For this first project, my partner and I decided to build the beginner-level crate as I did not have much woodworking experience. Overall I really enjoyed working on this project as I had relative creative freedom to build the box how I wanted and was able to learn a lot of new woodworking processes along the way!
To start the crate, we used some of the pre-cut wood provided to us, but after inspecting some of the pieces, there were a lot of chips and defects in the wood so we used the miter saw to cut some extra pieces of 14.5″ and 12″ wood. In total, we had 9 pieces of 14.5″ long wood, 6 pieces of 12″ wood, and 4 x 11″ pieces of 2×2 wood. After cutting the wood we began to assemble the three rectangular frames. To accomplish this, 3 different drill bits were used along with a corner clamp to keep the two pieces of wood intact. First, a 1/8″ drill bit was used to create a pilot hole to help the screw go in without splitting the wood. Second, a countersink bit was used so that the tip of the screw would sit flush with the wood. Lastly, a Philips head drill bit was used to drill the screw in, connecting the two edge pieces of wood. This process was repeated a total of 12 times to create the 3 rectangular layers.
Figure 1: 3 Different Drill Bits Used
Figure 2: Screwing Nails into Wood
After the layers were complete, we began to route the edges of each frame so that it would have a more rounded look and be smoother to touch. We used a hand router and lined up the edge of the tool to the wood and followed the edges of the frame. This was my first time using a hand router and it was really cool to see how it chipped away at the wood to create this rounded look. This was repeated for all 3 frames as well as the bottom three pieces of wood that would act as the base, as well as the four 2×2 pieces of wood.
Figure 3: Frames Before Routing
Figure 4: Frames After Routing
After routing, we began sanding to ensure that the wood was smooth to touch and there were no splinters or other small wood pieces sticking out. To sand, we took 4 different sandpaper grit strengths and sanded each piece of wood by hand. We wanted to sand them by hand instead of using an electric sander as we did not want to take away too much of the wood and really control how much we were sanding. We used 60, 120, and 220, and 320 grit sandpaper to create a smoother finish on the frame.
Figure 5: Sanding the Frame
After each frame and piece of wood was sanded down and smooth to the touch, we stained each piece with a mahogany wood stain. To properly stain, we went outside the OEDK and used a brush to apply the stain on the wood. After making sure each piece of the wood was covered in the stain, we waited 2-5 minutes per the instructions on the bottle and then wiped it off with a clean cloth. The outcome was a nice brown color that my partner and I really liked so we decided that one coat was enough. We then repeated this process for all the pieces of wood.
Figure 6: Staining Wood
After staining and making sure the wood was not sticky and the pieces were dry, we began to assemble the box. First, we had to attach the 3 pieces of wood that would act as the base of the bottom frame. To accomplish this, the same process was repeated from above where we used the three different drill bits (pilot hole, countersink, and Philips head) to screw the nail in.
Figure 7: Attaching the Base Layer
However, in doing this, we accidentally used too big of a drill bit for the pilot hole so one of the screws was falling through too easily. This created problems as we could have used a bigger screw, but then this larger screw would not be consistent with the other ones. Moreover, because the thickness of the base layer was so thin, we were scared that a larger screw would split the wood. Therefore, to fix this problem, we took a dowel and sanded it to fit in the larger hole, and then used a mallet to push the dowel into the hole. This helped seal it where we were then able to drill a new pilot hole and a nail into the pre-existing fixed hole.
Figure 8: Accidental Large Pilot Hole
Figure 9: Dowel Used to Fix Hole
After the base was completed, we took the 4 2×2 pieces of wood and nailed them along the base of the wood, securing the vertical support. This process was accomplished the same way as all other pieces of wood were joined. Lastly, the two remaining rectangular layers were screwed on the same way to create the final crate!
Figure 10: Vertical Supports Added
Figure 11: Completed Crate
Lastly, after the crate had been assembled, we sprayed a gloss clear coat protection layer to ensure the wood would be sealed and protected from any wear or tear.
Figure 12: Clear Coat
Overall, I really enjoyed this project and was really proud of my finished crate. I had a lot of fun being able to use all the woodworking tools and learned a lot of new fabrication and finishing techniques!
