For this week, Alois and I built a crate to hold all of our past and upcoming ENGI 210 projects. The first thing gathered the wood and measured it out into the lengths we needed. We cut 9 14.5″ 1×4 pieces, we cut 6 12″ 1×4 pieces, and we cut 4 10″ 2×2 pieces.

After that, we began assembling the crate, first starting with the bottom frame. We used the 90º clamp to align the pieces and drilled pilot holes and screws to assemble the frame. We also screwed in the three base pieces but needed I sand these down a little to fit into the frame. Meanwhile, Alois began assembling the other two frames.

After this, I screwed in the four 10″ posts, while Alois continued to assemble the frames. When he finished, we attached the frames using scrap wood pieces as alignment spacers.

 

 

 

 

We took the box to the woodshop and routed it.

After all the wood was assembled, we needed to sand the box thoroughly. This was a long process, not only because we had to make it smooth but also because we had to flatten out some pieces which were not level. We started at a low grit (60) and then worked our way to a high grit (400). We used the orbital sander for most of this, but we also used the manual sandpaper to access corners that were too small for the orbital sander.

 

Alois changing the grit on the orbital sander:

Finally, with the box smooth, we stained it. We chose a lavender wood stain and used brushes to apply a liberal coat. When this dried, we used paper towels to remove the excess stain.

Finally, we used a soldering iron to engrave both our names on the box.

Reflection:

It is easier to route the pieces first and make the box than the other way round. Overall, we liked the experience and further enhanced our skills.

 

Cost estimate:

Time (For two people – 4 hours per person @ $25/hr): $200

Materials: 12×9″ 2x4s @ $7 per 12″ = $84 (Lumber is expensive now!)

Total: $284