Building a Box!!!
Dear reader,
I have just finished my second project as part of the EDES 210 course, building a wooden crate. I expected this project to be straightforward; however, it was more complicated than the apron and took longer than I initially thought, but it taught me a lot and was less frustrating. It was also the first group project, and I would like to shout out Evelyn and Saumya for being solid partners in crime for this project.
This project started out, as all overly complicated things do, with math. We decided to cut out our own wood, drawing up plans before heading to the woodshop to use the miter saw. While cutting out our pieces we gradually improved our work flow. At the start we were measuring and cutting every piece individually before realizing we could use already cut pieces to reduce the amount of time taken to cut each piece. Once checking that everything was correct we moved on to the table router.
The table router is a temperamental machine. We spent a lot of time adjusting the blade height, to get the correct bevel on our pieces which involved a lot of tightening and turning its different parts. The blade we had was a little dull which caused the corners of our pieces to fragment off when the blade finished its cuts. However once we got the machine to work we were able to get some very nice bevels on our pieces in a quick and easy way. From there we sanded our pieces with the orbital sanders, cleaning up the corners and sides, and giving the flat sides a more finished appearance.
Before clamping and putting everything together, we wanted to give the wood pieces some character. We decided on a galaxy spray paint design deep blues and purples with white star dots for a space look. None of us had done spray-paint art before, so we practiced on scrap wood first. Our first attempt was… not great, but it helped us get a feel for the cans and the splatter technique.
Once we were happier with the result, we applied the galaxy design to the pieces. We kept the base dark (navy and purple) and added lighter accents and star dots so it would read as “space” once the crate was built. That’s how Crate Vox got its look and its name: a crate with a bit of voice.
We built the crate by clamping the sides with the square jig and hand drilling the connecting holes. We had some initial difficulty drilling the holes for the screws, but once we got the hang of it assembly went smoothly. We added the bottom panels, fixed the four corner supports, and attached the remaining sidings using scrap 1×4s to keep the spacing even. From there we moved on to final touches.
Clean Up
Of course! We made sure to clean up the table and put everything back in its place after working.
Cost Breakdown
Materials Cost (estimated from Home Depot and Amazon, 2026)
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| 1×4 lumber (14.5″) – 9 pieces, $2.50 per piece – | $22.50 |
| 1×4 lumber (12″) – 6 pieces, $2.00 per piece – | $12.00 |
| 2×2 lumber (10–11″) – 4 pieces, $2.00 per piece – | $8.00 |
| Wood screws (1.5″) – approximately 30 screws, $0.10 per screw – | $3.00 |
| Spray paint (galaxy design) – shared set – | $12.00 |
| Sandpaper – | $2.00 |
| Mod podge – | $2.00 |
| Total Estimated Materials Cost | $61.50 |
Labor Cost
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Total time spent on project: 16 hours | — |
| Number of people: 3 | — |
| Estimated student labor rate: $15/hour | — |
| Total estimated labor value: 16 hours × $15/hour – | $240.00 |
| Total labor | $240.00 |
All major tools (drill, belt sander, orbital sander, router, clamps) were provided by the OEDK.