Crates and Woodworking – Raymond Xu

• rx18

For the past 3 days, my partner, Samuel, and I have been working on a wooden crate.

Day 1: (1.5 hours)

Both Samuel and I had some prior woodworking experience, so we decided to not use the pre-cut wood provided. We began by finding three long 1×4 planks in the wood shop, and a single long piece of 2×2 wood (I’m not sure exactly what kinds of wood). We measured out nine long pieces of 1×4 (14.5 inches each), six shorter pieces of 1×4 (12 inches each), and four pieces of 2×2 (11 inches each).

measured wood

Using the miter saw, we cut the wood to size, before preparing each plank face with the orbital sander and pass of high-grit sandpaper. Some of our wood planks were initially relatively rough and splintery, so this initial sanding definitely improved all the wood surfaces to the touch. Sanding all of those faces by hand was rather tiring, though.

processed planks

Before leaving, we put together one of the crate frames, using the right-angle clamps, several hand clamps, drills, and 8 wood screws. The screws are positioned to be a quarter-inch from the tops and bottoms of each plank.

putting together frame

Day 2: (2 hours)

On day two, Samuel and I showed up too late to gain access to the wood shop, so I instead finished putting together another frame while Samuel cut out semicircular handles using the band saw. Afterwards, we screwed in three of the longer planks onto a frame to form the base of the crate. To space the base planks evenly, we used plastic cards to separate each side. Each of the base planks is attached with two screws on each end, placed 1.5 in from each end.

spacing and attaching base planks

result of day 2

We decided not to put together the top frame (that has the handles) since it would be easier to route the handle edges piece by piece.

Day 3: (4.5 hours)

On the third day, Samuel and I arrived earlier to gain access to the wood shop and quickly routed each edge of each frame. We then sanded each frame using the orbital sander and high grit sandpaper, to ensure that all edges were smooth and that all the joints were clean. Despite this taking more than an hour, I found it very soothing to clean off imperfections and sharp edges.

sanded parts

After sanding every part, we assembled the final top frame, attached the four 2×2 posts to the base, and started to build the crate up, layering each new frame 0.75 inches above the last. To do this, we found some scrap wood that was conveniently around 0.75 in., which we were able to lay each subsequent frame onto. This spacing allowed the top frame to be flush with the four corner 2×2 posts.

attaching 2nd layer

attached final layer

Lastly, to finish our crate, we decided to apply a pre-stain conditioner onto the wood, which made the crate a rich yellowish-orange. To do this, we painted the crate thoroughly following the grain, before wiping off the conditioner after a few minutes. Both Samuel and I liked this change, and neither of us found a stain color we particularly liked, so we decided to leave the conditioner as the last coating applied. We let the conditioner dry for around 4 extra hours (not counted in labor) before taking it inside.

crate with stain conditioner

 

Lastly, of course, after each day, we cleaned our workspace either through wiping with paper towels, cleaning with a brush and dustpan, or using OEDK vacuums.

In general, I am super proud of the finished result. Of course, there were some imperfections, such as some screws being placed irregularly or sloppily counter-bored, some of the wood being cracked or mishapen despite sanding, or some planks being misaligned or dirty, but despite this, I really love the smooth round edges of the crate, as well as the color and feel of carrying it. I definitely feel I improved my precision in using hand tools and other woodworking tools, and I’d definitely be interested in trying a similar project in the future on my own time to gauge my improvement.
Cost (not including reusable tools):
  • Lumber

– $18.25 (Assuming 16.875 ft of 4×1 lumber used, at $8.65 per 8 ft [home depot])

– $1.36 (Assuming 3.67 ft of 2×2 lumber used, at $2.97 per 8 ft [home depot])

  • Wood Screws – $2.40 (Assuming 60 screws used at $0.04 per screw)
  • Varathane Pre-Stain Conditioner – $1.87 (Assuming ~ 3 oz used at $19.98 for 1 qt)
  • Labor – $80 ($160 if counting partner) (Assuming $10/hr for 8 hours)
Total: $103.88 ($183.88 if counting partner labor). Quite expensive :]
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