We liked the box design presented in the assignment sheet, so that was the look we decided we wanted for our final crate. To begin, we obtained the pre-cut wood and our first step was to sand it down. We began with 80-grit sandpaper to get any splinters and rough spots, and then used the orbital palm sander with 120-grit sandpaper to smooth out the wood to reduce the sanding load later in the process.

Assembly line with 80-grit and 120-grit on the orbital sander.

 

Once all the wood was sanded, we began putting together the sides of the crate. We clamped the wood perpendicularly using the 90 degree clamp, and began our process.

90 Degree Clamp

 

We started by measuring out where we wanted the screws to go to ensure it would be consistent all around. The wood is ¾ in. thick and 3 ½ in. tall, so it had to be ⅜ in. from the edge, and we decided that the screws would be 1 inch from the bottom and from the top. We then used a ⅛ in. drill bit to drill in pilot holes, and then a 5/16 in. drill bit to create a countersink for the screws. Finally, we put the screws in. We repeated this for each corner of each side.

Pilot holes, countersink, and the final screws

 

Once all the screws were placed in, the sides of the box were completed. We wore them as necklaces to test their structural integrity. This mode of testing is not yet industry approved.

Constructed Sides

 

Next, we needed to use the router to detail the sides of the wood. We decided to use a round piece because we liked the smooth, symmetrical corner it created.

Brendan routing the edges

Pre routed edges

Post routered edges

 

Next, we constructed the base of the crate. The pieces of wood did not fit directly into the bottom, so we had to use the disk sander to sand the sides of the wood so that it would fit. Once that was completed, we labeled where we wanted to place the screws. We decided that, like the sides of the crate, we wanted it to be an inch from the sides of the crate bottom wood and in the middle of the base wood. We made sure to account for the ¾ inch of wood on the sides.

Marking where the screws would go

 

As we did when constructing the sides, we drilled pilot holes, created a countersink, and then placed the screws in. We used the same size drill bits for each process. This time, when placing the screws in, some of the screws did not rest flat in the wood despite the countersink because the routed edge created some overhang that we did not account for in the flat screw head. In the future, we will make sure to account for any routing when placing screws in to ensure the screw head has a flat surface to rest in. To account for this, we ended up filing the screws so that it would be even with the curved edge.

Screw overhang due to curved edges

 

After screwing in the base pieces, we began connecting the other sides of the crate using the longer, square piece. For the bottom, we decided to place two screws on each corner to secure the piece tightly. We placed the screws in the middle of the vertical piece and 1 ½ in. and 2 in. from the bottom of the wood so that the screws would not block each other. Once the screws were placed into the vertical piece and the bottom of the crate was complete, we found a long piece of scrap wood that was ½ in. wide. We used this to create consistent gaps in the side pieces of our crate.

Scrap wood used to create consistent spaces between side pieces

 

For the top two side pieces, we used the same screw process, but we only used one screw on each corner to hold them up, as the bottom was already secured with two screws on each corner. After these screws were in, the structure of the crate was complete, and we immediately got to sanding it with 220-grit sandpaper to prep it for the stain.

Sanding the crate

 

For the stain, we wanted a classic color, so we went with dark walnut. We started with the outsides of the box, using a paper towel to get the flat surfaces, and a paintbrush to get in between the gaps. We let it sit for 2 minutes, the lower end of the suggested time range, and then wiped off the excess stain with a paper towel. We only waited 2 minutes because we wanted to have it on the lighter end of the spectrum. We repeated the process on the inside, and bottom, and let it dry for an hour, and then we were done with our box!

Finished box

 

Building the box was an enjoyable experience and we got to improve our skills with basic power tools and woodworking and also learn how to use more advanced tools such as the routing machine and the orbital sander, which were very useful. This project gave us the confidence and new skills to take on future woodworking projects in an engineering context or for personal use.

 

Reflection

Overall, we are satisfied with the quality and look of our box, but there are definitely improvements we would make for next time. These are listed below:

• Making sure to account for curved edges when putting screws in 
• Thinking out screw locations/ways to make the edges of the box look more professional
• Not pre sanding the edges of the wood that are being screwed together, it makes it uneven

 

Cost Estimate

Materials

• Wood
  • 4×1 wood planks (4$ per 8 feet) = 9$
  • 1×1 wood supports (3.55$ per 8 feet) = 3.55$
  • pack of wood screws, we only used a few ($10) = 2$
  • Wood stain, used very little of what a full can has ($10/can) =1$

 

Time

• 10 hours spent working on the box between two people
• 10 x 2 x 15$ = 300$

 

Overhead

• 50ish$
  • Can’t account for all the tools we used in the oedk but most of the work was done with power drills and sanding paper which is more accessible. Intentionally ignore cost of router and other large machinery.

 

Total: 365.55$