Beer Crates

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dummkauf

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Just thought I'd share this one. I was recently offered a bunch of scrap lumber that consisted of a punch of pine boards and some 1/2" cedar planks that were about 26" long, and I immediately thought of new crates to hold my beer!!!

So I spent the last half of today working on them and this is what I've got so far. I built the first one to test my measurements, and then started the assembly line. They will hold 20 12oz bottles each. I went with the 20 bottle design instead of 24 bottle due to the size of the lumber I had made this design much less wasteful, and since the lumber was free I can't really complain :ban:

Anyway, here's where I left off today. I did buy some 1/8" boards to make dividers but haven't gotten to those yet either.

crate2.jpg


crate1.jpg


Inprogress.jpg


I was originally just planning on leaving them unfinished, but looking at the first batch I'm now seriously considering sanding them down and staining them.....we'll have to see how ambitious I am after all 7 crates are assembled.
 
Very nice! Have been thinking about using a wooden beer crate to hold some of my miscellaneous supplies - those look great.
 
Looks good. Is that 1/4" recess on the top of the legs enough to keep the one on top stable?

So far they seem like they're enough. I put those in there just to add the ability to lock them together somewhat and so that all the pressure is on the 4 legs when they are stacked. I also left 1" of space so I can possibly put lids on them too(depends on how many of those cedar planks I have left when I'm done).

Got them stacked 7 tall without an issue with just the 1/4" drop though

StackedFrames3.jpg


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That's all the further I got today.
 
All the 12ozers are done. I have enough wood left to make 2 boxes for my 22oz'ers now too :D

Though I'm still thinking I want to sand them all down and stain them....we'll see.

12ozersalldone.jpg
 
looks good. I have been planning to do this with my 22oz bottles for a while now - i could just get some cardboard wine boxes, but i would rather make something a little more permanent.

having the wood bracer on the top looks like it would work great as a handle too. thanks for the ideas:mug:
 
They look awesome. I'm planning to do this eventually. Right now I just take the stronger boxes home from work when mine are worn out.
 
Nice work dummkauf! They look great. Just curious, Can you fit a carboy in the crate?

axr

I'll let you know! They are all still sitting in my fiance's father's garage(he has way more tools than I) as he has been gracious enough to let me take up the space in his garage and use his tools. Plus he has a huge air compressor and nail guns....I was gonna nail them all together by hand!! That nail gun was a life saver!! So no carboys at his house so I don't know yet, though I'm pretty sure they'll be too small, but it might be close.

Hopefully between tomorrow and Sunday I can get them all sanded, stained, and the dividers made. I'm leaving for SanFran for a week Monday morning so if they don't get finished this weekend they will have to sit for a week.
 
Made a bit more progress tonight. Got the dividers made, or most of them, will need some more wood to make the rest.

Dividers.jpg


Started Sanding too, but decided to wait until tomorrow when it's not raining so I can do it outside.

Got one edge sanded down though

SandedEdge.jpg
 
I sure hope you have a sprayer. Laying a coat of either stain or pain will sure be a chore for that number of units. They look great, makes me (almost) want to tackle my lumber pile.
 
I would just put a poly on them "au natural". Stain doesn't look the best on pine (it blotches without a conditioner) - analine dye is the best for porous woods like pine and fir.
 
Nice work!

I would recommend a penetrating oil. Danish oil or Penofin (using it on some reclaimed cedar for my deck). Nothing will ever peel off. Just add another coat if you ever feel the need. Maybe even try mineral oil?
 
Will the Danish oil, or other oils, require a polyurethane too? I usually just stain wood, but this is the first time I've ever built anything out of pine that wasn't going to be painted. And is the oil really less susceptible to blotting on pine as opposed to stain?
 
Will the Danish oil, or other oils, require a polyurethane too? I usually just stain wood, but this is the first time I've ever built anything out of pine that wasn't going to be painted. And is the oil really less susceptible to blotting on pine as opposed to stain?

Oil is very forgiving in my experience. It looks quite natural but is well protected. You will not need or want a topcoat. The oil will impede the adhesion of a top coat. Try some samples. Linseed oil may be another option.
 
Thanks for the info. I'm thinking of taking the stain I picked up tonight back and grabbing some danish oil now.

I was googling the linseed oil and that seems to take way longer to apply the coats and supposedly doesn't protect as well as the danish oil, so I'm thinking the Danish oil might be the way to go....plus I've never used it before so it would be nice to try something new too :D
 
Thanks for the info. I'm thinking of taking the stain I picked up tonight back and grabbing some danish oil now.

I was googling the linseed oil and that seems to take way longer to apply the coats and supposedly doesn't protect as well as the danish oil, so I'm thinking the Danish oil might be the way to go....plus I've never used it before so it would be nice to try something new too :D

From my experience, you wont be sorry with Danish oil. It is a bit pricey though. I think it will make the cedar pop. They may end up too pretty to put beer bottles in...carefull!:D

edit: do some samples
 
Looking online it looks like it's $5-$10 per pint. Any idea how many pints I would need for 9 boxes?

I would be guessing at the amount required. I have always bought it in a quart can. Last time it was less than $10 per quart. Just at the local hardware store. Cant remember the brand.
 
I used danish oil on a sofa table I made a couple years ago. Turned out just fine and still going strong. You will probably need just the full pint to do all those cases for 1 application.

Keep in mind the oil will only make a nice surface pop. Won't do much for end grain and rough/unsanded surfaces. I think I read you were sanding these right?
 
Yes, I am sanding them. And thanks for the tip on the Danish oil. Picked up a quart and that will be more than enough for all of them. I got 5 of them sanded and oiled/stained tonight and just have 4 more to go.

Here they are, they turned out far better than I expected them to.

Stained1.jpg


Stained2.jpg


Stained3.jpg


Stained4.jpg
 
first 5 crates came home tonight. Still have to make the dividers for the last 4, but I managed to mostly fill 3 of them, would've filled them all but I didn't bring either of the 22oz crates home so I have a bunch of bottles I couldn't put in crates.

All loaded up.
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Tucked away safely in the back of the brewery
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