This week we learned how to use wood tools, as well as techniques for finishing and post-processing the wood. The homework? Build a crate.
For me, the first step in this process was actually figuring out timings, because, unlike a lot of the projects in this class, a lot of the woodworking tools and materials were behind OEDK staff swipe access – in other words, I couldn’t just d o this homework at 11:50 PM like so many others ;p
I started by cutting my wood during class on Thursday, which was a work day. The cutting process was fairly straightforward – measure one piece, chop it off, use it to measure the rest. I finished cutting all of my wood in class, and was all set to put it together at a later time. During this process, I miscounted, and accidentally got cut myself one more plank of wood than I actually needed (this extra piece would come in very handy later on though).
That later time was 11PM on the same day, and for two hours I put together most of my crate. I didn’t put the top planks on yet, though, because I wanted to route their edges, and I also wanted to cut out handles into the top planks on the side.
I next worked on my crate on Saturday, where I decided to cut handles into the top planks using the bandsaw. Or I tried to, anyways – the first attempt left me with too much handle and too little wood…
Fortunately, I had the aforementioned extra piece of wood, and I used that for the top plank. I tried to make a handle again, this time with a jigsaw. I chose to use a jigsaw this time because it can cut in curves more easily than a bandsaw, and indeed, it produced two handles that worked quite nicely for my purposes. From there, I quickly assembled the rest of my crate.
After that I sanded my down the sides of the box and then applied a layer of mahogany stain. In hindsight, it would have been far easier to sand and stain before building.
How much did this cost?
Tools: (Miter Saw, Router table, Planer, Band Saw) — $50 (TX/RX maker space membership)
Labor: 15$/hr for 6 hrs — $80
2×2 Wood: ~45in (extra length added for kerf) — $11.19 (Home Depot)
1×4 Wood: ~205in (extra length added for kerf) — $7.09 (Home Depot)
Mahogany Stain: $23.98 (Home Depot)
Add an extra $30 for other expenses (screws, sandpaper, etc)
Total: $202.26
