How To: Make a Secret Hollowed-Out Book (Quickly!)

When I was a kid, we made secret book hiding spots all the time: glue up the edges, grab the utility knife, and spend hours cutting. Of course, we didn’t have any stuff worth hiding, but we were boys, and that’s what boys did.

I love the idea of using secondhand books as a gift box, but my memories of the tried-and-true handcutting method, which would take more than an hour for a book big enough to put much in, make me think otherwise. But, this new method from John Park makes me think I might be able to pull it off this holiday season.

I’ve built hollowed-out books before, using the time-honored, frustrating, and very time-consuming hobby-knife method. This time, I decided to speed things up (by hours!) using my Dremel Multi-Max oscillating tool.

Since this made cutting so much quicker, I was also more willing to cut multiple chambers inside the book. Use this method to build a hiding place for your electronics, jewelry, and secret plans for the midnight raid on the cookie jar. It could also be used to make a unique project box for one of your electronics builds.

Make a Secret Hollowed-Out Book [Makezine]