Funny you should ask. I have worked in all 3 fields at one time or another. I have been a welding shop, injection molding shop with a machine shop, and cabinet shops. I make custom furniture as a hobby. Yes you could make battery trays out of wood. The question is why do you want to? If its money you’re trying to save, you won’t. To build one out of the right materials would cost you more than to have it done with metal right from the start. To do it you need to build it with a hard wood. By hard wood I suggest maple or hickory. These woods have a tight grain pattern. Oak, pine, alder, or poplar are too soft to take a beating. There is no way plywood or press board will stand up to the bashing you want it for. So you need to buy a stock piece of wood. Maple would be the best choice. It’s strong but not as expensive as hickory. Go to your local wood sales place and ask for a piece of “8 quarter.” Lowes, Home Depot, and Ace Hardware will NOT carry this wood. It will be close to the same size as 2 2x4’s side by side. You will spend a lot of money for it. Around $80+ for 1 board. Then you cut it to size and “carve” it out. IMO it’s not cost efficient enough to do but it’s doable. BUT if it gets one crack in it, your finished. With the type of bashing I do I would not even begin to try. Waste of time and money. As for plastic I would not go that route either. If you decide to try go to your local wal-mart and buy a cutting board. Again carve it out with chisels. If you try and glue wood or plastic, where you glue will be the weakest spot. Glue does NOT stand up to bashing. I would recommend against gluing at all costs. The other problem you run into with a hard wood or a heavy plastic (cutting board) is in their weight. They both are heavy. You will be adding weight to your RC. Its just easier, lighter, stronger, more durable, and better cost efficient to use metal. I could give you some ideas for metal but there are hundreds of other posts to tell you that. Stick with sheet metal. I believe you asked about it before in another thread. Best bang for your buck.
