Introduction
In this post, I detail how I worked with Winson to produce a 16” x 12” storage crate with some cool features such as working handles, two different routing patterns, and multiple stain finishes, while meeting the constraints of the assignment Putting Things Together: Build a Crate.
Day 1: Beginning the Crate
First, we started out with the following materials to assemble our crate. We had our wood pre-cut by the teaching team.
- 48x 1.5” Phillips Wood Screws
- 9 x 14.5” long pieces of 1×4 lumber
- 6 x 12” long pieces of 1×4 lumber
- 4 x 10-11” long pieces of 2×2 lumber
1A. Joining the wood
First, we set out to join the 14.5” 1×4 and 12” 1×4 lumber pieces to form the four sides of our crate. We used the corner clamping method to join our pieces together and construct three side wall assemblies.
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Drill & Corresponding Bits.
Tools:
- Corner clamp
- Table clamp
- Drill
- ⅛” drill bit for pilot hole
- 6mm Countersink drill bit
- Phillips head driver
Our steps are as follows:
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Corner Clamping Method.
- We lined up the ends of two sides of the box in the corner clamp, making sure to butt the 14.5” piece into the 12” piece to get the smoothest edge possible.
- We then used a table clamp to clamp the corner clamp to the table.
- Each corner is connected with two screws, evenly spaced and collinear. For each screw, we:
- Made a pilot hole using the ⅛”drill bit into the wood
- Countersunk the holes using the 6mm Countersink bit
- Screwed in the screws with the Phillips head bit
- Repeated the process for each corner (4 total) to form one side wall assembly.
- Repeated the process for three assemblies.
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Side Wall Assembly.
1B. Routing the Outer Side Edges
Tools:
- Router Table
From left to right: Cove Bit, Roman Ogee Bit, Adjusted Roman Ogee Bit.
- Two Wrenches (for changing router bit)
- Router Bit Set
- Wood Pieces for Testing
Once the sides were put together, we used the router to trim the longitudinal edges of the side assemblies. We sought to use multiple router bit profiles, and after learning how to change the bit, we tried a few different ones on test pieces of wood.
The image (right) shows the different bits we tried. The first bit, a large rounded cove bit, cut away too much material and was hard to use. We switched to a smaller roman ogee bit, and after adjusting it, proceeded to route the edges of our side assemblies.
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Routing the side assembly.
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Close up of roman ogee rout.
1C. Routing the Corners
After routing the longitudinal side edges of our side assemblies, we proceeded to route the sharp corners on the latitudinal side. We changed our bit yet again, opting for a rounded edge as seen below.
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Close up of rounded corner rout.
1D. Day One Results
After the first day, we constructed and routed three side assemblies (approx. 4 hours).
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Routed side assemblies.
We also made sure to clean our workspace and vacuum the wood shavings.
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Cleaned workspace in wood shop.
Day 2: Sanding the Crate
2A. Sanding the Lumber
Tools:
- Router Table
- Two Wrenches (for changing router bit)
- Router Bit Set
- Orbital Sander w/ 120 Grit Sandpaper
- Sandpaper (120, 220, 400 Grit)
- Sanding Block
- File
With the three side assemblies in hand, we sanded the outer faces and corners to ensure they aligned. We also sanded three 14.5” 1×4 pieces (for the bottom of the crate) and the four 2×2 pieces (for the corner support pillars of the crate) to remove imperfections and roughness.
For the side assemblies and bottom 1×4 pieces, we:
- Used orbital sander with 120 grit sandpaper to sand each piece
- Used 120, 220, and 400 Grit sandpaper to finely sand each piece
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Sanding 1×4 Bottom Pieces.
For the 2×2 corner pillars, we:
- Routed each piece with the curved bit
- Used File to sand each piece and remove splints
- Used orbital sander with 120 grit sandpaper to sand each piece
- Used 120, 220, and 400 Grit sandpaper to finely sand eachpiece
Routing 2×2 corner pieces.
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Sanding 2×2 corner pillar w/ sanding block and sandpaper.
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Result: unsanded 2×2 piece (left) vs. sanded 2×2 piece (right).
2B. Creating the Handle
Tools:
- Band Saw
- Pencil, Ruler
To create a set of handles for our crate, we took one side assembly and unscrewed the 12” 1×4 pieces from each side, making sure to mark each corner with a unique symbol so we could retrace our steps later.
We then marked the outline of our handle with a pencil. We precisely measured then drew lines to cut with the band saw.
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Marked handle cuts.
Next, we used the band saw to cut out material along the predrawn lines, then cut diagonally to remove material and create a rough shape of our handle. Since the material inside the handle was removed and would no longer pinch the saw, we went over our outline with the band saw to create a curved shape.
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Using the band saw to 1) cut the marked lines, 2) cut diagonally, and 3) cut the curve shape.
2C. Sanding the Handle
Tools:
- Oscillating Spindle Sander
- Rasp
- File
- Sandpaper (60, 120, 220, 330, 400 Grit)
We first used the oscillating spindle sander with a medium-large spindle to sand our handle. This created a clean, round sand along the inside of the handle. Next, we used a rasp and file to sand the edges of the handle to make it more pleasant to grip. Finally, we went over both parts with sandpaper, starting with 60 Grit and progressing to 400 Grit to attain a smooth finish.
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Sanding w/ Oscillating Spindle Sander.
