Plybo Exercise Boxes

[harryball]

Did this job a while back. School ordered 22 after the initial order of 4 earlier.

As previewed to the customer

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As they use them at the stations.

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They will eventually stack them. Each one is sealed with 3 coats of waterborne poly, floor grade. I told them to wait a week before stacking them.

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The added stops inside allow them to stack without jambing or catching figners.

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My shop during the process...

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A bit of stress testing on one of the test boxes :-) I drove forward and the box slid on the ground without coming apart.

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[harryball]

And some info...

The boxes are made from 3/4" cabinet grade material. I used a 3/8" compression bit at 6 ips in a single pass for the parts and dado cuts. I used a 3/8" down spiral for the lettering, nothing fancy. I also predrilled with a 1/8" bit.

I cut the slight bevel on the top and bottom of the sides and on the tops at the table saw. It went fast.

Assembly was a breeze, I used waterproof wood glue (I can see the potential of them being hosed off on occasion) and black drywall screws.

Following assembly each one was sanded quickly with a belt sander using 120 grit. I was aggresive on the edges and corners leaving nothing sharp.

The school was thrilled with the quality compared to what they have been getting and plan to order more. Visiting schools are showing interest as well. The boxes were stained with black water base stain using a critter sprayer. Then sealed with water based poly x2 coats. Then the white acrylic paint is slopped in, the surface wipped clean with a hard damp sponge. Once dry a quick 220 grit sanding followed by another coat of poly and they are ready to go.

Hardest part was paiting the letters. Next time I think I'll hit the boxes with prestain, then white spray paint the letters. Then I will belt sand and stain back. The belt sander can't remove the paint inside the letters and the stain shouldn't stain or harm fully cured acrylic.

Getting the dado fit just right. I zero'd everything from the table. You MUST carefully measure your material thickness. I opted for a slightly loose fit so I didn't have to hammer things together. It's really for alignment and ease of assembly.

Don't be too picky. I left the edges slightly proud and used the belt sander to even things up. Even so, if you look at what they pay $100 for now anyone who takes a little time to do it right can far exceed the quality they are use to seeing.

Use GLUE, good glue. These things take a pounding. Screws only won't cut it. The screws should really be considered clamping force until the glue dries.

Paint is awful, a black stain with a good floor poly has held up well. I recently visited again and after months of use my stained boxes still look good. Painted boxes loose the paint quickly as it is scuffed and scrubbed off.

Use a good quality 3/4" ply. On my first boxes I made a year ago and painted, the paint is scrubbed off and the plywood has begun to delaminate. The plywood was cheap, cheap, cheap Depot special cabinet ply. The stuff had huge voids in it. For my run of 22 I quoted a proper price and used good materials.

Make a few of these and give them as sample to private schools with a weight/wrestling/football program. The custom touch with inspirational phrases makes a big difference.

Robert

[chiloquinruss]

Robert - First nice job! Next thanks for giving all the specs and some ideas on how to sell em'.
Russ

[blackhawk]

I noticed that you were running at 6 IPS in a single pass. Are you running a spindle? I am new and just cut some 3/4" ply last night at 2 IPS with only an 1/8" depth per pass. I have a PRT Alpha with a PC router. My machine or router wasn't straining at all. Any experience with top speeds and depth of cut with a PC router? Thanks.

[harryball]

I'm running a 4HP HSD spindle. The bit was a 3/8" 2 flute compression. I think I was running at 18k RPM and 6 ips which worked out for this bit.

Plunges were done with ramping, no straight downs except for the letters which are about 1/8" deep. The letters I ran at 6 ips but obviously never got up to those speeds. My RPM's were about 10k to avoid burning.

/RB

[beacon14]

Brad you should be able to cut 3/4" materials at 4-5 ips in a singe pass - assuming you can hold down the material well enough. Put some scrap plywood down and make test cuts, increasing speed each time until you feel the router starting to strain.

[jhicks]

Robert, heres a tip on those dadoes. We cut the blind pins in the 3/4 ply but do not machine them to their final 3/8" thickness on the bot. Rather set up a router table to edge the tips off by setting the bit off the table 3/8" and route the tops of the material away. That way material thickness doesnt matter and the pins always come out on the money. if the dado slot machines a bit narrow, just lay down a strip or 2 of masking tape on the router table surface below the bit to slightly raise the board which will thin the pins and give you a snug fit.
Much easier than adjusting for variations in ply stock.
Nice idea and execution.

[harryball]

Jerry... thanks! I'd actually been considering some way to make the process more forgiving of the material used but couldn't come up with something simple. That sounds like the ticket.

When I get a chance to try the paint then sand trick for the letters I'll be sure to follow up with a post. I got a request today to possibly build some more, if that pans out I may be finding out sooner than later.

/RB

[knight_toolworks]

all you need to do is zero on the bed raise the bit to say 3/4" and zero. then when you put in the thickness it is right on. but if your using full sheets you need a way to zero from the bed past the material.

[jhicks]

Robert, that seem like a nice simple product with mutiple schools that may want them. How did you go about soliciting the business?

[harryball]

I was contacted first to build them, from there other schools are seeing them and asking about them which generates a referal.

If I were cold turkey marketing, I'd find a school with a weight lifting or good football program and make two boxes for them for free. I'd let them know the pricing and where to get them and go from there. In fact, if they were freebees I'd put my contact information on the side for one of the qoutes.

/RB

[woodworx]

I made some of those too.


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