Making a box

Hi,

This probably seems super simple to most of you, but I need some guidance on how to do some relatively simple construction :stuck_out_tongue:

I’m planning to make a box for my project by cutting out 6 panels on the laser cutter. I can figure out the panel sizes needed in order to make the required internal dimensions. By this point I have pretty comprehensive CAD drawings of the panels and the cutouts etc.

How would I go about fixing the 6 sides together to make a box, with the added constraint that the rear panel must be detachable in order to assemble and change the internal components ?

I’m sure there’s more than one solution and with different properties and qualities - all options will be considered :slight_smile:

Thanks,
Doug.

I’m facing the same dilemma as you and was thinking about trying to use t-slots with bolts as outlined towards the bottom of this article:

I usually just use an online generator : https://www.festi.info/boxes.py/

2 Likes

That’s a fantastic technical solution, but I’m not really a fan of the look of those unfortunately. I’d prefer something a bit more traditional or invisible looking.

what are you planning to make it out of?

I think plywood

Is it feasible to construct a box using internal batons, as below ? Is it possible to actually assemble this and have it be properly square and strong enough ?

In this example, I have not added the full 12 batons because 4 would collide with other internal components.

Ok, so it more or less worked. I’m pretty pleased for this being the first box I’ve made, but there are some issues. I think the material is not the exact thickness I was expecting (it is slightly thinner), so there are some gaps in some edges. It’ll do for now :slight_smile:

http://www.makercase.com is a great starting point for projects like this

Other online box generators are available

The CAD wasn’t really the problem here, I have no issue making a pretty picture. The issue is that my CAD design, and the other online tools assume exact material thicknesses, which in practice are not exact. The thickness of course affects the dimensions of your panels, so if the material differs then the box will not fit together even though the CAD said it would.

Not sure I understand the problem - measure the thickness, type it into the box generator, away you go.

If you’re doing the CAD thing you could use parametric CAD. In Fusion 360 for example, set a parameter called ‘thickness’ and use formulae for dimensions based on that.

1 Like

The ‘problem’ is knowing that theory and practice here are two different things :wink:

I made assumptions with my CAD which turned out to be false in this case.

1 Like

My totally unqualified experience is that plywood is still a natural-ish material and comes in nominal sizes I believe. Ie.6mm could be anything ween 5 and 7mm. And it might not be totally flat.

I don’t like mdf for various reasons but it’s probably more uniform.

Same with chipboard which is alright IMHO as long as you keep it dry

To close up this thread here’s a pic of what the device looks like with the hardware installed. It’s not functioning quite right yet, but that’s not related to the physical part of the build…

3 Likes

What does/will it do?

It’s basically a time clock for work.

Go on, I’m intrigued.

Are you self-employed? Will you use it to record time spent working on various projects or aspects of projects?

For example, I’ve found it tricky to record time spent video editing.

The reasons for, design, implementation and outcome of this project I think warrants a detailed blog post - I will also open source the software - and I intend to write all of that once I have the device basically working in the next couple of weeks.

I’m not self employed, but work in an environment where I have to quite frequently switch tasks according to needs and whims of others. This initially was frustrating when I was supposed to be a ‘software developer’ so I was motivated to record frequency/duration of interruptions as evidence towards bad time management. Now that I am really a manager myself, this has pivoted a bit to simply record for my own curiosity where my time goes.

The green buttons represent ‘tags’ or type of work, and you can select a combination and then start the timer. e.g. the first thing I usually do in the morning is a combo of EML (email activity) plus IMP (important). The other tags in this version are things like DEVelopment, PRJ (project, as opposed to ad-hoc), SUPPort, MEETing etc.

2 Likes

Great. Thanks. I can see that being useful to lots of people with a bit of customisation.