# Packing - polyethylene corners? Other ideas?



## nickbatz (Mar 7, 2018)

Packing ideas appreciated.

I'm working on my ninth of these custom desks for composers.

The last one I shipped got dropped by the last-mile bozos. Fortunately it was insured and I'll be getting paid to make another one, but it was still a heartbreaker. I make money doing this, but it's a side-side business I do mainly for fun.

This is how I box them now (I buy 4' x 8' sheets of cardboard), and inside I use furniture blankets. It's really easy to make the cartons now, in fact you don't need to glue them, just score them lightly with the bottom of a Sharpie or something and fold them. Double-thickness all around, simple, and the straps (plus the tape, of course) hold them together.










Someone suggested polyethylene corners, but the only place I've found that has them charges $50 a case minimum + $50+ to ship them. Get outta here.

How do people here pack furniture for shipping?

Also, I shipped one to Paris. This is how I packed it. But for obvious reasons the cardboard is much better, both for me and for my clients. It takes a long time to make a crate, and holy s is it heavy.


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## nickbatz (Mar 7, 2018)

This is what's inside:


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## Dark_Lightning (Nov 20, 2009)

Nice work, to say the least! If only the corners are of extra concern, you might consider making extra-thick cardboard corners. Where do you consider the strongest points to be? I'd expect that to be in the corners. I designed a lot of ground support equipment in my time, but relied on packaging engineers for shipping (unless the equipment was so heavy duty that the packaging consisted of chaining it to the bed of a truck, lol). For the kind of money these things seem to be worth, it would be worth your money to locate a packaging engineer to help ensure safe delivery, if what I have suggested doesn't seem good enough.


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## JohnDon (Mar 14, 2015)

Would the cardboard-like edge protectors used in shipping major appliances work? I think it's called corner board or edgeboard.


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## CaptainKlutz (Apr 23, 2014)

Protecting large/heavy furniture items for freight shipping is not cheap or easy. It involves a carefully designed shipping container, while also trying to be cost effective and keep shipping protection costs to a minimum.

Suggestions:

Simple way to reduce damage is to force how package is handled, and reduce chance for monkeys to drop it. Strap it to a pallet that is larger than box so they must use forklift or pallet jack. If dropped, the pallet takes the damage assuming the box is strapped properly. This adds mass, volume, and raised shipping cost. Shipper can still stack two 3000lb pallets of aquarium gravel on top, but you reduce drop damage?

If are not willing to buy foam corner protectors, make them. Buy 2" thick polystyrene foam sheets ($20 each), cut to size, and use hot melt glue to stick them together.

My favorite way to avoid damage is to encase the product inside a cocoon of foam protection. For really heavy items, typically need to line the congregated box with 1/4-1/2" plywood.  For sub woofer boxes, we would fit plywood corners inside the box corner, with 2-4 inches of foam cradling the speaker box inside. When one was dropped 6-7 ft off the dock onto corner, the plywood was damaged; but veneer speaker box was typically OK.

To make a cocoon, have to make the box 6-8in larger than desk. Place a sheet of 1/4 plywood on bottom, covered with 1" sheet of foam board. Place product inside a plastic bag, and set it top. Line the box sides with 1/4" plywood, and spray in 2 part foam around sides and over top. Cap the top with more 1/4" plywood and close/seal lid.

PS - spray foam, plywood, and plastic bags are not cheap, and only sold in bulk.

If you have never dealt with freight shipping, highly suggest you consult an expert. If your desks are always same size, then take one down to several local corrugated box mfg companies. Ask them for options to protect your product. If you can't drag desk to them, bring pictures and dimensions.

If nothing else, you will learn the tradeoffs from this exercise. You might even find a company willing to pack/insure the products for shipment; so you can spend your time making more desks, instead of shipping boxes? There is no shame in hiring an expert to ensure your products arrive in perfect condition.

Best Luck.


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## nickbatz (Mar 7, 2018)

Thanks DL, and thanks for the replies.

I think those cardboard things would reinforce the corners well and are a good idea as well. But what I'm after is more shock absorption for the whole thing, in case some bozos decide to drop it again.

