Design

The drawing of the boxes is a standard two-dimensional mechanical drawing to show the top, front, and side views. I have made the dimensions letters that match the information in the spreadsheet so that you can see where the dimension fits.

I developed a spreadsheet to help with the dimensions of the boxes when I made the second set. I would like to include the spreadsheet here but I can't get it, so, an explanation will have to suffice, sorry.

Each box is represented by a row with a label in column A to tell which box it is. There are then columns for the Material Thickness and the various dimensions. I also added a column for the color but that is not really needed. Only the A, B, and C dimensions and the Material Thickness values need to be entered. The rest of the dimensions are calculated.

When you make the spreadsheet put the formulae shown below in the cells for the dimensions shown.

To use the spreadsheet begin by entering values for Material Thickness, A, B, and C. The other columns will automatically fill in the rest of the dimensions. The formulae for the other dimensions are:
D = A + (2 * Material Thickness)
E = B – (2 * Material Thickness)
F = B / 3
G = C / 2
H = D / 6

Dimension C is controlled by the depth of the drawer in which these boxes go. Make sure there is enough clearance for the box to slide with the drawer. Look for anything above the drawer which may hang down and drag on the top of the box. Adjust C to make sure there is clearance.

You can adjust the A and B dimensions but they were determined by measuring the bags we are using. If you reduce these dimensions the bags may not fit easily.

Dimensions F, G, and H are calculated as a proportion of B, C, and D. Just round these numbers to whatever you want as they are not critical. They set the opening size in the top and front of the box.

Dimensions D and E are controlled by the material thickness. I used 1/8" material in this example but recommend 3/16" material as it is easier to glue the edges with the thicker material.

The lower part of the spreadsheet is where I decided to show the dimensions of the various parts you need for each box. I found I made mistakes when trying to go back and remember which dimension goes on which side of a part. Again there is a row for each box and the column headers tell you which dimension is being used for the width and length of each part. I just used a copy value formula for the value of each of the dimensions.

Now that you have all the parts figured out you are ready to build the boxes. And, if you are wondering, that is where you will use dimensions G and H. So off you go to get busy making sawdust.