Reaching the end of my to-do list and looking for some ideas for small wooden boxes.  I Google stumbled into this.   Gosh, I'm not sure i could make one for that price, even charging $1 / hr labor.  If I didn't have 30 boxes already, I'd think about these for shop storage.

https://www.target.com/p/unfinished-wood-crate-small-natural-hand-made-modern-174/-/A-50279892

Those Asian 8 year olds work cheap.  And, of course, the Uyghur slaves work even cheaper, when they're not busy making Nike stuff.

$9!

 

of course, they are not paying retail for their lumber like you and I.  and if you are making 10,000 of something, you can afford to set up some tools just so to do repeated cuts.  one machine is making the ends, another is making the sides, and the last is making the bottoms.  dab of glue, clamp for 10 minutes, sand, done.

 

I couldn't even buy the lumber in that for $9.

 

last i checked, a 2x4x8 was almost $5!

 

yikes.

 

 

Back in the '80s, I bought some bee hives from a local guy that had a "factory" set up his barn.   It was quite clever and it looked like he made all the machinery himself.  Stacked boards went through a set of saw blades that cut out the box joints on one end, then they got flipped over and cut the other end.  Rabbets on two sides.   Likewise for the frames that have many cuts in the top bar, dadoes in the ends, and narrow pieces for the bottom.   It was quite the operation.   The company (name) is still around, but the original guy had to be in his 70s when I knew him, so he's long gone now.

 

A friend just retired and bought a fledgling beekeeping supply business and he gets his woodenware from an Amish plant.   When we visited Amish country in NE Ohio a few years ago, you couldn't drive half a mile without seeing some sort of mom and pop woodworking enterprise.

@kmealy, if your looking for something a little less labor intensive & sells for a dollar more,

https://www.hobbylobby.com/Crafts-Hobbies/Painting-Surfaces/Wood/Wood-Pallet-Board-Wall-Decor/p/80659273

56 minutes ago, DuckSoup said:

@kmealy, if your looking for something a little less labor intensive & sells for a dollar more,

https://www.hobbylobby.com/Crafts-Hobbies/Painting-Surfaces/Wood/Wood-Pallet-Board-Wall-Decor/p/80659273

Oh yeah, can't wait to put some glitter on that baby.  Maybe I could set up a Pinterest site or etsy store??

13 minutes ago, kmealy said:

Oh yeah, can't wait to put some glitter on that baby.  Maybe I could set up a Pinterest site or etsy store??

Some pink paint and it's a done deal

2 minutes ago, Gunny said:

Some pink paint and it's a done deal

How many would you like?   Note that "rope is included"

On a tangent a friend, who is just getting into woodworking, is making each of his grandkids Japanese tool boxes.  We had a show and tell at the club last year and another guy and I brought ours in to show variations.

 

 

What is a Japanese tool box Keith?  Got more pics?

There are a lot of variations with tills and drawers but basic characteristics (as far as I can infer)
* Rectangular box

* Small enough to carry

* Basic joinery -- butt joints and nails (or screws), usually,  though sometimes large box joints or thru tenons (Showing off?)

* Ends inset and top end cleat becomes a handle

* Lid fits inside and has cleats that are offset from the ends different distances.  Horizontal cleats across both ends of the top. This allows the top to slide in, then it's pushed to one direction and closes the box.  Push it back and pull off the lid.  Sometimes there is a wedge that's pushed in to lock the top in position, but often not.

* Sized to fit basic set of hand tools

* Stackable in case you need more than one

* Lid can become a surface to set tools between use

* In a pinch can be a low bench for sawing, etc.

 

https://www.finewoodworking.com/project-guides/shop-projects/hand-built-home-hand-tools

 

I made mine from 1/2" poplar, but often they are 3/4" pine or other basic woods.  I keep my Shaker box stuff in them because I used to teach it offsite.

 

 

 

Very cool Keith.  Thanks for the info.

When we were building a lot of Big Green Egg Tables from cedar, I saved all of the cutoff pieces and made crates.

 

I just took a corner in my storage area and put everything there till I felt like I had enough to make a batch.

 

 

I made a prototype and got the size down so I knew what I needed.

 

 

 

I cut all my pieces to size and stacked them and them just started an assemble process.

 

Before I knew it and had a stack of cedar crates.

 

I posted them on Facebook and sold them all for 25.00/each. It was a nice way to turn cutoffs and other pieces that would be scrap into something and get a little of my money back.

 

I bought the cedar rough for $1.00 board foot and made my money on the tables. Not a lot of wood in the crates.