This is my first time working with so much wood! The process took longer than I expected, but I am really proud of the final result! I decided to do the intermediate level so I could have my own crate.

The first step I did was chop wood to the desired length. To make a 16x12x12 (in) box, I had to cut nine 14.5″ and six 12″ long pieces of 1×4 lumber and four 11″ long pieces of 2×2 lumber. I measured the length out after each cut so the thickness of the blade didn’t cause the next piece to be shorter than desired. Then, with a hand router, I routed every edge of the four poles (except the bottom), every edge of the 12″ piece, and the long edges of the 14.5″ piece.  Last, I did two rounds of sanding with an orbital sander, with 120 grit sandpaper then with 320 grit sandpaper. 

One feature I added to my crate is the handle. I want my handle to have a rounded trapezoid-like shape. Before cutting out the handle on my actual crate, I practiced using a jigsaw and cutting verticle lines on scrap wood. I first measured and drew the desired shape, and I added some guiding lines for me to follow with a jigsaw. The narrow gaps allow me to easily remove the wood with a wood chisel and a rubber hammer. To smoothen the handle, I removed the large bumps with a wood chisel, sanded it with an oscillating spindle sander, and then rounded the edges with a hand router.

After I had all the pieces of wood routed and sanded, I tried to organize where I would like each piece to be by hiding the wood’s natural imperfections. I started with the bottom layer first, so the top would be more beautiful as I got more practice with drilling. I fixed one long piece and one short piece on a corner clamp. For each hole, I measured and marked its position, made a pilot hole, a countersink hole, and then a screw. Sometimes when I was doing the countersink, I drilled too fast and the edge got chipped away. So, I turned the drill to a lower speed and drilled quickly multiple times; this method chipped wood away. less 

Originally, I didn’t want to paint any part of the crate because I really liked the natural wood appearance. But I thought it would be cool if I designed the four poles with a different routing and color. After experimenting with scrap wood, I chose a routing bit that would create a dent near the edge. I also stained the poles with black and then sanded them to make the wood and routing patterns stand out more.

After post-processing the poles, I assembled each layer together. To finish off, I sanded the whole box with a 400 grit sandpaper. I like the effect my crate creates with a natural wooden appearance and simple decoration on the poles. Something I would do differently next time is to assemble each layer first, before routing the edges. This would make the connecting points smoother and have smaller gaps.

Cost Estimation

Material cost (prices estimated mostly according to Home Depot):

• 14ft long 1×4 lumber wood: $6*2 = $12
• 8ft long 2×2 lumber wood: $3.35*0.5 = $1.68
• 1.5in wood screws: $0.11*48=$5.28 (estimated based on the price/box)
• Stain: around $1 (since I only stained the four poles)
• Sandpaper: $1 (400 grit) + $0.60 (320 grit) + $0.60 (120 grit) = $2.20

Labor cost: $15/hr *11hr = $165

Machinery cost: If I rent a woodshop for a day to work on this crate, it may cost an additional $1000.

In total, assuming that there is no machinery cost working at the OEDK, the total material and labor cost is $187.16. But if we need all these machines and spaces outside of the OEDK, the cost may be over $1200.