I built a wood box out of 1 sheet 5/8" plywood and 1 sheet 1/2" plywood for smokeless powder storage. The SAAMI requirement is that it must be at least 1" thick (see Item 936.). Realize that 1/2" plywood is NOT REALLY 1/2" thick! Plywood is really something like 1/32" thinner than the dimension given. So my box is really NOT 1 1/8" thick. It is more like 1 1/16" (remember, EACH SHEET is 1/32" 'undersized'). For this reason, two 1/2" sheets will not do.
I planned my wood cuts ahead of time, because I wanted to be sure that I would not place a screw along a cut. I penciled all the cuts on the GOOD FACE of the 1/2" plywood. Moving the screws later would not be a disaster, as I could always move any screws later, if necessary. However, this way I wouldn't have to deal with it at all.
I laid the sheets on my driveway - which is a hard, smooth, clean surface - and "glued and screwed" them together. For aethetics, I joined the lower grade surfaces, leaving the nicer surfaces facing out. Using yellow carpenter's glue, I applied it quite liberally (if you'll pardon the expression) to the 5/8" sheet on the ground (best face DOWN), and then carefully laid the 1/2" sheet on top (best face UP). You should rotate the sheets slightly to help spread the glue - then carefully align them. Then I used screws that were slightly less than 1" in length (so they wouldn't over-penetrate) to secure them together.
Now you have a 1+" thick sheet of 4'x8' plywood. What I did was leave it 4' wide, but cut it perpendicular to the 8' length for the box top/bottom, front/back, and two (smaller) sides. If you cut them 2' high (8'/4), you'll have nothing left for the sides. If you want it 4' wide, you need to cut them an average of (8'/5) 19" high so you have material left for the sides. I made mine 17" high (front/back) and 20" high (top/bottom), leaving plenty of material for the sides (17"x18" - remember that you must compensate for the 1+" thickness of the wood).
I placed the bottom (20"x48") on the ground, and fitted the front and back (both 17"x48") and the sides (17"x18") ONTO the bottom to ensure proper fit. Then I "glued and screwed" it together, this time using 2" screws. I then recessed the wood for two heavy duty hinges, installed a hasp latch (so I can LOCK it), and a fairly strong internal chain to keep the lid from opening too far.
Now, I must admit ... this box is definitely TOO LARGE for the purposes of storing up to 50 pounds of powder. Fifty pounds of assorted rifle and shotgun powder GETS LOST in this box. However, all is not lost. I simply use it to store boxes of bullets as well - NOT LOADED AMMUNITION or PRIMERS!! Another thing worth mentioning is that the box is definitely heavy even when empty - not to mention if you decide to use it to also store boxes of bullets. If space is a consideration, you could probably make it 2.5' wide and it would still hold 50 lbs. of powder (certainly 3' wide would work) - and it would weigh a little less.
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