Building A Box
I really enjoyed this assignment because I have been wanting to become more familiar with using power tools and working with wood. I also wanted to practice my post-finishing skills. I found this project to even be therapeutic in a way.
Preparation and Cutting
I began my assignment by drawing out my box on a sheet of paper to better understand what my box was going to look like once I was finished. Knowing that my box was supposed to be 16” x 16” x 12”, I wrote down my measurements as well as how many pieces of each size I needed to cut to meet these dimensions. To do so I had to take into consideration the thickness of the pieces as well as how I was going to attach them to each other. I then cut out all of my pieces using the Miter Saw.
I realized that I did not like how the 2 x 4’s looked when I held them in the position I was going to attach them, so I decided to take off about an inch of the width on them so that the slats were not so close to each other. This was nice because it allowed me to make my box more unique, as well as gave me a reason to use the table saw, which is also something I wanted to familiarize myself with. I then routed my slats, as well as my base piece. I tested the router bit that was already attached and liked what it looked like, so I used it for all my pieces.
Assembling My Box
I began assembling my box by gathering all of the tools I needed. This included a power drill, 1/8th inch drill bit, countersink drill bit, Phillips head bit, 40 x two-inch screws, an orbital sander (including sandpaper of 80, 160, and 400 grit), corner clamps, and clamps.
I began my attaching my 2×4’s to each other using a corner clamp and the drill. I drilled the wholes and then used the countersink bit before finally putting screws into the holes. This allowed for the heads of the screws to be flush with the wood. I repeated this process until I had all three “rows” of slats made.
I then attached one of the rows of slats to the four 2×2’s. I then attached these 2×2’s to the base of my box. After doing this I flipped the box back upright and attached the other two rows of slats an equal distance apart to the top, making sure to preserve the 12” of height that was desired. After attaching all of the components of my box together, I began sanding. I used the orbital sander, going from 80 to 160 to 400 grit paper to get a smooth surface on all parts. I used the sheets of sandpaper and my hand to get the parts that the orbital sander could not reach.
Post-Product and Finishing
I decided to use Dark Oak wood stain on my box. After applying it generously to all parts of my box, I waited about ten minutes and wiped up any excess. I then waited overnight for the stain to set in and dry. The next morning I applied a layer of clear gloss finish. After letting the finish dry, I was done!
What I Could Have Done Better
There were a few things I could have done to make my box even better. One of them was practicing my countersink holes on another piece of wood. I did crack the wood in some spots when I did this initially but after some practice, I was able to prevent this by increasing the torque of the drill. Another thing was routing the pieces before attaching them left an awkward gap before the pieces. This was not necessarily a “mistake” but it could have been prevented.
Cost Estimation
16” x 16” Plywood (Home Depot) = ~$8
15 ft of 2×4’s (Home Depot) = ~$15
4 ft of 2×2’s (Home Depot) = ~$4
Orbital Sander Plus including Sand Paper (Home Depot) =~$40
Power Drill including bits (Home Depot) =~$60
Wood Stain =~$5
Wood Finish= ~$5
Corner Clamp = ~$10
Time= $30 x 6 hours = $180
It would cost approximately $327 dollars to make this including my time and all of the things I would need to buy to construct it. You could add another few thousand dollars for the saws and routers I used.
