Hey guys!

This project was time consuming, but I found it to be really fun, especially since there was less troubleshooting (subtle shade towards the apron project).  I have never done woodwork before, and I am really proud about our final product! I learned a lot of different skills to make a crate and would love to do more woodworking projects in my free time.

Cutting and Putting the Wood Together

First, we cut out our pieces of wood using the miter saw. As per the homework instructions, we cut out:

• 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

After all of our pieces were cut out, we were ready to assemble the layers of our crate. I started by placing one 14.5” long piece of 1×4 wood with a 12” long piece of 1×4 wood in the corner clamp. Then, I angled a regular clamp onto the drilling table as shown below. I drilled an initial hole with a 1/8” drill bit then I created a countersink using a 5/8” drill bit to ensure the screws were flush. I used #8 x 1-1/4” construction screws to secure the pieces of wood together with a star drill bit. Overall, I felt like I was inconsistent with how flush my screws were, so drilling is definitely something that I’d like to work on in the future. Furthermore, the spacing of the screws could be worked on as well. Next time, I would like to measure out and mark the placement of the screws all at once to ensure that the final look is consistent and that I’m not relying on eyeballing the placements.

Editing the Edges and Surfaces

With all of our layers prepped, we then ornamented the edges using the table router. Ege showed me how to route the outer edges by using the backboard as support, and he showed me how to get the inner edges by pushing the backboard back.

For added support, we decided to include handles on our crate. I did not have time to meet with Ege to watch him make it, but he used the band saw to cut small rectangles to create a consistent, rounded cut for the handles.

We also wanted our wood to be very smooth. I used the orbital sander with 120 grit to get rid of the initial roughness of the planks. I then sanded the rest of the crate layers by hand with 180 grit and 220 grit paper. Sanding by hand helped me clean up the edges and corners of our assembled layers. This step was very satisfying to complete.

Assembling and Staining!

With all of our layers smooth and ornamented, it was now time to put it all together! I first attached the bottom of the crate using 3 14.5” long pieces of 1×4 lumber. Then, I placed the 10” long pieces of 2×2 lumber in the corners of the crate layer. Afterwards, I screwed the layer into the 4 posts. I repeated this process for the second and third layers. To ensure even spacing, I used some spare 1×4 wood as spacers. 

Now it was time to put some color onto the crate after we put it all together! We chose to use the wood stain below to create a lovely caramel color. Then, we left it on the drying rack for about 2 hours to dry.

After drying, I put on the last adornment, my laser-cut name tag! Now it’s all done! 🙂

Cost Analysis

• 202.5 inches or 16.875 feet of 1×4 wood used. $4.48 per linear feet of wood. 1×4 Wood Cost: $75.6
• 40 inches or 3.33 feet of 2×2 wood used. $4.98 per 8 feet of wood. 2×2 Wood Cost: $2.07
• Screws: $9.98
• Stain: $12.98
• Cost of Labor ($23.98 per hour, we took about 6 hours): $143.88
• Total Cost: $244.51

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