Trenches for the Quar: Part XI, Crates

        With all of the terrain built, painted etc. all that remained was to make safe storage and transportation crates. This was a simple process because from the beginning I intended to use the bases as part of the crating system. Essentially I place two terrain boards face-to-face and then add sides just tall enough to hold them apart so that the boards don't come into contact with each other. This is easier to demonstrate than describe so off to the photos.

 

way back in the beginning I built the panels that the terrain was to be mounted on,

the sturdy wooden framework holds the panels flat and provides the basis for the crating system

 

 

the next step is fabricating the side-panels, a few minutes with the table saw reduced the sheet plywood to the required size , then I clamped the panels together and drilled holes for the screws

I learned the hard way to make these identical so that they are interchangeable in use

 

now comes the tricky part, you grab two panels and stand them on edge 

while, with your third arm, you get the side panel 

then use your fourth arm to clamp the side panel in place 

so that you can drill the holes in the framework of the panels

 

it's a breeze once you get the hang of it

I use the panels as a guide to drilling the holes in the terrain boards 

it's quicker and more accurate than measuring

 

once the holes are drilled I add the screws, this makes handling things a lot easier

now it is a simple matter of adding the three remaining sides

 

 

once the crate is complete I add the labels and all is ready

 

 

then comes the best part of a project, 

when I text the customer a picture and advise them that  their new toy is ready for delivery

       This has been a fun project. After making my first set of trenches I realized that there were a lot of things that I should have differently. It was nice to see how the ideas that I had for changes worked out. Smaller bases with wooden framing are much easier to handle, store and transport and are FAR tougher than the "all insulation board" method that I used in my first project. Making the crates is laborious but saves in the long run by avoiding storage problems and on-going repairs.