When we were working on our last round of interior renovations, we decided to build these crates to replace the seating and storage we lost when we removed the original dining booth. Today’s post takes you through that process.
We ended up building (2) 30″x15″x18″ crates and (1) 16″x15″x18″ crate. The two larger crates have hinged tops, while the smaller crate has a drop-in top. We got all of the wood for these for free, so all we had to purchase was the screws and bolts, the hinges, and the stain.
The materials:
For the (2) 30″x15″x18″ crates:
- (16) 15″ pieces of pallet board (they are about 3.5″ wide by 3/4″ thick)
- (16) 30″ pieces of pallet board
- (4) 13″ pieces of pallet board
- (8) 31.5″ pieces of pallet board
- (8) 17″ pieces of 1.5″x1.5″ lumber (we cut them from 2x4s)
- (2) pieces of plywood for the bottoms (we measured them after building the crates)
- (4) 3″ hinges
- #8×1.5″ wood screws
- #8×1.25″ wood screws
- (8) angles
- (28) #6×1″ bolts & nuts
- a handful of smaller screws to secure the angles
For the 16″x15″x18″ crate:
- (16) 15″ pieces of pallet board
- (4) 16.5″ pieces of pallet board
- (4) 17″ pieces of 1.5″x1.5″ lumber (we cut them from 2x4s)
- (2) 11-13/16″ pieces of 1.5″x1.5″ lumber
- (2) 10-7/16″ pieces of 1.5″x1.5″ lumber
- (1) piece of plywood for the bottom
- #8×1.5″ wood screws
- #8×1.25″ wood screws
1 can of stain (we used a shade called Spring Oak)
Tools we used:
- Power drills
- Rotary sander
- Table saw
- Circular saw
- Miter saw
- Clamps
- Router
The process:
Begin by cutting all of the wood you will need for your crate(s). We routed the “faces”, or the side of the boards we would see and sit on, but this is optional if you’d like.
After routing, sand each piece of wood until it is smooth and imperfections are minimized. It shouldn’t take much. Then stain each piece with your preferred shade or color. We used a shade called spring oak.
Once the stain has dried, begin assembling the front and back of the crates. Square up each corner to the 1.5″x1.5″ lumber, starting with one board at the bottom connected to two of the corner pieces. Clamp them together and drill a #8×1.5″ wood screw through the top board, into the 1.5″ square piece, on each side of the clamp. Do the same for the board on the opposite side of the same square piece (so you have a top and a bottom piece). Secure the same two boards to a second 1.5″ square piece, so you end up with a rectangle. Verify that the rectangle is square at all corners, then secure the middle two boards. Each end should look like the second picture below.
Once the front and back has been assembled, screw the top and bottom boards of the sides to the 1.5″x1.5″ squares of the front and back. Each end should look like the image below. The corner braces (1.5″x1.5″ boards) should be completely inside the box at this point.
Secure the middle boards with the #8×1.5″ wood screws on each end. You should now have a box with no top or bottom.
For the bottom, set your box on a sheet of plywood. Using a pencil, trace around the bottom of the box, then cut that piece out. Secure the plywood to the four corner braces of the box. Flip it over and secure a couple of angles to the inside of the box between the bottom boards and the plywood, two at the front and two at the back. We used some small screws we had laying around for the angles.
Next, take one of the 31.5″ pieces of pallet board, line it up to the top board at the back of the crate, then secure the hinges with the #6×1″ bolts and nuts. You can trim the bolts once assembly is complete if you wish.
Clamp two of the 13″ pieces of pallet board to the hinged board, spaced equally apart, and secure with the #8×1.25″ wood screws. Be sure to leave enough of a space at the bottom (toward the back of the crate) so as not to hinder the hinges. Line up three more 31.5″ boards against the hinged board and secure them to the 13″ boards. This will complete the top of the crates.
The 16″x15″x18″ crate is assembled the same way for the front/back, sides, and bottom. For the drop in top, begin with two of the 16.5″ pieces of pallet board. Clamp them to the top of the crate, making sure that the edges of the boards are flush with the sides of the crate. Clamp these to the (2) 11-13/16″x1.5″x1.5″ boards to the inside of the crates, with the 11-13/16″ boards flush with the inside of the crate. Secure them with the #8×1.5″ wood screws. With the boards still clamped in place, place one of the 10-7/16″x1.5″x1.5″ pieces of lumber on the inside of the crate as shown below. Secure the 16.5″ boards to the 10-7/16″ boards with the #8×1.5″ wood screws. Flip the crate 180 degrees and do the same on the other end, as shown in the second picture below.
Complete the top by securing the remaining two 16.5″ boards to the 10-7/16″ boards. The final result should look like the picture below.
I loved taking this project from the idea in my head and making it a reality. So far they’ve been a great addition to our camper.We filled one of the larger crates with most of our homeschool books and supplies, and the second larger crate is an addition to our dry storage. The smaller crate is the perfect size to store one of our 5 gallon food storage pails and moves easily for flexible seating.
This was the first time we’d taken on a project like this. What do you think of them? Do you have any questions about how these came together? Let us know in the comments! We look forward to hearing from you!