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DIY Apple Boxes

DIY | May 24, 2015

A full set of apple boxes (full, half, quarter, eighth) costs about $145 at most film supply stores. You can make your own set of DIY apple boxes for about $40 following these instructions.

These apple boxes are strong and sturdy and will withstand many years of use on set. As pictured, there are two full apples, one half, one quarter and four eighths (pancakes).

Tools

• Hammer
• Saw and Miter Box
• Sand Paper
• Tape Measure
• Pencil
• Plastic Stencil
• Permanent Marker

Hardware

• Grip Rite Fas’ners Bright Finish 3d 1-1/4″ 3.18cm (about $3.00)

Wood Stock

• Pine Strips 5/8 x 2-7/16 x 96″ (about $2.00)
  Home Depot uses decimals for measure: 0.656 x 2.375
  • 4 strips to make a full apple
  • 3 strips to make a half apple
  • 3 strips to make a quarter apple
• Common Board 3/4 x 11-1/4″ – 4′ (about $9.00)
  Home Depot measures the board at 1 x 12 x 4″
  • 1 board to make two pancakes

Pieces

• Full Apple Box (20 x 12 x 8″)
  • 20″ (12x)
  • 10-5/8″ (6x)
  • 6-5/8″ (6x)
• Half Apple Box (20 x 12 x 3-7/8″)
  Slightly smaller than a standard half apple box that measures 20 x 12 x 4″.
  • 20″ (10x)
  • 10-5/8″ (3x)
• Quarter Apple Box (20 x 12 x 2-1/16″)
  Slightly bigger than a standard quarter apple box that measures 20 x 12 x 2″.
  • 20″ (8x)
  • 12″ (3x)
• Pancake (20 x 11-1/4 x 3/4″)
  Slightly smaller than a standard pancake that measures 20 x 12 x 1″.
  • 20″ (2x)

Steps

Purchase and cut your wood. If you do not have a saw and miter box, use the cutting station located at most home improvement centers.

Sand each piece to catch and remove any splinters before assembly. You can optionally apply a coat of wood sealant to extend the life of your apple boxes. To make pancakes, just sand the cut wood and apply your stencil (see below).

Make two frames to make a full apple box or one frame to make a half apple box. Before nailing in the planks, be sure to check for square. If you don’t, the two completed halves will not seamlessly join together properly and the completed apple box will be unbalanced.

You can use the other pieces as a spacing guide when nailing in the planks to the frame.

The two completed halves of a full apple box. To make a half apple box, nail in four planks on the other side of the assembly. To make a quarter apple box, sandwich three 12″ flat spacers between eight planks with four on each side (not pictured).

With the supports nailed in, join the two halves together and secure it to make a full apple box.

The completed full apple box.

Mark your apple boxes so that it doesn’t get mixed up with other grip equipment at wrap. You can find stencils at the dollar store.

Update

You can use nails to save time and money if the apple boxes will be used for light-to-moderate use. However, you may prefer to use screws for heavy-duty use.

After six years, one of my full-sized apple boxes started to wobble because of the nails. In the same amount of time and continuous use, my other full-sized apple box built with screws showed no structural signs of wear.

So I decided to remove the nails and rebuild my full-sized apple box with screws. I used Everbilt #6 1-1/4″ flat-head screws (about $7.00). Using a power drill, I pre-drilled the holes using a 1/8″ drill bit to prevent the wood from splitting. I used a 1/4″ drill bit to create a 1/8″ space to counter-sink the screw heads. I hand-tightened the screws to secure the box.

Both apple-boxes feel solid and strong for set use.