When I first started a weekly tabloid-sized newspaper, I needed a light-box, but had no extra money to buy one.  So I gathered the above materials and built my own table-top light box. I bought 4 1"x8" pine boards (actually one 10 or 12 foot board that I then cut down to the sizes I wanted), and a single pane of 1/4" glass, found an old fluorescent light fixture, and I was in business.

Now days, of course, everything is different.  Computer power has replaced old paste-ups and mechanicals.

Yet even if you produce your paper completely on the computer, there may still be times when you need to do a special paste-up or create a quick graphic where a light box comes in handy.   You will be surprised at how often you use it.  No need  to spend  a lot of money on an expensive light table or light box for occasional use.

You'll want the light box or table to be large enough to handle a two-page spread, but not too big if you're cramped for space. If you print a tabloid-sized paper, then each page will be up to about 11 x 17 inches, so you'll want a minimum of about 20" x 16" for a working space.  Go ahead and make it larger than you think you will need.  A good size for a small box might be 24 by 36 inches.

You can use plywood for a bottom, or fiberboard, or whatever. Don't try to fasten the glass, but attach some small cork or plastic tabs to it, so it won't slip around while you work. You can either buy frosted glass to diffuse the light, or you can tape some clean white paper to the bottom side of clear glass. You want to be able to see your pages and at least one layer of whatever you'll be pasting down. I used by light box mostly for splicing pages together.

If you want a free-standing light table, you can make the box a little larger all around, and then place legs inside the main box, from close to the top.   Regular 2 X 4s may work fine for legs.  You will want to add braces on the two sides, tying the legs together, and along the back.  But don't add a brace in front, unless you place it at a comfortable position as a foot rest.

A light table should be always a little higher than a regular table, say about 36 to 38 inches high.  Do some measurements to see what working height fits you best.  You want to be able to get close to small type on the very tops of pages, but you don't want to be uncomfortably stooped over too low when working.  Stack some things on your kitchen table to get an idea of the right height.  If you're still not quite sure, then make the legs long, and then cut them down later.  That's easier than trying to remove legs.