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Sanding with Rasp, File, and Sandpaper.
2D. Day Two Results
After day two, we had our sanded side assemblies and handles complete! Now, all that is left is to stain and assemble our crate.
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Day two results (not all parts pictured)
We also made sure to clean our workspace and vacuum the debris left from sanding.
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Clean outdoor workspace (1)
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Clean outdoor workspace (2)
Day 3: Assembling the Crate
3A. Staining the Wood
Tools:
- 4x Foam Paint Brushes
- Rags
- Cardboard
- Wood Pieces for Testing
- Behr Premiere “North Sea” Wood Stain
- Rust Oleum “Ipswich Pine” Wood Stain
- Sandpaper (400 Grit)
We first gathered a few different wood stains and tested them to see how it may turn out on our crate (Figure). The stains were initially very watery compared to the ones used in class, but we realized we had to stir it before use, which made it slightly thicker. We liked the blue North Sea wood stain, but thought was too radical for our crate- so we settled on staining the floor of our crate blue, and using the more traditional Ipswich Pine stain for the rest of it.
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Testing different wood stains (white, blue, pine)
We started with the bottom 1×4 pieces and 2×2 corner pillars since they were still detached. This allowed us to stain one side of the bottom 1×4 (to face the inside of the crate) with North Sea, and the other side (to face outside) with Ipswich Pine. We stained the 2×2 corner pillars with Ipswich Pine, though it was noticeably lighter than staining the 1×4 piece due to the properties of the wood.
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Stained bottom 1×4 pieces. Top side is North Sea (left two), and bottom side is Ipswich Pine (right).
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Stained corner 2×2 pillars.
Moving on to the side assemblies, we stained them using Ipswich Pine with relative ease (Figure), taking care in regards to the order of staining so that the stain wouldn’t drip. Finally, we let the wood set for 8 hours before sanding it with 400 grit sandpaper.
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Staining the side assemblies.
3B. Assembling the Crate
Tools:
- Table clamp
- Drill
- ⅛” drill bit for pilot hole
- 6mm Countersink drill bit
- Phillips head driver
Finally, we could assemble our crate! We began by clamping the bottom side assembly to the table and screwing in the bottom 1×4 pieces, which proved difficult to align. We followed the same process outlined in [1A], screwing each bottom piece in with two evenly spaced screws. Then, we screwed in the 2×2 corner pieces to the bottom side with one screw each, ensuring they were evenly spaced as well.
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Attached bottom 1×4 pieces and 2×2 corner pillars.
To attach the side assemblies, we used a spare 1×4 pieces of wood as a spacers to make sure that the gaps are uniform. We then screwed the side assembles to the four 2×2 corner pieces.
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Attaching side assemblies w/ uniform gaps.
3C. Day Three Results
After the third day, we completed our box! Again, we made sure to clean our workspace after we were done with each step.
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Cleaned outdoor workspace after staining.
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Completed crate.
Challenges & improvements
- We received feedback that the inside of the box still felt rough to the touch, so we proceeded to do some light sanding with 220 and 400 grit sandpaper to smooth out the inside.
- Our handles feel different when inspected closely, due to the two sides using different rasps and files when shaping. In the future, we could use a hand router to increase uniformity.
- The bottom of our crate is not fully flush. In the future, it is better to assemble the bottom before sanding and staining, so that the imperfections can be sanded down.
- While attaching the bottom pieces to the side assembly, the drillbit would slide when screwing, despite our use of different drills and drill bits. Hence, our screws seem uneven along the bottom.
- We also encountered difficulties when screwing wherein the wood would start squeaking loudly. We reduced this problem by switching drill bits as we figured that our drill bit was dull, but it still happened occasionally.
- Add more features to our crate, such as laser cutting the panels or spray painting some art to add flair.
- Applying a clear coat on top of the stain to protect the wood.
Cleaned workspace
Throughout the process and after we were all done, we made sure to clean up our workspaces, adhering to the steps of mis en place in making. Images of our cleaned workspaces have been provided throughout the process.
Cost estimate
Lumber ($8.23):
9 x 14.5” long pieces of 1×4 lumber ($3.90) – $2.87 per 8 feet
6 x 12” long pieces of 1×4 lumber ($2.15)
4 x 10-11” long pieces of 2×2 lumber ($2.18) – $4.98 per 8 feet
Wood Screws ($6.62):
48 x 6mm 1.5” wood screws ($1.38 for 10)
Sandpaper (20.46):
Assorted Grit ($14.99 on Amazon)
Orbital Sandpaper ($5.47 for 7)
Wood Staining ($29.93):
Ipswich Pine Classic ($12.98 for 1 qt)
BEHR North Sea ($9.48 for 8 oz)
Foam Paint Brush ($7.47 for 9)
Labor ($312):
26 person-hours, 13 hours each ($12/hr for lowest 2%)
Total Estimate: $377.24
Conclusion
Overall, we are very proud of the work we have done and the attention to detail we gave every step of the way. We gave our best effort to strive for perfection on each step, i.e. through meticulous measurements, multiple rounds of sanding, and more. Starting early and planning out our steps allowed us to divide our work into three days, reducing our stress and increasing our attentiveness compared to completing it in one sitting. Our efforts resulted in an aethstetically pleasing yet functional crate with some personality inside!
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Evan (me) and Winson holding the crate. All done!