Originally inspired by a similar design by Jeff510 for the Wingspan board game, I redesigned this from scratch to be completely parametric and modular, adding various different types of token & card boxes, as well as thin card trays.
The attached Fusion file contains several variations of commonly needed boxes of a given size to organize board game tokens and cards, which (assuming the same width & length is used) will fit together seamlessly through the use of magnets in the corners.
The attached images and sample stl-files (found in game-specific remixes) show some ideas of the possibilities, but the point is that you can adapt it to whatever need you might have. Simply open the Fusion file, and select some of the pre-configured “Configurations” to see some examples, but then create your own by selecting “modify parameters”, and changing:
- width, length, and height
- number of token “bowls”
- number of card slots (for card trays: use a shallow height for these)
- inclination angle for the card back holder (for the vertical card boxes)
- diameter and thickness of your magnets (see the notes below)
Also note that you can always manually remove some dividers, by editing the “rectangular pattern” features in the timeline, selecting “suppression”, and then unchecking those dividers which you don't want.
I strongly recommend that you decide on one overall width & length for most of your boxes, and then just vary the height and box configuration as needed. By doing so, you can then easily mix, match, and swap between all your various game storage needs. I personally found that the size 74mm x 220mm is a good choice, which turns out to be very applicable to many board games, but you can of course choose whatever you prefer.
Notes about printing
- all boxes, trays, and lids should print with almost no supports, with the exception of the magnet holes on the bottom: Activating automatic supports only on the build plate should do the job. I've also successfully printed these without any supports, but that will depend on your printer setup and is usually not recommended.
- I only have a one-filament printer, so I do a manual filament swap for the logo/text on the lids, which I've designed as a relief. If you have a multi-filament printer, you could of course change this to a properly embedded, flat design. (But I honestly like the slightly 3d-feel of a raised logo.)
Notes about the magnets
- I use round 6mm magnets (these ones) which might not exactly match the ones you have (mine are exactly 2.8mm thick), and your printer's tolerances might differ from mine, so you might have to play around a bit to find the correct values for the diameter and thickness of the magnet holes.
- The design now includes a small “magnet-test-print” model for testing the fit of your magnets. As a bonus, this can also be used as a tool to more easily place your magnets, using the correct orientation: Mark one end of the stick as the “up” end, and use it as a reference for the future!
- I've added a parameter “bottommagnetclearance” which I've set to 0.2mm: This is added to the depth of the hole for the bottom magnets, to account for possible sagging of the “ceiling” of those holes - this should ensure a perfectly flush fit.
- If you print thin card trays that are not much thicker than the magnets, you should activate the “magnet stop” feature in the design (otherwise it would be tricky to glue the magnet in place). This is easiest done in a “Configuration” (the “thin” example configuration shows an example of this).
- I recommend using a bit of superglue to fix the magnets in place.
- This should go without saying, but just in case: Triple-check your magnets' orientation before glueing them in! (ask me how I know… O:-) )
- I recommend putting in magnets at the bottom even for boxes/trays you think might always stay at the bottom: That way you have the most flexibility and can swap the boxes around in any order you like. This also allows the lid to put snapped to the bottom of a box when not in use!
Note about game-specific designs
I will upload the specific stl-files I created from this design for specific games as separate remixes, to avoid confusion and to keep things simple here. But I recommend you check those out for more inspiration - or to simply reuse them as they are if they fit your needs.
If you use this design to create game-specific boxes, please share them with me and others by declaring them a remix of this.
Enjoy!
Updates:
- 2024-12-24:
- added a mixed deck/token box
- increased finger cutouts and decreased floor thickness of deck boxes
- added an adjustable extra clearance for bottom magnets (defaults to 0.2 mm) to ensure flushness
- added configurations for Robo Rally boxes
- 2025-01-10:
- added a magnet-test-stick: this can be used to test the magnet fitting, and then also as a reference/placement tool
- fixed some of the parametric design for the deck-and-token-box
- added some more premade configurations
gabindu
