Hi everyone! This was my process for making a wooden crate.

Planning:

I was pretty overwhelmed when I first looked at the assignment details because of how many measurements we had to take. So, the first step was to plan out the entire process. I started by drawing out the style of crate I wanted (16″x16″x12″), along with the appropriate measurements and amount of wood needed. After figuring out the sizing, I also wanted to route the individual planks prior to assembly. Each plank was routed on three edges, as I chose the style of the indeterminate size boxes we built in class. I was not too sure about the direction of post-processing when I first started, but I was leaning towards some form of spray paint. In the end, I needed 12 (1″x4″) wood of length 15¼”, 4 (2″x2″) wood of length 11¼”, and 1 (14½”x14½”) plank for the bottom piece. I wanted the bottom to be in line with the last layer of the crate, so the plank needed to be cut from the original size of 16″x16″.

Cutting Wood:

Cutting the pieces of wood on the miter saw was pretty simple as I measured the first size and then used that piece for the subsequent cuts. As I started a little earlier on the weekend,  the more difficult part was trying to find a lab assistant to let me into the wood shop. Once the 12 pieces were cut, I moved on to the 2″x2″ supports. Using a similar process, I used the miter saw to cut out 4 pieces. For the final plank piece, I asked a lab assistant to use the table saw to cut out the appropriate measurements.

Routing and Initial Prep:

I wanted my box to be curved on any edge I would potentially put my hands on when lifting it up. That meant the bottom, top, and one side ledge. As the box is of an indeterminate size, it was easier for me to visualize the need for only one vertical side to be routed. I chose a circular router for all three sides. I had some difficulties routing the smaller side and had to practice a few times on another piece of wood. Prior to routing the 12 side planks, I ran them through the planer sander to even out the rough textures. For the 4 supports, I decided to keep them without a routed edge and decided to run them through the planer sander multiple times in order to get rid of the external rough edges. That was by far the most satisfying piece of wood to work with.

Assembly:

Once all the pieces were set and accounted for, I started the assembly process. I did not want the screws to be seen from the outside, so I chose to screw the bottom piece to the 4 supports and then start building the three layers one by one. The most frustrating and difficult part of this assignment was drilling the holes. It was basically an upper body workout and it did not get easier. Once the hole was drilled, I used a countersink drill bit to ensure the screw was flush with the wood. In some awkward spots, it was difficult to use a clamp to drill and screw without touching the clamp itself which led to a few spaces in some junctions. Going up the layers,  I believe I was either getting tired or just could not clamp the wood properly. Hence, I was left with some uneven corners. The box was finally standing and extremely heavy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Post-Processing:

Because I had routed the sides earlier, every corner had a sharp edge that needed to be sanded down. I started with a 60 grit orbital sander to even out all the edges and reduce some of the unevenness from the misalignments on the top layer. The planks were fairly smooth so I went up to 200 grit and used the orbital sander across the bottom and the side layers. As a final measure, I used the 400 grit sandpaper to sand down the edges and again used the orbital sander on the bottom of the box to make it extremely smooth. As I loved the color of the wood, I wanted to keep it the way it was and simply add a clear layer on top. I flipped the box upside down, used the Ultra Cover Satin Clear spray, and left it overnight outside the OEDK. The next day, I sprayed the inside of the box and left it out to dry again. Following this procedure, I used the 400 grit sandpaper to manually sand down the entire box again to even out the spray painted layer. In doing so, I might have removed too much of the paint. The following day I applied a layer of Danish oil to give the wood some protective layer.

Reflection:

Would I do this again? No, I most definitely will not, but it was a great learning experience and using the tools in the machine shop was a new experience. I could have better aligned some of the layers and/or figured out how to properly clamp the wood pieces together. I also had an error when I drilled one of the holes a little diagonally and had to re-drill on a different spot. For the next time, I could also try staining the wood to get some more experience, but I would need a different type of wood to go that route because the pieces I used looked alright without any staining.

Cost Analysis:

Wood used:

• 12 (1″x4″) wood pieces of length 15¼” (15¼’) = 14′ lumber for $9 at Home Depot = ~10
• 4 (2″x2″) wood pieces of length 11¼” (3¾’) = 8′ lumber for $4 at Home Depot = ~$2
• 1 (14½”x14½”) plank = ~$5
• 28 1-5/8″ screws = $10/153 screws = ~$2
• Tools are negligible because of a shared space (drill, drill bits, orbital sander, sandpaper)
• 6 hrs Labor ($15/hour) = $90

Total Cost = $109

The majority of the cost is due to labor, meaning the box alone would cost ~$19.