Sliding Box Organizer

This project was made with the intention of helping improve the organization of your desk space and clear some clutter that may be on your desk. There is space in the box to put whatever you may need in there whether it is nick nacks or something that you don't want out in the open with access to everyone who walks by. The reason for having pencil holder inserts and an insert where you can lean calendars, folders, papers, phones, or whatever you may need is so the box does not take place to simply hide clutter but to also ensure the space that is being used serves a purpose. It is designed to be a two-in-one so there are fewer things on your desk. Something to keep in mind when making this project is that the dimensions that I will be using are to make the box the size that works best for me, feel free to change the measurements to your desired or need lengths. Another thing to keep in mind is that I am using solid works to create each part and you may use whatever program you typically use to make 3D objects so in my explanation the commands you use may vary from the ones that I use to explain.

- Computer

-Solidworks

-3D printer

-Filament (color of your choice)

-Filament cutter (to remove support)

The first step that you will want to take is to brainstorm, this is the time to see what measurements will work the best for your space. If you want your box to serve more purposes by creating more of the inserts that go into the lid of the box then jot those ideas down and create those as well. As you can see in the picture above I made rough sketches of multiple possibilities of the inserts but decided to only make the two that work best and are most needed by me.

The first part that we are going to make is the box itself. The box is going to be 10 1/2 inches long, 4 1/2 inches wide, and 4 inches tall. The walls of the box are going to be 1/4 inch thick. After you have sketched the rectangle, extruded it, then used the shell command to make the box hollow it is then time to cut out the rectangular portion of the side of the box. This is going to allow the lid of the box to slide in and out. When making this part you want to sketch on the side of the box and make the rectangle 4 inches long and 1 inch high, the rectangle should be 1/4 inch away from the corner on both sides. Now you will need to make an extruded cut of the rectangle and make sure that it is all the way through the box.

Now that the box is made it is time to make the top of the box which will slide in and out. The first step to making this part is to start with the portion that is the same size as the rectangle that we cut from the box in the previous step. Start by sketching a rectangle on the top plane that is 10 1/2 inches long and 4 inches wide and extrude it so it is one inch tall. Now sketch on the top of the rectangle you just made and make a rectangle that is 10 1/2 inches long and 4 1/2 inches wide, there should be a 1/4 inch overhang and the end should line up. Now extrude this new rectangle up 1/2 an inch. The last thing to do now is to make the hole that is in the center. Make a new sketch on the top of the biggest rectangle and create a rectangle that is 3 inches long and 2 inches wide, it should be 3 1/2 inches from the side and 1 1/4 inches from the top and bottom in order to be center. Now make an extruded cut of this rectangle down 1 inch.

The first step in making this part is creating the peg that will fit in the hole of the lid, start by sketching on the top plane a rectangle that is 3 inches long and 2 inches wide. Now extrude the peg up 1 inch. Next, you will make a sketch on top of the peg of another rectangle that is 10 1/2 inches long and 4 1/2 inches wide, make sure that this rectangle is center on the peg. Now extrude the large rectangle up 1/4 inch. Next, you are going to sketch 3 boxes on top of the large rectangle, each box should be as wide as the large rectangle (4 1/2 inches) and 3 1/2 inches long. Then extrude each box upwards, the two side boxes should be 3 inches tall and the middlebox should be 1 inch tall. After they have been extruded use the shell command on the top of all three boxes and make the wall thickness 1/10 of an inch. The two tall boxes are to hold longer and larger objects like pens, pencils, rulers, and scissors; while the middlebox is intended to hold sticky notes and paper clips, staples, and small office supplies.

The first step in making this part is creating the peg that will fit in the hole of the lid, start by sketching on the top plane a rectangle that is 3 inches long and 2 inches wide. Now extrude the peg up 1 inch. Next, you will make a sketch on top of the peg of another rectangle that is 10 1/2 inches long and 4 1/2 inches wide, make sure that this rectangle is center on the peg. Now extrude the large rectangle up 1/4 inch. Now it is time to make the lip, sketch on top of the large rectangle another small rectangle that is 10 1/2 inches long and 1/4 inch wide, the extrude the lip up 1/4 of an inch. Now create the back of the part but sketch on the back of the large rectangle (opposite end of the lip) and create a rectangle that is 6 inches long and 5 inches tall, then extrude the back so it is 1/4 inch thick. Now you can do whatever design you would like on the tall back portion. I decided to use initials and made it 3 inches tall.

Once all of your parts are complete and you have saved all of your files it is now time to 3D print each part. Make sure that you save each part in an STL format or what is used by your printer. After you have printed your part you need to take off the supports and then can enjoy a clutter-free workspace.