I spent 7 hours in the OEDK for this homework. We’ll hold onto that number for later.

My initial plan for this box was simple: 16 by 16 by 12 inches, five panels of wood, just like the instructions said.

The journey begins with a woodshop trip where we discovered that, lo and behold, there was no stock wood that measured 12 inches across that I could use. Luckily, on Adulfo’s advice, I was able to design a crate-esque box of the same dimensions instead. Additionally luckily, I found a piece of extra wood by the hand tool table in the basement that measured out to the exact dimensions I needed: 28 by 9.5 inches, which split perfectly into two 14-inch panels I could use in my design. Finally luckily, Rachel left two nice MDF 16 by 12 panels that worked perfectly for my design. Thanks Rachel!

INNER THOUGHTS: LAB TECHS ARE SURPRISINGLY HARD TO TRACK DOWN SOMETIMES

Once I got the wood cut, I drilled the pilot holes, countersinks, and screws in place. This part was pretty straightforward, although I learned that when counterboring, it’s important to keep a light touch, lest the drill bit bites into the wood too much. Lighter pushing allows the bit to shave off wood in particles rather than ribbons. You can tell on my final product which counterbores I did first 🙂

Can you guess which one I did first?

I also had a few screws that didn’t go in straight, and instead are bulging out the side of the wood. 

For the bottom, I cut a piece of thinner MDF wood as that was the only stock wood large enough to cover the bottom of my crate, and I didn’t want to leave any gaps in the bottom in case I wanted to store smaller items in it.

I chose a 45-degree straight chamfer for the top of my box, as I liked the sharp, geometric look I had created.

Finally, it came to staining. I got a can of semi-transparent white finish, but in my (fume-induced?) haze, I didn’t realize I had to mix it before using it so I spent a good 15 minutes just painting my crate with the oil that was separated on the top. The only reason I realized I needed to mix the finish was when I put my paintbrush deep into the can and pulled it out to see it was actually white. I also learned the hard way that wood stain does not penetrate MDF, and had to sand down the unsightly white streaks on one side of my box. 

But I have to say, I’m pretty happy with how it turned out! If I were to repeat this project, I would ideally use the same wood all around for a more uniform look (and more uniform staining). Even so, I’m excited to use this as a playground for my cat soon 🙂

Thanks Anyssa for the stain assist! 🙂

Cost:

Total cost = Wood cost + labor cost + (screws, stain, bandsaw use, router use)

= $5 + $15/hour * 7 hours + $2

= $112

(definitely could have done this faster but lots of technical difficulties)