Challenge - 18th century transport box design and materials?

[profchris]

Essentially if it is would, you are buying into the journey and experience of botanical discovery in a distant land but have it delivered to your door. You are paying for novelty.

A plant in a cardboard box is nothing special and not uncommon.

So what can I take from your post? Is it this - a cheap, lightweight wooden box that is more or less disposable.

Alternatively bin whole wood idea and go cardboard.

Open to all suggestions. Have to face the facts now.

Ps. Do you have a wife? 90% of purchasers are female. Ask her if she would like a nice romantic antique styled presentation box to present the outstanding story and heritage of a given specimen OR a nicely styled cheaper cardboard box that will be binned. (Now I am trying to be impartial here!

I thought you guys would all be pushing me down the wood track. What's happening......

Everyone - let's just call it!!! Am I barking up the wrong tree, is wood solution WRONG???

Ahah! You need to be asking women the question, not a bunch of mainly male wood workers.

FWIW my wife is always worried by wooden wine boxes. She feels they ought to be reused, so burning them feels wasteful.

I wonder if you should look at boxes for perfume - those are selling a concept, tradition, luxury ... all the things you are aiming at. I remember some gift sets from Floris which she bought in a sale as gifts. At least half the pleasure of the recipient was expected to come from the packaging!

Example:

https://www.amara.com/static/upload...ragrance-travel-collection-for-her-641598.jpg

 

[Tris]

As a full time gardener I've got to ask, what are the plants you will be posting out in these boxes?

One of the more interesting packaging ideas I've seen has been from Blackmore and Langdon, who send out begonia tubers in canvas drawstring bags, cushioned with wood wool, and double boxed. At £20 to £50 per tuber I guess that's worth the cost to them.

 

[Danieljw]

You can have can have honeycomb cardboard boxes made, knife cut on a cnc router with folds and joints knived in.
The same company could then 3D laser print the outside to look as real as you want it.
To do it yourself... laser printer and cnc router, with associated software.

 

[Dr W]

If you want to know how 18th century plant-hunters shipped their discoveries home, then the obvious place to start is Kew Gardens, who were on the receiving end of many of those shipments. Maybe get in touch with the archivists there?

Here's a link from their website that might offer a few thoughts:
https://www.kew.org/read-and-watch/the-wardian-case-a-history-of-plant-transportation

 

[George_N]

I’ve just watched an episode of “The woodwrights shop 2021-The tiny tool kit”, apologies if it’s been suggested before in the thread (I haven’t read every post). Roy Underhill and Chris Schwarz talk about making a packing box. The material is more like 1/2” as it is nailed together, as a period packing box would have been, so it might not suit your needs. However, it could be worth a look for ideas.

 

[Thomas]

Evening all,

I really, really dont want to admit that cardboard may be a better alternative BUT i am having difficulty moving from the love and appeal of wood.

Come on guys - you must have some insight as you are the wood guys - giving into cardboard. You must have some technical workaround!! Whats happening??

Would love to have a variety of views on this packaging problem.

T

 

[paulrbarnard]

Evening all,

I really, really dont want to admit that cardboard may be a better alternative BUT i am having difficulty moving from the love and appeal of wood.

Come on guys - you must have some insight as you are the wood guys - giving into cardboard. You must have some technical workaround!! Whats happening??

Would love to have a variety of views on this packaging problem.

T

Laser cut, finger jointed ply is the modern solution to this. It would work very well and survive shipping with reasonable cost point, not cheap though. The issue is not the technical workaround it’s the value proposition and the waste aspect of high cost packaging. If you can make the packing have a second life, like in the example you shared, then go for it.

 

[Glitch]

Thomas,

I can see where you're coming from. Great packaging enhances customer experience, especially if there is reuse.

What cost for packaging have you factored in?

How much extra are customers prepared to pay for fancy packaging?

It'll help the experts narrow down the materials and understand time needed to build a suitable box.

Also what volume do you anticipate?

 

[pidgeonpost]

I'm not giving in to cardboard!
I thought initially that you were making a one-off box for someone special or a special occasion, but seems not.

It seems to me, perhaps wrongly, that you're looking to appeal to a niche market, one that won't only be attracted by the product, but by the whole 'experience', maybe a degree of 'exclusivity'. Certain people will happily pay a bit more for that. If part of that experience is an attractive wooden box that can be reused or passed on to someone else with a gift inside it, what's not to like?

 

[Bob Chapman]

Evening all,

I really, really dont want to admit that cardboard may be a better alternative BUT i am having difficulty moving from the love and appeal of wood.

Come on guys - you must have some insight as you are the wood guys - giving into cardboard. You must have some technical workaround!! Whats happening??

Would love to have a variety of views on this packaging problem.

T

Thomas, you've HAD a variety of views - you just don't want to listen to anything which conflicts with your preconceived ideas. You've already made up your mind and you are going to keep disagreeing with anything other than wood. So use wood!

 

[toolsntat]

So, back to design.....
Thin wood when assembled appropriately will give a strong construction.
You might like to have a look at John Williams hand crafted stave baskets for inspiration.
https://www.dartmoorwoodcraft.co.uk/stavebaskets
Cheers Andy

 

[Stevekane]

Dr W above found the Wardian Case, these are the cases I had read about, looking at the old photo you see a fairly roughly made “wooden crate” but the design hints are all there, the use of bars, perforated zinc, perhaps zinc trays to hold the water, sisal rope and glass, these are the elements and you need to design a “box” incorporating these, there is your history and given that there is lots of scope for a craftsman to create something that looks great.
Steve.
Ps be careful with your casual references to sheds above,,,hallowed ground to many of us here!