That's why I was thinking about polyethylene corners. You know, the stuff pool noodles are made out of. Since posting I saw that you can get sheets of it, so maybe I could make the corners myself. I'd either glue fabric on the surface to hold the corner pieces together, or more likely just use duct tape (because they're going to be jammed in there).

Considering that I make three of these a year, hiring packing engineers would be over the top. In the worst case - which isn't so bad - I'll just use more furniture blankets. They're only $5 each at Harbor Freight.

But that bouncy foam seemed like a better idea.

I've also seen spray foam that you form to fill, but everything I see online is either designed for insulation or prohibitively expensive. And after seeing CaptainKlutz' post, I know why: it's only available in bulk.


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## nickbatz (Mar 7, 2018)

Crossed posts. Thanks CaptainKlutz, great information.

As I wrote, I really want to avoid making crates again. And you know what the biggest reason is, which I didn't mention? I have to rent a damn trailer to drop it off at the freight depot!

Big deal, you say, and you're absolutely right. Except the last time I did that my car decided to take a dump - which it normally doesn't do, it's old but a very reliable BMW SUV… however I spent a fortune and a lot of anxiety getting it towed because I couldn't leave the trailer on the street!

You know, regular tow trucks can't handle an SUV + a trailer.





> Protecting large/heavy furniture items for freight shipping is not cheap or easy. It involves a carefully designed shipping container, while also trying to be cost effective and keep shipping protection costs to a minimum.
> 
> Suggestions:
> 
> ...


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## JAAune (Jan 22, 2012)

Everything gets packed a little different.

For something like that desk, stretch wrap everything tight together. If it's tight enough that parts don't rub, scratches won't happen. If not, wrap in kraft paper or similar before stretch wrapping or place layers of cardboard between layers of parts.

The bundle/bundles of parts get stretch wrapped to a flat board then the entire assembly goes into a cardboard box. The plywood base ensures parts don't rattle inside the box and also keeps parts away from the sides and absorbs any beatings applied by rough handling. Pack airspace with padding then close box. Plywood prevents damage from the bottom and the sides. Padding prevents damage from the top.

Items susceptible to shock damage need padding on the bottom too. Padding goes between the plywood and the parts.

If shipping freight, strap the box to a pallet. No forklift should ever touch the box.


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## nickbatz (Mar 7, 2018)

Yeah, strapping it to a pallet is a great idea.

What do you use for padding? As I wrote, the best and cheapest thing I've found is just furniture blankets from Harbor Freight.


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## nickbatz (Mar 7, 2018)

By the way, I've shipped about 35 of these over the years, and this is only the second one to get damaged.

(That's how I got hooked on woodworking - I used to have a shop make them, someone challenged me to make it less expensive, it looked easy from the drawings I'd been making for the shop, I figured I could do it, of course it wasn't easy but it turned out great and I really enjoyed it…)


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## JAAune (Jan 22, 2012)

Cushioning is often bubble wrap if we have some lying about. Wadded paper is our first choice if we need to buy something. There's a special paper shredder under the desk that shreds every piece of paper (except for sensitive data like tax docs) that comes in the shop into strips and that's great for small items. Getting junk mail is fun again.

We save all packing material and the small boxes usually get taped shut and become void fill. A couple other businesses started giving us their boxes and packing so we often have bundles of boxes, bubble wrap and miscellaneous void fill.

The most common types of damage are caused by abrasion, impact and shock. Impact protection comes from hard outer surfaces and/or airspace between the outer layers and the product. Cushioning protects against shock and tight packing and/or paper wrap prevents abrasion.

Just remember there's a difference between void fill and cushioning. We use small boxes as void fill to but not as cushioning. They create airspace and prevent rattling but will not protect against shock.


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## darthford (Feb 17, 2013)

I use 4×8 foot sheets of 2" thick rigid foam insulation ($22 for a 4×8 at Home Depot) to line top, bottom, sides, ends of a heavy cardboard box when shipping 50lb guitar amps. UPS/FedEx requires 2 inches all around and this was the easy solution. Good crush zones however they drop it. This is what I use when shipping overseas.


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## MadMark (Jun 3, 2014)

Uline.com


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## nickbatz (Mar 7, 2018)

> Uline.com
> 
> - Madmark2


Not down with their politics. Sorry, don't want to support them.


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