What a wonderful learning journey this project was (and still is)! I’ll try to constrain the blog better than I did the timeline of the box-building.

First Steps:
(1) I enlisted the help of a partner (Grant) to assist with the project. This way, I could deviate from the beginner template and hedge my bets on the proficiency level.
(2) I next wrote a creative brief for myself to guide the design. I wanted a crate that would have a lid and handles (that related to each other), fit into our Ikea Kallax shelving system, and be sturdy enough to stand on. (Spoiler alert: check, check, and check! More about these successes later.)

Gathering Materials:
I was able to repurpose several pieces of scrap wood from both home and the OEDK. The curve I used for the handles was also a found-object (originally a shower caddy, but discovered in the supplies-area of the OEDK). Most of my projects evolve according to half-lazy, half-lucky moves like that.

Challenges:
(1) The number one challenge was decision paralysis from always having several ideas going at once; however, Professor Heather Bisesti’s instructions for planning a CAD project came in really handy. From her class, I learned that I should draw a conceived object viewed from each plane, and then write a step-by-step build plan. Those processes helped me visualize steps and select a best way forward.
(2) The second challenge can be described in one word: “workspace.” Sharing space with other busy builders was both inspiring and stressful. The.admonishment to practice “mise en place” helped, but I still experienced some sprawl in my work zones and supplies. I also learned a bit more about what I want and don’t want, ergonomically speaking, if I ever get to build out a home workshop.
(3) The final challenge was lack of precision — most often, I just wasn’t measuring carefully enough — like when the whole crate was too tall and I decided to reduce from four layers to three. But several times we realized that the power tools themselves were out of square and needed a tweak.

Successes:
(1) The crate exists!
(2) The crate fits in the Ikea shelf.
(3) The crate has a lid… and the lid becomes its own mini-crate when flipped upside down. The lid’s handles interlock with the main crate’s handles.
(4) The handles on the lid are not through-holes, preventing anyone from accidentally trying to lift the crate by a non-load-bearing area. The handles on the short ends *are* through holes, allowing the crate to pull out like a drawer and be carried securely.
(5) The crate is sturdy enough to stand on… because of compression forces of a thick solid board in the middle.
(6) The board in the middle can also be an in-crate shelf or be stowed away in the bottom.
(7) The crate has cleats… the cleats support the removable board in middle and can be used to hang mated cleats with all sorts of storage attachments to come.
(8) The crate project acquainted me with tools: Kreg jig, clamps, countersinking, hand-saws and powered saws of various types, planing and sanding, files and rasps, and more.
(9) The crate is sanded in most places and is ready to receive some additional finishing… but not tonight. ;^]

<– Postscript… a picture of the satisfyingly-clean workspace after I finished up. I really like the on-nozzle on/off button on this model.