Build a Shipping Box

[sahartman21]

When I was at the NATS I saw numerous shipping boxes and thought to myself that it would be nice to ship the models and fly to the contest. The question remained, how can I ship my models if I don't have a box?

This build thread shows the basics of putting your own shipping box together.

[sahartman21]

My shipping box is constructed primarily of coroplast (corrugated plastic), one half inch foam board, blind nuts, associated hardware, and some spray adhesive.

I started with two sheets of 1/8 in thick by 4 ft by 8 ft sheet of coroplast. This material plus the one half inch thick foam board were purchased from Home Depot.

[sahartman21]

I sketched out the basic dimensions on one of the sheets of corrugated plastic. Some minor adjustments were later made to fit.

The fold lines are identified as dashed and the cut lines were identified as dark continuous lines.

[sahartman21]

Tin snips or a razor saw may be used to cut out the parts.

[sahartman21]

The corrugated plastic is flexible. To address this issue, pieces of foam board were added to stiffen the sides. The steps are shown in the following pictures:

[sahartman21]

Below are some of the supplies that were used on this project:

[sahartman21]

The foam board was attached with gorilla glue, screws, fender washers, and blind nuts.

[sahartman21]

The box was then folded and joined to make the appropriate shape.

I then applied strapping tape across the seam and folded edges over.

[sahartman21]

The box is nominally big enough to hold four models.

You must provide sufficient packing to ensure there is no damage during the shipping process.

[sahartman21]

I purchased some straps from Harbor Freight to close the box.

Feel free to comment on this thread should you have additional ideas. Good luck!