1/4 hardwood for wood Crates

[Noah Grant]

I am locally trying to find 1/4 inch wood to make simple crates. I know I can purchase crates already made but that wont work for what I am doing. I am having a hard time finding an economical wood (pine) already cut down to 1/4 inch. Will I most likely have to cut it down myself? I can only find 1/2 inch in the home depot / lowes and that makes the crates heavy. I would also like to find 1/4 by 8 inch tall to make more of a wood box rather than a crate look as well. Can someone lead me in the right direction or do I need to invest in a good band saw?

[Lee Schierer]

It would help if we knew where you are located.

My local hardwood supplier stocks 1/4" material in several species. Capture.JPG However, if you have resaw capability and a planer, you can get twice as much wood for the same price by resawing 3/4" material.

[Don Jarvie]

Find some pallets and cut them up. You can plane them down once you get the nails out.

[Raymond Fries]

How about 1/4" plywood? You can get it with hardwood veneer on it if you want a more refined look.

Good Luck...

[Frederick Skelly]

How about 1/4" plywood? You can get it with hardwood veneer on it if you want a more refined look.

Good Luck...

This is a good idea. I recently saw some crates made this way and they looked sturdy to me. The only downside I saw is that you cant let them get wet (delaminates). But the guy I saw used the inside only and they worked well.

[Danny Hamsley]

Find a local sawyer with a portable band mill. They can saw exactly what you need. I would do it for you if you were closer.

[John K Jordan]

...or do I need to invest in a good band saw?

If you do anything with wood a good bandsaw is a great idea - it is one of the safest and most versitile power tools.

Do you just want to make a few? Do you know anyone with a bandsaw and a planer? Resawing some 3/4" boards into halves and running them through a planer would be very quick. If you want to go into production it might be better to get the tools. Then you'll have them for the next project.

JKJ

[Michael Dye]

Just spitballin' here, but it sounds like you're trying to make miniature shipping crates. Doing it without a bandsaw will be tough, although not impossible. You could resaw some 3/4" material on the tablesaw, but pine can be very unstable while cutting. Be careful. Look on Craigslist. I've seen 10" saws for as little as a C note. Long term, I agree with all of the previous posters. Get a bandsaw, you won't regret it. Good luck.