I’ve always had an obsession with little boxes. Wooden boxes. Metal boxes. Glass boxes. I have a collection. So of course I couldn’t wait to make a stained glass box for jewelry and other trinkets.
There’s a number of other resources you can find online to help guide you on how to make stained glass boxes. However, it was a little confusing because they are fabricated using a couple different methods.
Because of this I ended up making a couple different boxes to figure out which way was best. What I found is that each way is good for different reasons.
So to make life easier for you, I’m going to lay out everything I learned about making a stained glass box so that you can choose which method is best for you, and construct your own.
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Now, there are SEVERAL different options you can choose when making a stained glass box. You can do:
- Flat lid with no hinge
- Flat lid with hinge
- Flat lid with hinge + chain
- Sided lid with no hinge
- Sided lid with hinge
- Sided lid with hinge + chain
… and all of these options + other hardware like feet and clasps. Not to mention all the ways you can get creative with your designs.
But before you can decide on any of that, you’ll need to figure out how you’ll construct the box itself.
Method 1: Outside Corners
I intentionally put this method first because this is what most likely comes to mind when you think about how a stained glass box is made:
A bottom + top the same size with four sides matching the lengths of the bottom and top.
This type of stained glass box is the best choice if you’re using clear, or any type of transparent glass for the sides of the box.
This is because with this type of build you don’t see any of the glass edges like you do with inside corners, which I’ll show below. Some other pros, and cons, of this method are:
| Pros | Cons |
| Easy measurements Best option for clear glass | More difficultRequires more solder |
If you’ve yet to attempt a stained glass box, just know you will use A LOT of solder. This is because you’re filling squared edges instead of flat surfaces.
If you choose this method of constructing your stained glass box, I would suggest using something like the pro box maker or the handy wedge to line up your edges to solder.
Method 2: Inside Corners
When fabricating your stained glass box using inside corners, the measurements are less instinctual, but still quite simple.
All you’ll want to do is add .25 to the shorter sides of your box. This will cause the shorter edgest to hang over perfectly on either side to cover the ends of your longer sides.
This type of fabrication is a little easier to assemble, and requires less solder. Which, with the price of solder these days… is pretty great! All the pros and cons include:
| Pros | Cons |
| Easier to assemble Requires less solder Can easily make corrections for mistakes in the shape of bottom glass | If using clear glass, the overlapped edges show on the ends A little math with measurements |
Really, this way of fabrication is best if you’re using an opaque glass for the sides, OR you don’t mind the look of the peaking edges. Here’s what it looks like:
So there are your two options for your stained glass box fabrication. Once you have that decided, it’s time to move on to your lid.
Box Lid Styles
There’s two types of box lids you can choose from. A flat lid with no sides, or a sided lid with four sides. This really just comes down to preference. However, if you plan to use hinges with a chain, a sided lid is probably the best option since it gives you a way to attach the chain to the inside of your lid where it isn’t so noticeable.
Flat Lid
A flat lid is exactly how it sounds. It can be constructed using one piece of glass, or several pieces to make up a design, but either way it’s a flat piece that lays over the top of your stained glass box.
The measurements for a flat lid will depend on how you want it to sit over your box:
| Lid Fit/Type | Measurement |
| Detached lid to sit on top | Bottom + .25 width & .25 length |
| Hinged lid to sit flush with box front & sides | Bottom + .125 width & .25 length |
| Hinged lid to hang over the front of box | Bottom + .25 width & .25 length |
In the box shown below I added .25” on both sides so that it would fit perfectly over the top. Which makes sense. If you are relying on the top to sit over the box without falling through, it will need to cover .125” on all sides.
Sided Lid with Hinge
If you’re wanting your sided lid to sit perfectly on top of your box with an attached hinge, your lid measurements will mirror that of the bottom of the box, except for the height of your sides.
You can use either INSIDE CORNERS or OUTSIDE CORNERS in the construction of your box lid. Just remember, if you’re using transparent glass, you may prefer to use the outside corner method as this will not show your glass edges on the ends.
Sided lids are great if you’re wanting to use a chain to attach your lid to your box. This keeps the lid from swinging all the way back if it’s attached with hinges.
The measurement of the sides of your lid will depend on how tall you want your lid to be. ⅓ of the height of your box is typical. So your measurements may look something like this…
| Piece | Measurement |
| Bottom | 4” x 6” |
| Box Sides Height | 1.5” |
| Box Lid | 4” x 6” |
| Box Lid Sides Height | ½” or .5” |
Sided Lide to Cover Box
If you want a sided lid that sits over the base of your stained glass box, you’ll want to add .125” to all four sides of your box lid, or .25” to the length and width.
The measurements for this would be:
| Piece | Measurement |
| Box Bottom | 4” x 6” |
| Box Side Hight | 1.5” |
| Box Lid | 4.25” x 6.25” |
| Box Lide Sides Height | ½” or .5” |
Now that you have all the basic measurements for the different types of stained glass boxes, you can let your imagination run wild with designs and configurations.
Let me know in the comments below if you found this article helpful on your journey to making your own stained glass box.
