Building a finger-jointed slatted crate

Difficulty: easy. Time: 10 minutes design, 30 minutes making. Best method: laser-cut plywood.

A crate is one of the friendliest laser projects: four walls, a floor, and a set of interlocking finger joints that keep it square. This generator cuts the joints for you, opens slat gaps in the walls for that produce-box look, and can add a hand hole in each end wall so the crate is easy to carry. The Assembled 3D tab shows the panels in place so you can judge size before spending a sheet.

Open the Crate Generator

What You'll Need

Laser cutting: 3 to 6 mm plywood or MDF. Measure the actual sheet thickness with calipers, it is rarely exactly 3 mm.
3D printing: any rigid filament. 4 to 6 mm panels print stronger joints than laser-thin ones.
Glue: PVA wood glue for plywood, plus a couple of clamps or elastic bands

Step 1 - Crate size

Width, Depth and Height are outside dimensions, so subtract two material thicknesses to get the usable interior. Thickness must match your sheet, because every finger joint is derived from it.

Step 2 - Slats and handles

Slat gaps sets how many open gaps are cut into each wall. Set it to zero for solid walls.
Gap height controls how tall each open gap is, inside a border that always clears the finger joints.
Carry handles cuts a rounded hand hole near the top of each end wall.

Step 3 - Check the assembly

Switch to the Assembled 3D tab and orbit the crate to catch a slat that sits too low or a crate that is deeper than you meant. The Export Preview tab shows the flat sheet with each panel in its own colour.

Choose Your Build Method

Before you cut

Measure your sheet with calipers and set Thickness to what you measured, not what the label says.
Cut the slat gaps and handles before the outlines where your software lets you choose, so panels do not shift once they are free.
Run a joint test first on a new sheet: cut one wall and the floor, dry fit them, and only commit the rest once the tabs seat with light hand pressure.

Glue up

Dry fit everything first. Finger joints in charred ply need a light sanding on the tabs, not force.
Glue the four walls into a ring and check for square with a set square before the glue grabs.
Drop the floor in last and clamp across the crate until the glue is cured.