For this week’s assignment, I applied learned techniques for wood finishing, fastening methods, handling and use of wood working tools, quality control, and waste reduction to the task of building an open-top crate/ box with uniform slats.

The first step involved using a corner clamp to join corners out of two 1×4 lumber pieces to build the first frame of the box. I joined the pieces by drilling 1/8” pilot holes, then using a countersink drill bit, I created a hole for the screws to sit in so that it is flush with the surface of the frame.

The countersink process proved a little difficult as the wood felt inconsistent along the surface thus, some countersink holes were easier to achieve than others.

The second step after producing three frames of my box was to route the edges to give them a rounded, more finished look.

After routing came  box assembly. I used 2 1×4 and one 1×3 lumber pieces to form the bottom as the frame was too small to fit 3 1×4 pieces. I fastened the base pieces to the  bottom frame using 2 screws in each side, making sure to drill countersink holes each time. I built the rest of the box by securing the 2×2 lumbar pieces to the inner corners of the frame and base. I secured the vertical supports to the frame using wood screws. Using 1×4 wood pieces as consistent spacers, I assembled the other two frames of the crate and fastened them to the vertical support pieces using wood screws.

After box assembly, I created a nameplate for my crate using laser etching and cutting techniques. After using Adobe Illustrator to design my name plate, adding the school logo and class/semester, I used the OEDK’s Epilog M2 laser machine to cut and etch my nameplate on wood.

I fastened the nameplate to the front of the box using wood screws.

After the nameplate was attached, I sanded the entire box first using 60 grit sandpaper then 120 grit sandpaper. Then, I applied glossy dark wood finish all over the box.

I kept my workstation clean and cleared at every step of the proud vacuuming and sweeping all wood debris. Below is a photo of the cleaned workstation:

Below is the table which shows the cost analysis for the entire project. The entire cost of the box comes out to $160.19, including all labor and machine operation costs.

Cost Type	Cost	Price	Source	Quantity	Total
Materials	1×4 12” Boards and 1×4 14.5” boards	$11.33 per 8ft board	HomeDepot.com	6 pieces (12”) and 9 pieces (14.5”)	$22.66
2×2 12” boards	$4.98 per 8 ft board	HomeDepot.com	4 pieces (48”)	$2.98
Screws	$9.98 per 1lb box (127 screws)	HomeDepot.com	60 screws	$4.71
Sand Paper	$6.68	HomeDepot.com	2 sponges	$13.36
Sand Paper	$5.98	HomeDepot.com	1 sponge	$5.98
Labor	Woodworking Operator	$8.50/hr	Self	20 minutes	$2.83
Prototyping Engineer (You!)	$8.50/hr	Self	11 hours	$93.5
Overhead	Facility Cost (Machine Time)	$10/hr	OEDK router	10 minutes	$1.67
Quality Control	$2.50			$2.50
Design	Engineering and Development	$10	Self		$10
Iterations	N/A			$0
Misc.	Waste and Scrap	N/A (used pre-cut wood)			$0