Better Bottle Crate

I've been looking around for a crate I can use to store my 12 oz. bottles, whether empty or full. I was hoping to find something that looked kind of cool, was stackable, and wouldn't degrade if it got wet. Some of the other forums cited the C&W crate, but I didn't really like the way it looked or that it didn't interlock when stacking.

I'm a hobbyist woodworker also, and came up with an idea for a crate that would interlock when stacking, could get wet, and still look kind of nice. I added a chalkboard for labeling the bottles (like type of beer, or if they're dirty, etc...).

From what I was finding on the forums it seemed like people were looking for the same sort of things I was looking for, so I thought I would put it up here and see what people thought. Give me your feedback if you have a minute, thanks!

https://www.dropbox.com/s/uwsqxoblcm0e6cn/Beer Crate 1 orig.JPG

Very nice!!! I'm looking to do something like this for my Grolsch bottles. I like the way they interlock and the chalkboard. Do you have a cutlist for this?

That's very nice. I've got boxes of flip top bottles that this would better protect.

That is a very nice box. I like the attention to detail, such as the finger joints on the corners. That should be pretty sturdy. Thanks for sharing.
Mark

Nice!

By the title, I was thinking this would be a crate for hauling around Better Bottles. Very nice! I like the interlocking idea as well and those things look plenty sturdy. Question for you, did you use some kind of a jig or template to cut out the openings for the handles? I've been thinking of doing something like this but don't want to screw it up with a bunch of uneven handles.

Looks awesome man! I would love to see your build notes on that..

I second tknice. That is an awsome job.

What kind of joinery did you use on the corner posts? Looks a little like a box joint, but it may just be the lighting.

microbusbrewery said:

By the title, I was thinking this would be a crate for hauling around Better Bottles. Very nice! I like the interlocking idea as well and those things look plenty sturdy. Question for you, did you use some kind of a jig or template to cut out the openings for the handles? I've been thinking of doing something like this but don't want to screw it up with a bunch of uneven handles.

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Yeah, sorry about the misleading title, I didn't realize it until just the other day.

Thanks for the kind words, I didn't use any jigs for the handles, I actually just measured them out to be centered, then drilled each end of the handles with a 1" forstner bit, then routed out the waste on the router table. Once the handles were made, I then used a roundover bit on the router table to ease the edges of the handles, and did a rough sanding. That way they are easy on the hands.

It's kind of a lot of work, and it really helps to have the right equipment, but the product turns out pretty well.

ButcherBoy said:

What kind of joinery did you use on the corner posts? Looks a little like a box joint, but it may just be the lighting.

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You're right the corner posts are box jointed

How much to order a couple of these?! They are so clean! Maybe one for 12oz & one for 22oz?

looking good... i have plenty of bottles that I could use these for.

Wow I missed the box joints when I first looked at this (on my phone). This is beautiful can you post some more pics?
I'd like to see how you did the dividers.

carguy3507 said:

Wow I missed the box joints when I first looked at this (on my phone). This is beautiful can you post some more pics?
I'd like to see how you did the dividers.

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Thanks, this is some really great feedback. I'm actually finishing up three more. Once I get those done I'll take some more pictures, that way you will be able to see them stacking, and I'll try to get a good one of the inside of the crate.

I just tried writing a description of what I did to make the dividers, but it didn't make sense, I guess it's hard to explain. I'll figure something out to show or explain it.

mattyb85 said:

How much to order a couple of these?! They are so clean! Maybe one for 12oz & one for 22oz?

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Thanks for the interest! I'm trying to figure out what I could sell them for. Just like with anything else nice, they take a while to make, so I'm trying to find some ways to make them more efficiently and find a decent price. There seems to be plenty of interest, so once I figure it out I'll be sure to post it up here with a link to wherever I'm selling them.

I think I'm going to experiment with one for 22's. I could just make them taller, and I've already made them so the dividers can come out (not necessarily easily though). If I made them taller so 22's could fit it might be a little awkward.

What do think about that? Should I make the same one to fit 22's, or make one just for 22's?

adamulm said:

Thanks for the interest! I'm trying to figure out what I could sell them for. Just like with anything else nice, they take a while to make, so I'm trying to find some ways to make them more efficiently and find a decent price. There seems to be plenty of interest, so once I figure it out I'll be sure to post it up here with a link to wherever I'm selling them.

I think I'm going to experiment with one for 22's. I could just make them taller, and I've already made them so the dividers can come out (not necessarily easily though). If I made them taller so 22's could fit it might be a little awkward.

What do think about that? Should I make the same one to fit 22's, or make one just for 22's?

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I would say make a separate ones. I don't think the L/W dimensions equal out in any way between a case of (24) 12oz bottles and (12) 22oz bottles

do you mind if i draw it up in Sketchup to share? Lots of good ideas in this design

Those are very nice. What kind of wood did you use?

mattyb85 said:

I would say make a separate ones. I don't think the L/W dimensions equal out in any way between a case of (24) 12oz bottles and (12) 22oz bottles

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Thanks man, I think I'll do that, and of course I'll post it up when I do.

stevehomey13 said:

Those are very nice. What kind of wood did you use?

