[TheForge] long distance freight

[Fiorini & Skiles]

I'm going to be shipping this piece
http://i.xanga.com/leafylady/screenprog3.jpg from Wisconsin to Washington
state soon.  (It's not done yet.)

I need recommendations for good long distance freight shippers that won't
destroy the crate or piece.  I haven't had great luck with long distance
shippers.  The client is paying for shipping and has had similarly poor
experiences with freight shippers.

I would also like some recommendations for crate construction.  I'm sure
that a trucker or forklift operator will bash, stab and drop the crate.  How
can I construct a wood crate and padding material to put up with the long
distance abuse?  Do I need to make it easy for a forklift to move around or
should I put handles on the sides of a wood crate?
Has anyone used that expanding foam to pad around irregularly shaped
objects, encased it plastic so it doesn't stick?
Thanks in advance for your tips.
-Kirsten
 bkmetal at mwt.net
http://www.mwt.net/~bkmetal/index.html
Japanese Forging Hammers at http://www.mwt.net/~bkmetal/Billhome.html