For this project, I wanted to do the proficient level, as I’ve had a lot of experience working with these tools before.
I started out with a quick sketch to get an idea of how I wanted to structure the box. I had two features that I wanted to add to my box above what standard box had: I wanted to have the horizontal slats butt up together at a 45 degree cut, and I wanted the bottom to be made of 2×4’s. The first decision was an aesthetic choice, while the second was functional: plywood is great for most things, but if I’m going to be going to take the time to make a nice crate like this, I want it to be more durable than a 1/4″ plywood sheet. My sketch:
I used this as a general guide, but changed a few ideas as I got to the wood shop and took at my quick fits. First, I started with the horizontal slats. I got a fairly straight 2×4 and started cutting, each end with a corresponding 45 degree cut, where the long edge is 16″. This proved to take a little longer, but not significantly so. I also cut 2 extra pieces in case some didn’t fit or broke in assembly.
When I finished the horizontal slats, I went to do the floor boards. These were initially meant to be attached to the bottom as in the bottom left of the above sketch, but I decided to make them inset such that the the bottom horizontal board is flush to the ground for 2 reasons, It allowed me to increase the distance between the horizontal slats while maintaining the required 12″ height, and created a smaller gap between the floor boards, and didn’t require that I rip a board or something so that there is less gap. After getting these cut, I cut the vertical columns to size.
Then, during our in-class work time, I used the router table to round off all my 2x4s, this was an easy process, but took a some time. After routing, I decided to stain the majority of my boards. This step was kind of out of order, but I knew the wood shop was full, and I wouldn’t be able to work on this project for some time, so I wanted to give the stain some time to set in well.
Next, I started assembling the box. I used the following screws:
I was worried about the getting the box square with the 45 degree edge cuts, however, it wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be. I started out by laying tape over the edges (as per Dr. Wettergreen’s recommendation) to hold everything together as I assembled each level. From here, I got a speed square, and used some creative clamping to get everything as square as possible. Then, I built each piece in this order: assemble bottom layer horizontal slats, insert floor boards, attach vertical columns, flip over such that the box lies on the vertical columns, assemble the top layer, finally, center and assemble the middle layer.
From here, I took a file and filed down each edge such that they felt uniform and smooth to the touch. I then lightly hand sanded the box with 200 grit sandpaper. I then applied a second coat of stain, taking special care to hit all now exposed edge.
I let the stain sit for 4 hours before applying 2 clear coats, 30 min apart, and letting the piece sit out overnight. The next morning, I lightly sanded the clear coat with 400 grit sandpaper, and applied another clear coat. After letting it sit out, I considered my box finished.
If I was to do this all again, I would be much more careful with my miter saw cuts, making sure to be more exact with all my measurements and making sure that each cut is perfectly vertical. I would also likely add a few features to the box, if you look at my sketch, I was thinking about cutting a slot in the top layer to make a handle, I simply didn’t have the time to add this feature.
Costs:
1) Materials:
- 2×4 boards: (16″ x 18 boards) 21.33′ x 0.8725 per foot = $20.36
- 2×2 boards: (12″ by 12 boards) 4′ x $0.685 per foot = $2.74
- Screws: ~64 screws x ~0.07 per screw = $4.70
- Sandpaper: 2 sheets @ 1.30 per sheet = $2.60
- Stain (Dark Walnut Color): ~ 1 can @ 8.78 per can = $8.78
- Total Materials: 39.18
2) Labor: ~7 hours @ $15.00 per hour = $105.00
3) Machine Costs: 3 hours @ ~$12.00 per hour = $36.00
Total Costs: $180.18
