a drawer.
This raised several questions. How do I prevent the drawer from sliding out on its own? If it is hidden, it should not be difficult to move since there will be no external indicator of its existence and it cannot have a handle or hole so how do you make a wooden drawer resting on wood slide easily? How do I hid the drawer so that if you look at the back of the case you would not suspect anything is there?
Let’s talk about how to prevent the drawer from sliding out. Some sort of magnetic closure or discreet latch would work. I settled on a push latch. The strong magnetic clip securely holds the drawer and it is something which can be carefully positioned so that the drawer front perfectly aligns with the back of the box – keeping the illusion that there is nothing there.
How do you make wood slide easily on wood? Drawer tracks would be an option if they made them small enough to fit inside this tiny hidden spot. Finding (or making) some type of tiny wheel to mount to the bottom of the hidden drawer that would allow the drawer to glide along the bottom of the box would be a great solution. I found a pre-made option that is typically not used with wood but had all the characteristics I was looking for – I found very small shower track wheels.
To make the drawer very hidden, the drawer face needs to be the perfect size and shape. I used a laser cutting service for my pieces and the drawer front is the exact piece of wood cut from the box back. How do you hide the drawer? In my early ideation of the project, I was planning to do a wood veneer motif that had design lines that matched the edges of the drawer to camouflage the edges of the drawer. What I ended up using to cover the box disguised the drawer very convincingly.