zen and the art of crating ice cream machines

no day is ever like the one before it.  at the end of friday i found out that some ice cream machine were scheduled to go out tuesday and the dude paid enough for the to buy a fully loaded jetta GLI.  these things have to get crated, which basically means i frame and build a big box around whatever expensive items have to go out.  floor mixers, pralinators, ice cream machines...so i documented the process.  it's rather tedious and time consuming but it has to get done and apparently i do it best...or at least that's what they tell me...

so here is an ice cream machine- about 300lbs of dairy enhancing goodness

then you mummify the entire thing in saran wrap to protect the stainless:

right.  next comes the blanket party, with a little packing tape, just in case:

x deux.  don't want this guy to get lonely:

next you take a pallet and add a sheathing footprint.  added level of durability plus it just looks nice.  a sort of crating throw rug, if you will.  also, since these puppies are on wheels and we don't want them going anywhere, we'll just toenail some booster seats on there:

now the tricky part.  getting these monsters on there.  we'll skip the forklifting, yelling, cursing these damned machines and mild mental breakdown and go right to this....ahh much better:

now the precision carpentry.  measure eight times because your brain is frazzeled and cut once, which leaves you with one half of a crate, framed and panelled:

oh yeah i forgot- stainless steel banding.  very important.  don't want these bad boys going anywhere.  now we add the other two sides:

and she is beautiful.  don't forget to put the top on it!  ready to go to california.  now to clean up after all of this....