instructables

Mini Shipping Crates

by apapercraft

This project is inspired by shipping crates by Design
Studio Labyrinth (https://labyrinth-bcn.com/). I made
some changes to the design of the original labyrinth’s
crates. First of all, I use craft stick for the material
because it’s cheap and easy to get. It is also easy to
cut and shape with simple hand tools. Another reason
for craft stick is that it gives the looks of a crate made
out of wooden planks. Secondly, I thought of making
this crate as a multipurpose box – you can store
things in it (candy perhaps), it can be desktop
organizer (stationery holder), or a flower pot, it can
also be a tissue box, or a place to keep your spare
change. Well, you get what I mean. It is an all-around
multipurpose storage box, disguise as miniature
wooden shipping crates.

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Step 1: Gather Your Material and Tools

Materials:

Craft sticks.

One miniature shipping crate will roughly need a total of 74 sticks (estimated).

Tools:

PVA Glue
Small Brush
Cutter
Masking Tape
Needle File/Sandpaper
Handsaw
Clamp & Binder Clip (for clamping purpose)

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Step 2: Build the Wall

The box structure is made out of four (4) walls with a
bottom and a top lid: which makes it into a cubic
shaped box. First off, let’s make the wall. Cut a strip
of masking tape and lay it flat. Next, place the craft
stick side by side as in the picture. You’ll need eight
(8) of them to make one wall. Glue the sticks together
using the PVA glue. The reason for the tape is to hold
the sticks together while the glue dries.
Once it dried, measure the length of the wall, it should
be around 80mm. Now you need to trim the wall’s
length to be 80mm (to make a square wall). Use a
hand saw for this purpose. Make six (6) of these
walls.

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Mini Shipping Crates: Page 4
Step 3: Add Wall’s Support

The walls will be differentiated by the following: two
side walls, and two front/back walls. The front/back
wall have an addition of a frame on top of it. This
frame will add strength to the wall structure. As for the
side wall, mark the sides where the front/back wall
will be placed, and cut a piece of the stick to be glued
on the top and bottom of the wall. So as not to
confuse you further, refer to the pictures for the
building steps.

Step 4: Glue the Wall

Attach the four (4) walls together and use masking tape to hold the shape while you add glue to the inside joints.
This step is crucial because the joint walls becomes the crate’s body. Make sure all the walls are properly aligned
and the shape is perfectly square (when view from top).

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Step 5: Add the Bottom Cover

Get one (1) of the wall you build in Step 2 and trace the bottom outline of the joint walls (aka the crate’s body) in
Step 4. Cut the bottom cover according to the marking. Glue the bottom cover onto the crate’s body. Put on a
heavy weight on top while the glue dries (I use several books as the weight).

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Step 6: Add the Bottom Support

Get three (3) pieces of craft sticks and glue it together. Then cut it to the same length as the bottom cover. Make
three (3) of these supports. Attach it to the bottom cover.

Step 7: Build the Top Cover

Use the last piece of the wall from Step 2 to make the top lid/cover. Same as in Step 5, trace the length of the
crate’s top and cut the piece accordingly. Add supports on top of the cover. There’ll be another support beneath it
to fit in the top cover with the crate’s body. Check the pictures for more details.

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Step 8: Smooth the Edges

Use the needle file or sandpaper to smooth the rough surface and the sharp edges.

Step 9: Cut a Slot for Coins/Tissue (Optional)

If you decided to use the mini crate as a spare change box or a tissue box, you’ll need to have a slot open on the
top lid. Simply use a cutter to cut a small opening in the middle of the lid. Cut it enough for a coin to be inserted in.
Small size tissue paper should be able to be pull up through this same slot. However, if you don’t want to have a
hole on top of your crate then you may skip this step.

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Step 10: Add Extra Details (Optional)

This is also an optional step which you may skip. I get some custom stamps to be made that match with the
shipping crate theme. It was a fragile label and a shipping mark guide. I couldn’t find this anywhere so I gauge the
stamp’s size for the crate and get it made. I use the standard stamp pad/ink pad for this job.

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Step 11: All Done!!

I didn’t add any lacquer because I love the natural color of the wood. I have one crate that I made sometime ago (5
years to be exact) and it still looks great. Now that you have finished making the crate have fun storing things in it!

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