Light Box Joining Test

Being sick for a week and a bit during this project with tonsillitis, I have fallen behind in the fact that I did not complete my lightbox by the hand in date of 12 August. Since I have finished my poster I am using what time I have left before 5pm tomorrow - 26 August to finish off my lightbox for final hand in. I have cut my material pieces to size and I am considering different joining techniques of how I could then obviously join it together to make my cube. Due to time constraints - this being due tomorrow, I need to do a join that is reasonably quick. I wanted to do dove tails and / or finger joins however at this late stage in the project, I simply just need to get this lightbox done and hand it in. 

Therefore I have been considering the biscuit join technique however I feel as though it is not strong enough unless you make several biscuit cuts. I have talked to the guys in the Threedee workshop and I was suggested that I look into PVA glue and then use pins to put the box together. For what it is worth, yes there will be pin heads on my exterior faces, however it is a small price to pay for the time savings I would get by using this technique. 

I have grabbed a couple of scrap pieces and have tested how the pin technique looks like and the strength that it has. I have not used PVA glue as well in this test, which when used will hold it together even tighter..

Apart from the odd pin that I shot in accidentally on an angle, each pin hit its mark. It creates a reasonably strong join - the more I use, the stronger it gets, however if enough stress is put on it, one can pull the pieces off one another. This would not happen though so it's not really a concern. It is simply just a case of getting the two pieces flush against each other very tight before pinning so it is a lot stronger. One issue we had though, was when putting the pin into the cork from the plywood, if the pins were too close to one another, the cork could split.. This is just something to be mindful of when putting my lightbox together. Otherwise, if lined up well, this can create a nice flush finish with a reasonable amount of strength.