Planning the Crate

Before constructing our crate, Aaeisha and I decided to make a plan about the wood that would be cut and the final design of our crate. First, we decided to use a plywood base for the crate as we would have difficulty cutting the wood in half longitudinally as directed in the manual. We also decided to use 1×4 only as there were no 1×3 planks available. Additionally, we decided to cut all of our pieces of wood to the length of the measurements provided and an additional 1/8 inch. This was to account for any lost wood in the process of sanding. We used an indeterminate box style as depicted in the picture below.Finally, we decided to have 1/2 inch slats between the wood of the crate.

Cutting the Wood

For cutting the wood, we decided to use 12 15 1/4″ wood planks of 1×4 to have three frames for the crate. We also cut 4 11 1/4″ wood planks of 2×2 for the vertical supports in each corner of the crate and to create the frame of our crate such that the height of the crate was 12″. Finally, we used a 16″ by 16″ plywood base.  We then cut the wood for the planks of wood for the frame and support using the miter saw after marking the desired length and 1/8″ after. We decided to cut at the 1/8″ mark after the desired measurement to account for the saw and the sanding taking off wood at the end and ensuring that the wood would lay evenly when building the crate. We decided not to cut runners for the support of our crate because we intended to attach the four supports to the plywood which provided enough rigidity for the frames of the crate.

Leveling and Sanding the Wood

After cutting the wood using the miter saw, we passed the wood through the planar to ensure that all the pieces are consistent thickness.  Using the thickness of the wood, I placed the 1×4 planks into the planar at 3/4″ thickness and the 2×2 pieces at a 1 3/8″ thickness. This helped to make the sides of the plank smooth and even in texture.

We then followed by routing the sides of the planks that would comprise the frame of the crate. We routed the 12 pieces of 1×4 wood using the round-over router bit in the machine. Because we did not plan to add handles to our crate, this would help to hold the crate from the frames if desired. A picture of the routed (top wood) and unrouted wood (bottom wood) is shown below.

After, we began to sand. We used the orbital sander with P80 grain for all of the wood to make the wood smoother. Because the supports would not be visible, we did not do any additional sanding. However, for the planks and the plywood we used P180 grain sandpaper because our research indicated P180 would allow for better application of spray paint. Pictures of the sandpaper used with the wood it was applied to are shown below.

Assembling the Crate

First, we planned to add the supports to the plywood so we can then add the frames around the supports to ensure that each level was even and the slats were the correct distance. To add the supports to the plywood, we first placed the frames around the plywood to determine how far from the edge of the crate we wanted to supports to be centered. We then marked these locations and began to drill. Pictures for each step are shown below.

 

We followed a series of steps when drilling the supports and the frames together for the assembly of the crate. First, we used a 3/8″ drill bit and drilled less than half a centimeter into the wood to ensure the screws were countersunk. Second, we used a 1/8″ drill bit for the length of the screw to avoid cracking the wood when placing the screw. Finally, we used the Phillips head drill bit to place the screw. There were times when I did not hold the drill securely and the drill bit began to eat the screw head, but over time, this happened less. When drilling the supports to the plywood, we placed one screw for each support. However, when drilling the frames together, we placed two screws between each plank. For drilling the frames to the supports, we placed two screws through the supports and into the planks of the frame for each support in each frame. However, we did not screw the frames to the support until after we started post-processing to ensure that the spray paint was evenly applied to each frame and the base of the crate. A picture of the supports screwed to the base is shown below.

There was a point where the screw was incorrectly angled and the wood was cracked. We reversed the screw and placed it correctly after. A picture of the mistake is included below.

Post-Processing

After completing the supports and the frames of the crate, we considered different spray painting patterns for the final crate. We tested different spray paints and decided that we liked the wildflower blue, deep blue, and white spray paint together. After experimenting with different patterns, we decided we would have the supports and base of the crate painted white, the bottom and top frames painted wildflower blue, and the center frame painted deep blue. We had originally intended to use gold for the center frame, but the spray paint can was empty before we could spray the entire frame. For the finishing, we planned to use a satin gloss spray paint to have the crate feel smooth. A picture of our test plank is shown below.

When spray painting, we used 2 coats for the deep blue frame as we had originally spray painted gold and wanted to make sure the color was een. For the wildflower blue frames, we used 2 coats as the color was light on the wood. For the white frame, we had to use multiple colors as the color was not too visible. We waited less than 10 minutes for the colored spray paint to dry and applied the satin gloss spray paint once. A picture of the product is shown below.

We then returned to assembling the crate and attached the frames to the supports. After this process, we sprayed the entire crate with one layer of the satin gloss spray paint again and left the crate to dry overnight.

We were really happy with how the box turned out. Although we should have waited more time to allow the spray paint to dry to avoid the transfer of different colors, it was still something we were proud of for the limited time we had to work on it. Additionally, it is important to mention that we were concerned about the safety of using the spray paint as some ended up on our eyelashes due to the wind, so eye protection is recommended.

Cost Estimate

• frame (12 pieces of 15.25 1×3) – $8
• base (1 piece of 16×16 plywood) – $50
• supports (4 pieces of 11.25 2×2) – $2
• screws (48 2″) – $9
• spray paint (4 cans) – $20
• labor (6 hours for 2 people) – $180

Total: $269