High Security Textbook Safe

A great project for keeping your valuables safe!

Glue, glue stick, utility knife, straight edge, paperboard template, brown grocery bag, and textbook.

Total Cost: $0 (already had all the supplies and the textbook was donated by a friend)

Approximate Time: 2.5 hr

Use paperboard template to trace desired compartment size (and shape).

Using your utility knife and straight edge, begin cutting rectangular sections out of the textbook. This is going to take a while, so be patient.

Time to tidy things up! Remove any scraps of paper and damaged pages. Neatly align the pages.

Cut the bottom page (the one you saved earlier in the project) so that it can fit in the back of the book. Glue it down and glue the last cut out page on top. This will act as the bottom of the hidden compartment.

This may get messy! Apply glue to the bottom, sides, and top of the compartment. You need a lot of glue for the compartment to be properly reinforced.

Making sure the pages are neatly aligned, close the textbook. Place weights on top and allow the glue to dry overnight.

Cut a rectangle out of the first page (the one that was glued down when the textbook was closed), revealing the hidden compartment underneath.

Glue the back pages together to give the bottom of the hidden compartment more support.

Cut two large rectangles from the brown paper bag. Place one rectangle in the back of the book and place the other rectangle in the front of the book, just before the hidden compartment. This will keep things from getting messy in the next step.

Using your fingers, spread a thin layer of glue to outside edge of pages to help hold them together. Allow textbook to dry for 1 hour.

Your High Security Textbook Safe is complete!