For homework #2 we were assigned the task of building a box of dimensions between 6″ and 10″. We had a few contraints, such as having to use the router table, using wood, and trying to hide the screw we used to put the box together.
I started by thinking about the dimesions I wanted for my box and settled on a box with measurements: 7″ in length, 7″ in depth, and 8″ in height. The steps to build this box were as follows:
- Cutting the pieces.
I got assistance and went to the wood shop to cut out four 6″ by 7″ pieces on 1″ plywood, and one 8″ by 8″ piece of the same plywood.
2. Sanding
I felt like sanding my pieces before doing anything else would benefit me in the long wrong as it would be easier to sand them individually than once they were screwed together. I then would place the wood as if already assembled to see if there were any gaps between the pieces. This is where I notices that my measurements were quite off. I measure the wood and found out that these were actually 3/4″ thick, instead of 1″ as I had believed. So I sanded the pieces down until they were the same size (6.75″ in length and 7″ in height).
3. Assembling
From here I decided that I wanted to use the kreg jig to try and have my screws as hidden as possible. This is where I encountered my first and biggest problem. The kreg jig would slide across the surface of my box while I was drilling, no matter how much I tightened my clamp. This meant that one of my sides my very damaged from the kreg jig and I decided to just drill in the screws from the outside and to to hide them later on. For this I used angle clamps for two corners, and then put the corners together by using two clamps to hold down the pieces while I screwed. The issue was now that a couple of my screws were too close to the edge and routing them could be an issue. Furthermore, my initial sanding proved an issue as rounded on the bottom piece created gaps between itself and the connecting sides.
4. More sanding
It was getting late and there was no one left to get me in to the wood shop to use the router table, but Dr. Wettergreen had asked me to take my box to class next time and I did not want to seem like I was so behind on it. Therefore I took it upon myself to sand down every edge by hand with 1000 grit sandpaper. This may have been a waste of time, but it made me feel very satisfied with the result.
5. Routing
I considered starting the box from scratch, but was advised otherwise. So I asked for help to router the pieces and was told that the best option was to disassemble the box and route each piece (to avoid hitting a screw). The router table did practically nothing, as my sanding proved better that I had thought it was. I was also suggested to use wood filling for the gaps and damage done by the kreg jig.
6. Putting it back together
I reassembled the box using new screws and added wood filing to all the gaps and even on the screws. Once the wood filling was done, I sanded the box again using an orbital sander.
7. Painting
Now I wanted to hide all the screws and the wood filling and my instinctive decision was to paint it brown, a decision I would later come to regret as I found out how much better mahogany stain looked. It looked so much better, that I used stain for the top and inside of the box, which I had yet to paint.
Cost of this box:
Materials:
- Plywood: ~$7 (2′ x 2′ can be bought at Home depot for $12.40)
- Wood filling: $6 (FamoWood, Amazon)
- Acrylic paint: $2 (Hand Made Modern, Target)
- Stain: $7 (Minwax, Walmart)
- Screws: $2 (Everbilt, Home Depot)
Machine:
- Table Saw: $33 (Minimum of 4hr rental at Home Depot), so let’s say $10.
- Orbital sander: $16 (Hyper Tough, Walmart)
- Drill: $18 (Minimum of 4hr rental at Home Depot) so let’s say $6
Labor:
- Me: $50 (Getting paid at $10 an hour, as a lab assistant)
- Someone who knows what they’re doing: Probably like $20 (getting paid at $10 an hour)
Total Cost: $106
