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Stackable Storage Crates[4/4 · 4ft · 5-Pack]
One pack. One build. All 5 boards used. • Makes 2 crates
Shop Black Walnut 4/4 · 4ft Pack Shop All Speciesselect 4' Lengths
How it goes together
Black Walnut
Hard Maple
Cherry
White Oak (QS)
Red Oak
Ash
Hickory
Ambrosia Maple
Sapele*
Padauk*
Purpleheart*
*Exotic — not available for shipment to US customers.
Two slatted storage crates for books, toys, towels or the recycling. Every slat screws into a corner post, so there are no weak end-grain joints, and the bottom cleats sit inside so the crates stack flat. A hand slot in each end makes them easy to carry. One 4ft pack makes the pair.
Quick Build — for experienced woodworkers
| Part | Qty | From | S4S size | S2S size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Side slats | 8 | Boards 1–4, two each | 12" × 4" × ¾" | 12" × 3½" × ⅞" |
| End slats | 8 | Boards 1–4, short slats | 7½" × 4" × ¾" | 7¼" × 3½" × ⅞" |
| Bottom slats | 4 | Boards 1–4, short slats | 7½" × 4" × ¾" | 7¼" × 3½" × ⅞" |
| Corner posts | 8 | Board 5, two wide strips | 8½" × 1½" × ¾" | 7½" × 1¼" × ⅞" |
| Bottom cleats | 4 | Board 5, narrow strip | 9" × ¾" × ¾" | 8½" × ¾" × ⅞" |
Corners: every slat screws into a ripped corner post (2 × #6 × 1¼" per slat end, pre-drilled). No glue — the posts cross the slats' grain.
Bottom: two slats screwed down onto two cleats; the cleats are glued and screwed to the lower side slats (same grain direction).
Hand holes: 1" × 4" slot in the top end slat, drilled and jigsawn.
Finished size: S4S 12" L × 9" W × 8½" H · S2S 12" × 9" × 7½". Inside about 10½" × 7½"; ½" gaps between slats.
Before You Start
Shopping List
- 1 lumber pack — 4/4 · 4ft (S4S or S2S)
- Wood glue (Titebond II or III)
- 100 × #6 × 1¼" flat-head wood screws
- Felt pads (optional)
- Sandpaper 120 / 180 / 220
- Finish: wipe-on oil, hardwax oil or water-based poly
Tools
- Saw for crosscuts (mitre saw or circular saw with a speed square) — with a stop block
- Saw for rips (table saw, or circular/track saw with a guide)
- Drill/driver, countersink bit, pilot bits
- 1" spade or Forstner bit and a jigsaw
- Two ½" spacers (scrap)
- 2 bar clamps, 12" or longer
- Random-orbit sander or sanding block
- S2S only: jointer, straight-line rip jig or hand plane
S4S or S2S? S4S boards arrive flat and square on all four sides — cut and build. S2S boards have rough edges you straighten first, and finish ⅞" thick instead of ¾". No jointer? Choose S4S.
Our sizing assumptions: ⅛" per saw cut · S4S boards 23½"/47½" long with ¼" to square an end, 4" wide, ¾" thick · S2S boards trimmed ½" each end and ¼" off each rough edge (3½" clean), ⅞" thick · sizes drawn for the narrowest board in the pack. Wider boards give you a bigger offcut or a wider part — never a shortage.
Step-by-Step
S4S Lumber Pack
Surfaced 4 sides — no jointing
- 1 Sort the boards. Boards 1–4 give all the slats: two side slats and three short slats each. Board 5 gives the corner posts and the bottom cleats. Each crate uses 4 side slats, 4 end slats, 2 bottom slats, 4 posts and 2 cleats.
- 2 Cut the slats. Clamp a stop block and crosscut two 12" side slats from each of boards 1–4. Reset the stop and cut three 7½" short slats from the rest of each board. That is 8 side slats and 12 short slats.
- 3 Rip board 5. Rip two strips 1½" wide, using a push stick. The narrow strip left over is about ¾" wide — that is the cleat stock. Crosscut the wide strips into 8 posts at 8½" and the narrow strip into 4 cleats at 9".
- 4 Cut the hand holes. Pick 4 short slats for the top of each end. Mark a 1" × 4" slot centred on the length, with its centre 1½" down from the top edge. Drill a 1" hole at each end of the slot and cut between them with a jigsaw. Sand the slot smooth and round its edges — your fingers will thank you.
- 5 Build the four ends. Lay a plain short slat and a slotted one face down with a ½" spacer between them, slot at the top. Set a post across each end, flush with the slat ends and the top and bottom edges. Pre-drill, countersink and drive 2 #6 × 1¼" screws through each slat into each post. No glue — the post's grain runs across the slats.
- 6 Add the cleats. Take one side slat per crate side — it will be the lower slat. Glue and screw a cleat along its inside face, flush with the bottom edge and 1½" in from each end. Use 3 pre-drilled #6 × 1¼" screws. Both parts run the same way, so glue is fine here.
