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A friend sent me a YouTube link of a "Useless Box" one day. It's basically a box that when switched on, turns itself off. When I saw it I knew I had to make one even though it's admittedly the stupidest project I've ever done. Not everything has to make sense.

The wood is maple and padauk and it measures roughly 6" x 4" x 2".

Anyway, turn up the sound and check it out!

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I think this would be the perfect gift for relatives.
Did you document the electronics involved?

very cool
 

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I love these things, definitely on my list of things to build someday

Have you seen the video of the dueling useless boxes? good stuff

nice work, and that is by far the nicest useless box I have seen!
 

· In Loving Memory
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Totally useless… but for some unknown reason… I LOVE IT….
 

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I'm with degoose. Its fun
 

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Useless to tell what I think!
Smiles,
Mads
 

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Chuck, I too would say that is the nicest looking version of this that I have seen. A real fun project that is also on my to do list.

CtL
 

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OMG !!!!! i love this box…. hours of entertainment LOL
 

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OMG! STFU!
That is the nicest useless thing I have ever seen.
Nice production too.

Steve
 

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I gotta have one!!!
 

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Hysterical! Reminds me of Hollywood trailers: High production value promoting a less edifying product. Although, it is nice looking. Bravo.
 

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Very cool box and a lot of fun to watch !
I made a fake laptop from a 2×8 with a couple of fake latch buttons and put it on the counter at work and we had a lot of fun with guys trying to open it .
http://lumberjocks.com/projects/44890
I guess what I am trying to say is these boxes are very useful items because the are simply fun!

Thanks
Kiefer
 

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I love the box.. what kind of motor is that??
 

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Yes, that IS useless. But you get a lot of credit for making the video!
 

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Thanks for the great comments! I did it freehand so I don't have any plans. I used a servo from a model airplane. A servo requires more than just voltage to operate and I didn't want to get involved with putting together a circuit to control it. Instead, i took it apart and ripped out the circuit board and soldered the wires directly to the motor. That left me with a simple geared motor. I used a DPDT switch to reverse the direction and a lever switch down below to stop the arm when it returned.

The hardest part, by far, was mounting the lid to the hinge. Because of the contour of the box the lid doesn't fully open, maybe 45 degrees. When I open it in the video that's as far as it goes. What a pain to get those little nails in!
 

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CR1, it might be good for toddlers, but I reckon it would be even better for teenagers. That could keep them going for ages!

And on the same train of thought, the box itself may be useless, but the process of making it could be priceless as a learning experience for those same teenagers. It's a project that comes with built in motivation.

I like it!
 

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Chuck, I like your idea and may have to give it a try. Then I may try the Mystery Box by Dr. Clayton Boyer
It is a slow motion model.


No ectronics necessary, just some wood and main spring and a lot more time.
 

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