If you’re like me, working with your hands is a little therapeutic, and I really enjoy taking on small woodworking projects (like this cribbage board ^[1]). My hope is that as time goes on, I’ll use fewer and fewer power tools so while I’ve already completed this business card case, I plan on making another. Heck, I might even splurge on some nicer wood. Until then, here’s how I made a slim, wooden business card case.

Like many of my woodworking projects, I started with a piece of scrap pine.

Most business cards, including mine, measure about 3″ x 2-1/2″ so I marked out two of those on the piece of pine. Next, I used the table saw to rip the board down to about 3/8″ thick.

The plan is to carve out a small depression on each side and then sandwich them together to form a slot for carrying business cards.

I set my palm router to a shallow depth and cut away most of the wood.

I followed that up with a chisel to clean up the edges and corners and ensure I had enough room to slide cards in and out. Ultimately, it doesn’t need to look too pretty because no-one will ever see the inside.

I glued and clamped the two side together and let the glue dry.

Next, I used my table saw to cut all the outside edges perfectly even.

I sanded all the corners slightly and used a Dremel attachment to sand down one side and make it easier to pull out a card. Some glue oozed inside so I fished that out with a jigsaw blade.

All that’s left is finishing the wood with a stain and / or urethane. I’ll probably hold off since I’m already planning on making another (nicer) one.