For this project I decided to do the intermediate level so that I could make my own box. To achieve this level I did two types of routing, added handles and a type of stain.
To begin with I measured and cut the wood using the miter saw ensuring to account for the kerf of the blade. To do this I measured the wood after each cut so that no wood was lost from each piece that was needed so that my pieces ended up pretty even. I cut 9 x 14.5in and 6 x 12in of the 1×4 wood and and 4 x 11in pieces of the 2×2 wood. The 1x4s formed the outside and base of the box whilst the 2x2s acted as the supports and what connected the layers together. One of the pieces that I ended up using for the base was a little short so in future I should check that all my pieces are exactly the same length and sand them down if necessary to ensure a perfect fit.
Figure 1: Cut wood top view
Figure 2: Cut wood side view
Next, I routed all the pieces of wood considering which sides would need to be flush and which sides would need to be rounded. For the 14.5in pieces, I just routed the top and bottom long sides that would be on the outside of the box. For the 12in pieces, I routed the top and bottom of the long sides on the outside as well as the short lengths on the outside. This ensured that all the edges that were exposed were rounded and the rest were flush. For the 2x2s, I routed all the edges except the bottom ones that would sit flush with the base of the box. I used the round-over bit to round most of the edges as shown in the wood on the left of Figure 2 and the Roman Ogee bit for the horizontal panels around the middle of the box as my second type of routing.
Figure 3: Wood being routed
I then sanded each piece of wood using an orbital sander, first with 120 grit to remove any larger imperfections or ink markings and then 320 grit sandpaper to remove any further imperfections and smoothen the wood surfaces.
To create the handles, I marked out my desired shape and clamped the wood to the edge of a table. I then used a jigsaw to cut straight groves into the wood as shown in Figure 4 to be able to cut a curved shape out of the wood without the use of a tool like a scroll saw. I could then use the jigsaw to remove each of the pieces resulting in a curved cut out. I used an oscillating spindle sander to remove the left over wood from the grooves I had cut and to make the curve more even. I ended the process by routing the edges of the curves so that it would match the other routed wood.
Figure 4: Grooves cut into wood to make the handle process easier
Figure 5: Handles
To make each of the rectangular layers, I used a corner clamp to hold the pieces of wood together whilst I first drilled a pilot hole, then a counter sink hole and then screwed them together. I ensured that all the my screws are in the same position by measuring and marking where each screw would go. I repeated this process for the three layers of the box.
Sometimes the hole was a little too close to the edge of the routing resulting in the would chipping away on the edge. In the future I will place my screws one or two mms further away from the edge to help prevent this.
Figure 6: Attaching the wood together to form the rectangles
Next I attached the three pieces of wood that act as the base of the box. I used rulers as spacers between the pieces of wood on the bottom so that they would not move out of position as I drilled and screwed them together. The piece of wood I mentioned earlier that was a little short can be seen in the middle of Figure 7.
Figure 7: Attaching the base of the box
I applied a white wash wood stain to all surfaces of the box waiting for it to sit for 3 minutes and then wiping it off. This lightened the color of the wood giving the finish that I desired. (This is the only image I have of the staining process. I promise I didn’t apply it this unevenly for all of the wood!)
Figure 8: Applying the white wash stain
Once the stain had dried I attached the vertical poles to the base layer and then added the next two layers of rectangular wood using pieces of wood as spacers to ensure that the layers had even gaps between them.
Figure 9: Attaching vertical poles to hold the rectangular layers together
Figure 10: Using pieces of wood to separate the layers evenly
After the box was assembled I did a final sand with 400 grit sandpaper to ensure the box was smooth and to remove any final blemishes from drilling.
Figure 11: Completed box
Cost of Production (Price Estimates from Home Depot)
I used 2.25 1×4’s so the cost is $7.47 at $3.32/8 ft. Additionally, I used almost half of a 2×2 so the cost is $1.67 at $3.35/8ft. I used 36 1in screws so the cost is $4.95 at $6.87 for a box of 50 although I assume the screws we used cost less as they were bought in bulk. I used one 120 grit and one 320 grit orbital sanding sandpaper at $0.40 per disc. I also used almost one sheet of 400 grit sandpaper at $1.74 per sheet. I used about a quarter of a tin of white wash so the cost is $4.12 at $16.48/tin. This brings the total cost of materials to be $20.75.
I worked on the box for 9 hours so at a labor rate of $15/hr, my labor costs were $135.
This brings the estimated total cost of production to $155.75.
