How Package Fragile Filigree or Fretwork Crosses for Shipping

 

Filigree Fretwork Cross Made From Laminated Harwood Flooring Samples

After making two of these, I needed to devise a way to package them for shipping. I got many good suggestions for several people experienced at shipping this type of item. I combined the suggestions with my own experience and packaging materials and settled on the following.

The heavest cross so far is 3oz. Packing them and getting them under the USPS 16oz First Class Package limit should be no problem. I can make boxes if needed. 

My customers had never chosen high-cost priority mail shipping when they did not have to because of the weight. Going to USPS priority mail more than doubles the shipping cost. Keeping the weight below 16oz is a goal.

I like using air pillows for padding. I wrap my item in air pillows that are taped together tightly. If there is room in the box, I fill it with more air pillows or some other lightweight material I have. The item itself is also wrapped with stretch wrap. Most of what I sell is irregular shapes, so this works well. When I am done packing, I can throw the box and not worry about breaking it. Crushing is my biggest concern. I had a package get run over once without damage to the contents. 

Here is what I have come up with:

 

• stretch or shrink wrap the cross to protect it from vibration damage and add some strength
• sandwich it between double-layer corrugated paper and tape or wrap well to add stiffness and padding
• pad it with air pillows or bubble wrap to fit the box and carefully tape everything together so it does not move
• weigh it and ship first class if it is light enough

USPS Priority Mail includes insurance. I don't care much about the insurance or the free (not free boxes). If something gets broken or damaged, my policy is to replace it or refund the purchase price. So far, I have never had anything lost or broken. My customers have shown me that they want a lower shipping cost. 

I have a pile of priority mail boxes that I rarely use. I only use them when I ship a large custom order. Not once have I had a customer request priority mail. 

I have concluded that packing these crosses is not much different than packing a puzzle, except I need to pack them with more padding.

Cuting a Filigree Cross From Laminated Hardwood Flooring

 

Filigree Fretwork Cross Made From Laminated Harwood Flooring Samples

 

I recently acquired some laminated hardwood flooring samples. With the price of the wood so high, I was eager to see what I could make with it. I did a lot of reading on the internet and found no consensus. Flooring seems so variable that you must try it and see if it will work.

I decided that some cross patterns would be perfect for this. Initially, the patterns were for Christmas ornaments. Using Inkscape and Gimp, I created SVG files and enlarged them to eight inches wide. Enlarging made the crosses large enough to use as wall art and more suited to the thickness of the flooring.

The flooring samples are mounted on a hardboard backing. I thought they were glued on but soon discovered this was not the case. They were held together with tiny steel pins. When cutting the first cross, I had to add tape to hold everything in place, and when cutting my second cross, I hit one of the steel pins with my scroll saw, which trashed the blade.

I cut these with Pegas #3 MGT saw blades using 3 to four blades per cross. Except for hitting the steel pin, this is about the same as cutting Baltic Birch Plywood. Not surprising since laminated hardwood flooring is plywood with a false wood layer on one side.

It worked well for me despite gluing the tongue and groove pieces back together. I was going for a rustic look, so gluing pieces together added to this. I'm happy with the results.