Tiffin pails are the ubiquitous, ingenious and practical lunchpails of Indian workers, delivered daily by an army of spectacularly well-coordinated "dabba wallahs."
On Instructables, Calischs lays out his method for turning tuna cans (he recommends making tuna salad with curry powder) into tiffin pails, raising lips on the cans' sides with a simple jig made from a hose-clamp and a pair of old door-hinge pins, then trimming and sanding them with a dremel. The draw-catches are soldered on and the draws are made from welding rods. A quick polish and they're ready to go.
I really like the utility and look of these lunchboxes, so I wanted to try making my own. Tuna cans seemed like the perfect compartment — the only problem was getting them to nest nicely. I was really impressed with how well the can-shaping jig worked. It pulled in the bottom of the can and made a uniform ring just above it. After that, the cans fit together really well, and all I had to do was add draw catches and sand everything…and eat the tuna.
Tiffin Box from Tuna Cans [Calischs/Instructables]
(via Making Light)
