How Do I Make a 30-Shot Milk Crate Mortar Rack?

A 30-shot mortar rack will hold 30 separate mortars for a long show of fireworks.

A 30-shot milk crate mortar rack will hold 30 mortars used for fireworks. Milk crates used for this design will often be the size of 30-quarts. Their inside length and width dimensions will each be divisible by three because mortar tubes are usually 3-inches, and the inside length and width added together will be 33-inches. If you have a wooden milk crate with these dimensions then you do not have to build on, you can simply skip half this project. However, since it is hard to find milk crates with these dimensions, one can be built in less than an hour spent at a workbench.

Things You'll Need

• Tape measure
• 6 pine boards, 1-by-4-by-15-inches
• Plywood, 3/4-inch, 15-by-19 1/2-inches
• 2 plywood, 3/4-inch, 11 1/4-by-19 1/2-inches
• Screw gun
• 32 wood screws, 3-inch
• 30 mortar tubes, 3-by-12-inches
• 8 eye-hooks, 1-inch
• 4 metal rods, 1-by-30-inches
• Hammer

Instructions

Building the Milk Crate

1. Set two 15-inch boards parallel on edge and 18 inches apart. Set the 15-by-19 1/2-inch plywood on top of the boards so the edges are flush. Screw eight screws through the plywood so four enter each board. This is the base to your milk crate.

2. Turn the base over so the boards are on top of the plywood. Position a 11 1/4-by-19 1/2-inch sheet against one pair of ends of the 15-inch boards. The plywood should be resting on one of its 19 1/2-inch edges and the 11 ¼-inch edges should be flush with the sides of the boards. Screw four screws through this sheet of plywood so two screws enter the end of each board. This is one side to your milk crate. Repeat this process on the opposite side using the last sheet of plywood.

3. Position the rest of the 15-inch boards between the sides. There should be three boards at each end of the crate, the boards should be on top of each other with their sides flush. The top edge of the two top 15-inch boards should be flush with the top edges of the plywood screws. Screw through the plywood to secure these boards by using two screws for each end of each board.

Mounting the Mortar Rack

1. Screw four pairs of eye-hooks into the rack. Each pair will hold a rod that will stabilize your rack. The hooks will be screwed through the plywood sides and into the ends of the boards, Two hooks for each corner. There are four hooks in each plywood side and the hooks within each pair are spaced 10 inches apart. The holes for each pair are aligned so a rod can be inserted through them and be pounded into the ground.

2. Place the 30 tubes inside the milk crate vertically. The will be positioned 5-tubes by 6-tubes inside the crate and should be snug against each other.

3. Place your mortar rack in the position where you place to light your fireworks. Insert the rods through the hooks and tap them into the ground. This will secure your mortar rack while in use.

Tips & Warnings

• Only licensed professionals should handle fireworks shot from mortars.

References

• Fireworks Thailand: Mortar Rack Designs
• "Step by Step Basic Carpentry"; Ben Allen; 1997