Marble Top End Tables - Some Assembly Required

As nice as it is to open a package containing your new purchase assembled and ready to use, sometimes that isn't the best way to get it to you safely.  For example, the four end tables shown are topped with a heavy piece of marble.  The best way to ensure they arrive safely is to remove the marble tops and pack them upright.  Shipping brittle materials like marble, slate, and glass flat is never recommended.  It causes the material to flex and since those materials can't flex, they will break. 

The larger crate shown below contains the table bases which are individually wrapped and sectioned off with foam dividers.  The marble tops were placed upright in the smaller crate and divided by foam sheets.  

Our #1 fan! Check out our new video!

Marble Column

The Romans did it with manpower. We do it with forklifts and foam.  Either way, moving marble is a challenge.  It is inherently fragile and is highly susceptible to cracking.  As with other stone materials, it can withstand tremendous compressive forces, but can break easily if it is allowed to flex.  Therefore, when packing marble, it is important to properly cushion it.  Too much foam, it will be too hard and not offer any cushioning.  Not enough foam, it compresses the foam to the point it is useless.  

To ensure easy loading and unloading, we went with a cradle design.  This effectively removes any packing expertise for unloading or repacking as it will only fit one way in the crate.

The crate was shipped laying down as shown in the final photo. The other photos were taken upright to show the foam cavity design.  Laying it down provided a more stable stance and removed the potential tipping hazard. 

600 Pound Baseball Player?

The statue titled "Mighty Casey" has been on display at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York since 1987.  The bronze statue, inspired by the 1888 Ernest Thayer poem "Casey at the Bat", stands nearly 7 feet tall and weighs 600 pounds.  The statue was sold at auction and was time for Casey to move on to his new home in California. 

In order to ensure Casey's safety, he was picked up from the Hall of Fame in a truck with an "air-ride" suspension and returned to our shop for construction of the crate.  The large, heavy base was encased with foam for cushioning and to prevent shifting in the crate.  We then used foam lined braces throughout the crate to hold Casey in place for his 3,000 mile journey. 

www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casey_at_the_Bat
www.baseballhall.org

Rutgers University Race Car Sponsorship

A couple of months ago, we were contacted by an engineering student of Rutgers University in need of shipping a race car they built to California for an upcoming competition.  At first glance, I didn't know what the project would entail, so we decided to meet a couple members of the Rutgers team to learn more.  The students took the time to show us their work in progress and we were quickly impressed.  There was an instant connection as my partner and I, both engineers, welcomed the discussion of compression ratios, g-forces and data acquisition.  This car had more sensors than the space shuttle!  OK, enough of the nerd talk but you certainly didn't need an engineering degree to appreciate the effort these students put into the design of this car. 

The event is being held at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA.  That's where we come in.  We decided to sponsor the team and donate the services.  The team, working right up to the last minute, dropped the car off at our shop for us to build the custom crates.  The crate needed to be built in a way that they can quickly unload the car upon arrival and then reload it when the race was over.  Following the completion of the race, we will then organize the pick-up of the crate for the return shipment to Rutgers.  Special considerations were factored in such as specific delivery and pick-up times at the venue, special markings on the crate, and securing the car in a way that didn't allow the suspension to bounce the entire trip out there.  Overall, this was a fun project to be involved in.  We wish the Rutgers Racing Team good luck and success in CA!

Rutgers Formula Racing Team:  www.rfr.rutgers.edu/
About the SAE Formula Competition:  http://students.sae.org/competitions/formulaseries/about.htm
See if your Alma Mater is competing: http://students.sae.org/competitions/formulaseries/fsae/teamsites/

Exporting Bugs?

Do crates and pallets need to be certified "Bug Free" before shipping internationally?  Yes, and the most common time shippers first find out about this is just before their shipment is ready to go out.

Here's how it goes.  They have their item crated and ready to go.  A call is made for the carrier to pick-up and they ask, "is the crate ISPM 15 compliant?"  The typical first response is, "huh?"

Over the past 10 years, more and more countries have adopted this standard to ensure that the wood packaging materials entering their county are free of destructive insects.  These insects can cause immense damage to crops and forests when introduced to foreign lands.   Therefore, when shipping to one of these countries (see links below) the crate must be stamped as shown in the photo.

What to do?  A crate must be obtained from vendor registered with an accredited inspection agency.  Craters & Freighters of NY/NJ is registered and our crates are stamped with the proper certification.

http://www.cratersandfreighters.com/cf/ispm15.do

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/plants/plant_exports/wpm/wpm_faqs.shtml#1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISPM_15

Fire Breathing Dragon

OK, maybe it didn't breath fire, but this wasn't your average stuffed animal.  This dragon from FAO -Schwartz had a 12' wingspan!  She stood proudly over the main entrance for years until a buyer with a good home (and high ceilings) came along. 

When it came time to send her to her new home in Florida, we got the call.  Along with the dragon went the rock formation it was mounted on, a bear, kangaroo, lion, deer and dog.

Without the rock, the dragon just wanted to slump over so we needed to prop her up with some wood framework for the trip.  Laying her down may have distorted the internal framework sacrificing the shape of the dragon.

The rock formation and bear were secured to a custom pallet and heat shrinked.  The other animals were placed around the dragon filling out the pallet.  The pallets were then shipped to one of our offices in Florida to perform the final delivery to the residence.