- 7 Add the sides. Stand two ends up, posts facing in. Lay a side slat with a cleat at the bottom and a plain one above, with a ½" gap. The side slats cover the ends of the end slats and sit flush at the top, bottom and corners. Pre-drill and drive 2 screws into each post. Flip the crate and do the other side. Check the diagonals match before the last screws go in.
- 8 Fit the bottom. Drop two short slats in across the cleats, one tight against the posts at each end. Pre-drill and screw each slat down into both cleats with 2 screws per end. The gap in the middle lets dust fall through.
- 9 Finish. Ease all the edges and sand 120 → 180. Apply wipe-on oil, hardwax oil or water-based poly, 2 coats. Everything sits inside the crate, so the bottom is flat and the crates stack rim on rim.
S2S Lumber Pack
Surfaced 2 sides — straighten edges first
- 1 Prep the boards. Trim ½" off each end to remove any end checks. Joint one edge straight, then rip the other edge parallel (¼" off each rough edge is our planning allowance). S2S boards finish ⅞" thick, so screws and some sizes change — use the sizes in this column.
- 2 Sort the boards. Boards 1–4 give all the slats: two side slats and three short slats each. Board 5 gives the corner posts and the bottom cleats. Each crate uses 4 side slats, 4 end slats, 2 bottom slats, 4 posts and 2 cleats.
- 3 Cut the slats. Clamp a stop block and crosscut two 12" side slats from each of boards 1–4. Reset the stop and cut three 7¼" short slats from the rest of each board. That is 8 side slats and 12 short slats.
- 4 Rip board 5. Rip two strips 1¼" wide, using a push stick. The narrow strip left over is about ¾" wide — that is the cleat stock. Crosscut the wide strips into 8 posts at 7½" and the narrow strip into 4 cleats at 8½".
- 5 Cut the hand holes. Pick 4 short slats for the top of each end. Mark a 1" × 4" slot centred on the length, with its centre 1½" down from the top edge. Drill a 1" hole at each end of the slot and cut between them with a jigsaw. Sand the slot smooth and round its edges — your fingers will thank you.
- 6 Build the four ends. Lay a plain short slat and a slotted one face down with a ½" spacer between them, slot at the top. Set a post across each end, flush with the slat ends and the top and bottom edges. Pre-drill, countersink and drive 2 #6 × 1¼" screws through each slat into each post. No glue — the post's grain runs across the slats.
- 7 Add the cleats. Take one side slat per crate side — it will be the lower slat. Glue and screw a cleat along its inside face, flush with the bottom edge and 1¾" in from each end. Use 3 pre-drilled #6 × 1¼" screws. Both parts run the same way, so glue is fine here.
- 8 Add the sides. Stand two ends up, posts facing in. Lay a side slat with a cleat at the bottom and a plain one above, with a ½" gap. The side slats cover the ends of the end slats and sit flush at the top, bottom and corners. Pre-drill and drive 2 screws into each post. Flip the crate and do the other side. Check the diagonals match before the last screws go in.
- 9 Fit the bottom. Drop two short slats in across the cleats, one tight against the posts at each end. Pre-drill and screw each slat down into both cleats with 2 screws per end. The gap in the middle lets dust fall through.
- 10 Finish. Ease all the edges and sand 120 → 180. Apply wipe-on oil, hardwax oil or water-based poly, 2 coats. Everything sits inside the crate, so the bottom is flat and the crates stack rim on rim.
Why corner posts? Screwing one slat into the end of another means a screw in end grain, which pulls out over time. The posts give every screw solid long grain to bite into, and they keep the crate square.
Why are the cleats inside? Nothing hangs below the crate, so it sits flat on a shelf or the floor, and a second crate sits flat on the rim of the first.
Why pre-drill? Maple, oak and hickory split if you drive a screw without a pilot hole. Pre-drill every screw and countersink so the heads sit flush.
Make It Yours
- Stacking blocks: screw a short scrap inside each top corner, sticking up ½", so a crate on top can't slide off.
- Casters: screw four small plate casters under the bottom crate for a rolling toy box.
- Labels: burn or stencil a word on one end — Books, Toys, Yarn.
Safety and Care
- Wear eye and hearing protection. Use a push stick for every rip under 4" wide.
- Rip the post and cleat strips with a push stick. The cleat strip is under 1" wide — let it fall off the outside of the blade.
- Pre-drill every screw — hardwoods split without a pilot hole.
- Stack no more than three crates high, and don't let children climb them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not for S4S boards — they arrive flat and square on all four sides. S2S boards need their edges straightened: a jointer, a table saw with a straight-line jig, or a hand plane all work. No jointer? Choose the S4S pack.
About 20 lb of books, toys or towels. Lift by both hand holes, not by one end.
Yes, within limits. Keep the end and bottom slats at the outside width less two slat thicknesses, and the posts at two slat widths plus ½". A longer crate leaves no room on the boards for the short slats, so draw your own cut layout first.
On a covered porch, yes, with an exterior oil and exterior screws. White oak holds up best. Don't leave them in the rain.
Planned offcuts only: about 1¾" off boards 1–4, about 12" off each post strip and 11" off the cleat strip. All 5 boards go into the crates.
Not for this design. A 2ft board only fits one 12" side slat and one short slat, which leaves no wood for the posts. Use the 4ft pack.
