\When I complete orders for clients, usually the furniture has to be shipped across the country. It's difficult, at least in my opinion, to put chairs or what have you in a cardboard box and expect it to get to it's destination safely. I always build a crate to fit the pieces being sent. It costs a bit more but I have never had anything get damaged in transit. I start with a trip to the big box store for 2x4's and if needed a sheet of hardboard/masonite. I set the furniture in a position I feel will travel safely and start taking measurements. As the picture shows above, these 2 chairs are setting in a kind of army march configuration. This gave me the most compact footing and with bubble wrap put at the places where touching may occur, these should have no issue with damage from rubbing. After I figure how large to make the base, making sure to find the widest and longest distance on the overall piece(s), I start by cutting 2x4's to the shorter width, ripping them to sqaure for the feet of the crate. Then the resawing takes over. I resaw 2x4's on the bandsaw to help cut down the weight and that way I can get the upright corners out of one section of 2x4. Then just screw it all together. This crate is very sturdy and should withstand just about anything a trucking company can throw at it. The crate did add 25 lbs to the weight of the 35 lbs chairs, but if damage occurs in shipping, a customer would not be happy, even if it's out of my hands, it still comes back to me as my problem, not a problem I want to have.
