A Homemade Chipper Box

Sides of the Box

• 1

  Measure the length of the side rim of the bed of your pickup truck.

• 2

  Measure the length taken in the previous step on two 2-by-4s with a tape measure. Mark the length with a pencil and cut the boards to length using a saw.

• 3

  Attach one 2-by-4 to each side rim of the truck bed. Drive bolts through the wood and truck using a drill. Choose bolts you can easily remove so you can take the chipper box off the truck when not in use.

• 4

  Measure and mark the midpoint of the 2-by-4s now attached to the truck with your tape measure and pencil.

• 5

  Measure the length of the side rim of the truck on two 1/2-inch boards with a tape measure. Mark the length with a pencil and cut the boards to length with a saw.

• 6

  Measure a height of 3 feet on the boards with a tape measure. Mark the height with a pencil and cut the boards to height. Ultimately, you can cut these boards to any height you feel matches the volume you need for your chipper box.

• 7

  Mark the midpoint on each 1/2-inch board lengthwise, using a tape measure and pencil. If creating a chipper box for a 6-foot-long truck bed, mark a distance 3 feet from either side of the end of the board.

• 8

  Measure and mark a length of 33 inches on six 2-by-4s. The 33-inch distance equals 3 feet -- the height of the 1/2-inch plywood boards minus the width of two 2-by-4s, which measure 1 1/2 inches thick each. If using a different height than 3 feet for the plywood boards, subtract 3 inches from your height and cut six 2-by-4s to this length.

• 9

  Place one 2-by-4 at each edge of each 1/2-inch plywood board so the outside edge of the 2-by-4 lines up with the outside edge of the 1/2-inch plywood board. Orient the boards vertically, so they span the height of the 1/2-inch board. Leave 1 1/2 inches of clearance at the top and bottom of the 1/2-inch plywood board.

• 10

  Affix the 2-by-4s to the 1/2-inch plywood boards by driving bolts through the 1/2-inch board and into the 2-by-4s at even intervals for the length of the 2-by-4.

• 11

  Place a 2-by-4 in the middle of each 1/2-inch plywood board, so the center of the 2-by-4 lines up with the mark drawn in the center of the plywood board. Leave 1 1/2 inches of clearance at the top and bottom of the board.

• 12

  Affix the central 2-by-4 to the board as you did the other 2-by-4s.

• 13

  Measure, mark and cut a 2-by-4 to the length of each 1/2-inch plywood board.

• 14

  Line the newly cut 2-by-4s across the top of the 1/2-inch plywood boards, so the 1 1/2-inch thickness of the board fits perfectly between the top of the other 2-by-4s attached to the board and the top rim of the board. Attach the 2-by-4s to the 1/2-inch board in the same manner previously used.

• 15

  Place the 1/2-inch board over the 2-by-4 attached to the side of the truck, so the 2-by-4 on the truck fits perfectly beneath the vertical 2-by-4s on the board.

• 16

  Line up the midpoint of the center 2-by-4 on the board with the center marks on the 2-by-4 attached to the truck. Attach the boards to the truck by driving bolts through the plywood boards and into the 2-by-4 on the truck.

Back and Top of the Box

• 17

  Measure the distance between the 2-by-4s on the 1/2-inch plywood boards at the back of the truck, measuring across the truck, from one board to the other. Measure between the vertical 2-by-4s at the bottom of the 1/2-inch plywood board and the horizontal 2-by-4 at the top of the 1/2-inch board.

• 18

  Measure, mark and cut one 2-by-4 to each measurement taken in the previous step.

• 19

  Measure the height from top the 2-by-4 on the rim of the truck bed to the top of the 1/2-inch plywood board placed on the side of the truck.

• 20

  Measure, mark and cut two 2-by-4s to the measurement taken in the previous step.

• 21

  Assemble the four 2-by-4s cut for the back of the truck in a square, with the pieces cut to height serving as opposite sides and the pieces cut to the width of the truck serving as the top and bottom of the square. Attach 2-by-4s to one another with screws and a drill.

• 22

  Install the square frame for the back of the truck so the 2-by-4 cut to the width at the bottom back of the truck fits on top of the 2-by-4s placed on rims of the bed. Attach the frame to the 2-by-4 around it with a drill and screws.

• 23

  Measure, mark and cut a 1/2-inch plywood board to fit across the back of the frame placed at the back of chipper box.

• 24

  Measure, mark and cut a hole in the freshly cut board to line up with the window in the back of the truck cab. Cut a piece of Plexiglas to fit over this hole and attach the Plexiglas to the board with thin screws.

• 25

  Attach the board with the Plexiglas window to the frame at the back of the truck with bolts and a drill, lining the board up so the window aligns with the window on the truck cab.

• 26

  Measure, mark and cut two more 2-by-4s to the same length as the top framing element of the frame installed at the back of the cab.

• 27

  Install the freshly cut 2-by-4s by attaching them to the sideways 2-by-4s framing the top of the 1/2-inch plywood boards. Attach the new 2-by-4s so they align with the vertically oriented 2-by-4s on each 1/2-inch board to form a continuous, “U” shaped frame. Affix the boards to the frame using a drill and screws.

• 28

  Measure, mark and cut a 1/2-inch plywood board to serve as the roof of the chipper box. Attach the roof to the frame by driving bolts through the 1/2-inch plywood roof board and into the 2-by-4s framing the top of the chipper box walls.