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Sauerkraut Maker Transport Box

Mom was always big into reuse, so I think she would be pleased by the fact that her sauerkraut maker will live on to provide more joy for no doubt years to come. But to achieve this, it had to be transported from Lake Oswego, Oregon to Austin, Texas. This large ceramic bowl is quite heavy, so shipping would be expensive and risky. Alas, with some good engineering ingenuity, both of these issues were able to be eliminated by checking the bowl as part of the free baggage transport Dwight had flying back to Austin and building of a very safe transport out of materials found among a few things Dad has in the garage.

Started with a regular shipping box, then re-enforced with plywood on all sides and 2-4 inside.
Covered plywood with cardboard, starting with bottom to allow for in-house testing.
Padded bottom with amazon bubble-wrap bags and custom cut Styrofoam
Checked fit to assess side padding requirements
Decided to go with doubled custom sized Styrofoam with Pre-molded Cardboard
Additional Strength added with custom carved side 2×4 wood pieces
With additional foam packed on all sides above wood
Topped with 2nd custom cut foam, more Amazon bubble packages, and plywood.
Finished covering plywood with cardboard, sealed with structural tape, and created custom handle
Concern raised about TSA airport personnel opening for inspection
Since opening the top required a box-cutter and removal of 15 screws, the risk of inspection was deemed low.

Indeed, mom’s sauerkraut maker arrived unopened and fully intact in Austin, Texas, where its second life will begin. Special thanks goes to Dad, who provided all the necessary elements for the transport box as well as most of the labor in making it (although it required careful oversight by a highly-trained quality-control engineer).

Happy Mother’s Day 2022 Mom – your spirit and love continues with us!