I chose to do the advanced version of this project by using joints to inlay the 1x4s into the vertical 2x2s. I started by cutting all of the wood to the correct size which was 4 12in 2x2s, 6 12in 1x4s, and 6 16in 1/4s. After cutting all the pieces, I used the planer to get two flat sides which I could use on the jointer to get a perpendicular side. I used that flat face from the jointer to use the guide on the table saw to rip all the boards to the final size.

 After I had all of the boards with uniform dimensions, I started working on the vertical 2x2s. I used a bandsaw to remove most of the wood where the 1x4s will go so they can fit flush. I finished by using a chisel and file to get as good of a fit as I could.

Before I started to assemble the box, I used the table saw to add miters on all of the corners of the 1x4s to hide the end grain of the wood and create a more uniform look, Then I sanded all of the wood because once it was assembled it would be harder to sand. After it was sanded, I used a dead blow mallet to press the 1x4s into the joints. I used a dead blow mallet because it helps minimize any damage to the wood. Once everything was assembled, I used screws to attach everything together. I would have used wood glue because the joint allows there to be more surface area and overlaps the gain of the wood, but because it was not allowed I used screws from the inside to hide any fasteners from the exterior.

Assembling the box created the most difficulties for me in the project. I struggled to have all of the miter corners line up which caused some gaps on the corners. Also because I tried to hide the screws from the outside, it was hard to screw everything in from the inside of the box. This led to some of the screws not being flush and because I removed a lot of the 2×2, it was very prone to cracking which caused the wood to split in a few places. If I could redo the project, I would use smaller screws or another fastener type to reduce the splitting of the wood. After all of the sides were assembled, I cut the 1x4s for the bottom which I attached with screws through pocket holes on the bottom to hide the fasteners. I used the wood I had that was not as nice on the bottom because it only needed to have one good side because nobody would see the bottom of the create. Once all of the sides were attached I used a router to give the top edge of the box a slight round-over. Because I used joints, any round-over on any of the 1x4s besides the top would create gaps once all the wood was fitted together, so I only did the slight round-over on the top because anything else would not fit with the rest of the design. After it was assembled I used an orbital sander to smooth all of the surfaces then I used linseed oil to protect the wood while still keeping the natural look of the wood.

 

Cost Breakdown.

Material Cost From Lowes:

4 ft of 2x2s which cost 5.18$ for 8ft so I used 2.59$ worth of 2x2s.

18ft of 1x4s which cost 5.08$ for 8ft so I used 11.43# of 1x4s.

This brings the total cost of materials to 14.02$

Labor and tools:

It took me 6 hours to make so if I charge 20$ an hour it would be 120$ of labor.

You can rent a woodshop for around 40$ an hour so to have access to all the tools if I could not work at the OEDK, it would cost 240$ dollars.

This brings the total cost of Labor and tools to 360$ which is much more than the cost of the materials. Factoring in the materials it would cost 374.02$