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Thanks! I did the one in the picture with pine. Not my favorite wood, but cheap and light.
I'm experimenting with something else that should do well with the next 3 and you can decide how they look when I post the pictures. I think they'll do well.

Well, I said I would make some more and show them stacking and here they are.

I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out. They are definitely sturdy and stack well.

How do they look?

adamulm said:

Well, I said I would make some more and show them stacking and here they are.

I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out. They are definitely sturdy and stack well.

How do they look?

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So very nice!!!

very nice, adam! i like the chalkboards for organizing.

they're beautiful - but your dropbox link don't work no more. . . can you re-do it?

Wow, looks fantastic! How 'bout a cut list?

Those look very nice.

Great design. I'd love a cutlist also.

socalboomer said:

they're beautiful - but your dropbox link don't work no more. . . can you re-do it?

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Fixed that link on the first page.



As for a cutlist, send me a private message.

So because everyone seems to like these crates I was thinking about selling them.

I figured I couldn't make them all myself though because they were time consuming to make and I still have a day job to go to, so I got a quote from a woodshop to have some of them built. The guy was impressed with the design, but said because of the time it would take (to do the box joints mainly), he had to quote me $380 per crate. So that pretty much slammed the door on that idea.

My wife suggested that since so many people wanted the cultist, that maybe I should see if they would be willing to drop a few bucks for those instead.

I figured that was not a bad idea, but the plans would have to be good enough for people to pay anything for. So I put together a Sketchup drawing, cutlist, and instructions for assembly, and I have to say that together they make a pretty good plan.

I also made a plan for a crate for 12 22oz bottles which someone suggested.

I would still be willing to make some for people if they really want them but don't have all the woodworking gear to make them.

So, if you want the cultist, or if you really want me to make you some crates, you can get them here:

http://americancraftwoodworks.com

Thanks for all the positive feedback!

Looks like you put a lot of time into this and they look really nice. I'd suggest selling both plans together but that's just me.

Wow...is all I can say! I will definitely be ordering some of these in the future. Great job! Any chance you can make cases that fit the EZ Cap 1L flip top bottles?

yup, those are sweet. Put together a package and sell the plans. A pdf is worth money to the "un-creative" like myself. I paid $20 for a set of dog house plans. . .you could easily sell these. Only sell plans for one size of bottle, then the guys who don't want to figure out how to resize will pay twice.

edit - doh. . .follow link, then post so i don't look like an idiot telling a guy to do exactly what he's already done!

PeckerWood said:

Wow...is all I can say! I will definitely be ordering some of these in the future. Great job! Any chance you can make cases that fit the EZ Cap 1L flip top bottles?

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Thanks man! I'll have to look into what it would take to make a crate for those bottles. I don't have any of them so I'd have to get my hands on some to get measurements and such. I should get some of them for easier bottling for myself!
I (actually my wife) end up giving a lot of my homebrew away as gifts to friends and family, so it's been nice to have bottles that I don't need back. It would be good though to have some flexibility in my bottling options. There's always something new to buy:cross:

So because several people showed interest in buying the crates I did try to sell them, but it ended up being far too time consuming and the shipping was outrageous because of the size of a finished crate. They aren't very heavy, just bulky once built.

My father in law suggested I cut all the parts and ship them as a "knock down" kit, where the buyer puts it together when it arrives. Shipping would be a whole lot less, and it would cut down quite a bit on the time it takes to make them too - and hence the cost.

Does anyone like that idea?

I added some more woodworking plans to my website too, the URL is still AmericanCraftWoodworks.com

here's the new link to the page for the 12oz beer crate, and the 22oz

adamulm said:

So because several people showed interest in buying the crates I did try to sell them, but it ended up being far too time consuming and the shipping was outrageous because of the size of a finished crate. They aren't very heavy, just bulky once built.

My father in law suggested I cut all the parts and ship them as a "knock down" kit, where the buyer puts it together when it arrives. Shipping would be a whole lot less, and it would cut down quite a bit on the time it takes to make them too - and hence the cost.

Does anyone like that idea?

I added some more woodworking plans to my website too, the URL is still AmericanCraftWoodworks.com

here's the new link to the page for the 12oz beer crate, and the 22oz

Click to expand...

I would be interested in something like that as I think these are sweet, but don't have the tools to do all of those finger joints and handles and stuff

That's cool, thanks for the feedback!

These are gorgeous.

adamulm said:

So because several people showed interest in buying the crates I did try to sell them, but it ended up being far too time consuming and the shipping was outrageous because of the size of a finished crate. They aren't very heavy, just bulky once built.

My father in law suggested I cut all the parts and ship them as a "knock down" kit, where the buyer puts it together when it arrives. Shipping would be a whole lot less, and it would cut down quite a bit on the time it takes to make them too - and hence the cost.

Does anyone like that idea?

I added some more woodworking plans to my website too, the URL is still AmericanCraftWoodworks.com

here's the new link to the page for the 12oz beer crate, and the 22oz

Click to expand...

Adamulm, I also like the idea of the crates being shipped in parts then assembled by the buyer. Really nice crates btw!

your website is not working for me. is it down?