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Boxes racking on me - HELP!

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2.5K views 25 replies 14 participants last post by  BinghamtonEd  
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Hey folks, looking for some advice because I'm stumped.

I made three sand boxes for a restaurant and when I started to apply the finish on them, I noticed that all three are racked to some degree.

What causes the racking and can I fix it without having to rebuild the boxes?

Thanks
 
#3 · (Edited by Moderator)
Sorry, should have included more detail.

I used Spalted Maple for the sides and ends and 1/2" ply for the bottom. Ply sits in a dado and the sides are joined using screw bolts.

It racks from the near corner to the far corner in the first picture. This one is very (VERY) slight but the other two are driving me nuts!

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#7 ·
I agree with the above. A plywood panel can often help prevent racking, but given the size of your box it isn't up to the task. As was mentioned, you need to get the box square AND well clamped before drilling the pilot holes for the screws. The plywood panel helps out in this regard. A regular drill bit going into the end grain can really try to follow the grain pattern and it drifts off line a bit. Good clamping and perhaps a brad point bit with the shearing action of the spurs can help keep things on line. It doesn't take much drift to be magnified into the racking you see over the length of your sides.

PS: WOW, a spalted maple sandbox! First time I have ever sent that!
 
#11 ·
The top plywood fits where the top slots are and only act as a cover so they will give no strength to straighten it out.

I'm not 100% certain what they are going to be used for. The chef and owner of a local restaurant contacted me and asked me to make him three sand boxes for his restaurant. It's quite the high end, eclectic place so my steak and potatoes taste buds won't be going there.
 
#12 ·
Do the tops fit in easily as they sit now? Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but could you hand plane the bottom so that it sits flush on the ground again, and perhaps the slight variation in height won't be noticeable?
 
#13 ·
Right now, two of the rock on the two corners where the arrows are.

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The one in the picture is the best of the three. The other two are worse, about 1/4" gap when one corner is pushed down.

When they are full of sand (approximately 1 1/2" - 2" deep), wondering if it will force things flat on the table?
 

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#14 ·
Well, looking at that and estimating the size to be 36"x36", at 2" deep youd be looking at 1.5 cubic feet of play sand, so 150lbs. You could load some tools or cinder blocks into it and see how much it straightens out. Or, if you have the bags of sand, toss them in.
 
#15 ·
Objects in the mirror are bigger than they appear :)

Actual size is 20" x 30"

Sides where the top slides in are ~3" high and the slot is 3/8" down from the top
 
#20 ·
I would start by ensuring that the ends of the two boards that butt up against the other two, have TRULY 90.00 Degree cuts on the ends.

It may be that when you tighten the hex key anchors, you are actually putting some twist into the wood.
 
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#23 ·
Well….with the boxes sitting on the two boards they weeble wobble. I moved them to a temporary drying spot and they weeble wobble so I thought there was an issue. Yesterday, (happy Canada Day to me) I set one of the worst ones on the floor…..no weeble wobble. HUZZAH!! Magic…..

To answer the burning question of what the heck are these going to be used for, I asked the chef the exact same thing. I pictured a small Zen sand garden for people to amuse themselves with while waiting for dinner to arrive….nope. I pictured a sandbox sitting at the table where the waiter would place a person's dish…..close but no cigar.

They will be used as serving trays with a slide off cover :eek:)

I'll post complete pictures in the project section.

Thanks to everyone!
 
#25 ·
"What're they serving, Tonka trucks?" - lol

Not sure there's going to be any actual sand in these. Time will tell. It's an eclectic restaurant that serves a 12 course taster meal. I'm trying to convince a co-worker to go there and let me know what it's like. Not my kind of place.
 
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