Over the past week, Jason and I teamed up to tackle this second homework, building a crate. Seems simple, but it’s a bit of a fancy crate, so it’s definitely more work than I originally thought. Although we got a bit of a late start, and the TAs were giving us a bit of a hard time (not really tho), we managed to power through the entire build in just about a day and a half and be one of the first crates done. We did spend like all of Saturday in the OEDK, though.

We both wanted the crate to show off the natural grain of the wood, as the quality of the wood was pretty decent, so we skipped the stain and paint entirely. Because we were keeping it raw, we spent extra time hand-selecting boards with the best grain and texture to ensure a polished final look. This was Jason’s first time diving into a real woodworking project, and it was fun to teach Jason some of the experience I have, and learn more as new problems arose I hadn’t dealt with before.

The Process

Step 1: Stock Selection and Cutting

Choosing the right boards was more than just a starting point; it was the foundation for the whole build. Instead of the standard method of marking every individual board, we used a master reference piece to guide our miter saw cuts. While this was a huge time-saver, it left us with some slight length variations. We quickly corrected this by using a belt sander to bring all the pieces into perfect alignment.

 

Step 2: Sanding and (Premature) Rounding

Since we weren’t using finish, sanding was vital for a smooth, high-quality feel. However, we hit a snag when we decided to round the edges before assembly. Unfortanately we got a little too overzealous with the routing and sanding. We realized too late that rounded edges prevent the boards from lining up flush, which can compromise the structure. We had to pivot, cutting some fresh pieces and deciding to save all edge-rounding for the very end.

Step 3: Fabricating the Handles

For the handles, I worked off a template from an example shown in class. We roughed out the shapes on the band saw and then moved to the cylindrical sander to refine the curves. We then further refined the edges using the orbital sander with some low-grit paper, then polished them off by hand.

Step 4: The Bottom Assembly (and a silly Mistake)

Assembly started with the bottom layer. We ran into a major roadblock when we realized we had swapped the orientation of our 12-inch and 14-inch boards, essentially building a cube that wouldn’t fit our base slats. Instead of thoroughly reading the instructions, we had assumed that the crate should be a cube, not rectangular. Rather than hacking the boards to fit, we treated the first attempt as a practice run and started over to ensure we followed the specs correctly. It was a stark reminder to always double-check the instructions.

After cutting some new wood and restarting the process, we had the process down pretty well after the first practice run. I also spent some time finding the best drill bits for the job after some initial frustration with countersinking and pilot holes. Luckily, I managed to find some proper countersinking bits and a sharp pilot hole bit, so the rest of the drilling went very smoothly. I also discovered that using the corner clamp upside-down made each layer much more consistent in flatness, as we could use the table to make everything square.

Step 5: Final Assembly and Finishing

Once we corrected the frame, the final assembly went quickly. First we refined the edges on each layer before assembly as we knew it would be more difficult once assembled. We used spacer boards to keep the gaps between levels consistent as we attached them to the vertical posts. We then hit the whole crate with some 180-grit by hand to smooth any high spots, and followed up with 320 for the final finish. Once cleaned, it got a thorough coat of teak oil, making sure to get in all the crevices. The oil really brought out the natural texture while giving the crate a professional, “shiny” finish.

Cost Breakdown:

Materials Cost (estimated from Home Depot 2026)

1×4 lumber 14.5’  (12 pieces) ~$15.00 per piece = $180.00

1×4 lumber 12’ (8 pieces) ~$11.00 per piece = $88.00

2×2 lumber 11’ (5 pieces) ~$7.00 per piece = $35.00

Wood screws (approximately 60 screws) = $12.00

Wood oil (approximately 1/10 bottle) = $2.00

Sandpaper = $15.00

Total Estimated Materials Cost = $332.00

Labor Cost

Total time spent on project: 10 hours

Number of people: 2

Estimated student labor rate: $15/hour

Total estimated labor value:

10 hours × $15/hour = $150.00

Total Estimated Project Cost

Materials: $332.00

Labor: $150.00

Total Estimated Cost: $482.00

Reflection

This project was a great exercise in precision and patience. While we definitely had our fair share of “learning moments”, especially regarding the instructions, those mistakes actually helped us dial in our tool use and efficiency for the rest of the build. Aside from some slight misalignment on the bottom screws, I’m really proud of the final product. It’s a solid, functional piece that looks great in its natural state.