“Build a Box!” easy right? maybe, and maybe not…
this process proved to be more challenging than initially expected (if you’re an OCD perfectionist). Here is a breakdown of the steps followed:
- Cut the pieces: to make sure the pieces are equal and to reduce waste, I cut the original board set by the TAs to 4 equal pieces.. or as equal as I could.
- Initial sanding: with phobia of getting small micro-sized wood chips stabbed into my hand, I made sure to sand the pieces really well with 60 then 320 paper sand, from all areas, before touching it with my bare hands.
- Alignment: this was the most critical (and stressful) step. The pieces were not actually equal and had to be recut.
- Take two: realigning the recut pieces was this time easier but the pieces were not perfect.
- Adding the screws: for this I used the steps taught in class; drilling a smaller hole for the screw, followed by a bigger hole with a larger-sized drill head (1/8) then adding the screws. I added two screws on each end. That should do the job!
- “All about that BASE”: cutting the base was easy, just a matter of measuring dimensions and nicely asking the TA for help.
- Alignment, again: as the bottoms of the 4 sides were not flat, I needed to sand it as close as possible to flat. after a whole lot of sanding (drums, please..) it was still not flat.
- The final stage of grief is acceptance: I’m not perfect, and neither is my box. There were still spaces between the base and the sides, however, it carries the poetic imperfection of firsts. Like a child’s first step. It’s the milestone that’s celebrated, and not how it looked.
- Safety first: I’ve scraped my shins enough times at the gym doing step-ups on a wooden box. I made it a priority to not have any sharp edges. All corners of the box were religiously sanded to be smooth and safe.
- Glamify! after so much work put into this baby, gotta protect it! I applied 3 coats of the “matte clear Rust-oleum” spray coat to “seal protect and revitalize” the end product. The details of the box darkened with the coats giving it a more aesthetically pleasing look & feel.
Voila! A box is born.
Cost analysis: assuming “rental” cost for equipment and machines used in the making, the box itself was of low cost. The wood itself is ~$10, screws ~$3, woodshop with tech help ~$25 per day (estimated from other woodshop services available), labor was in this case, free. The cost of the box making is ~$40.
edges before sanding
edges after sanding
