Parametric Drawer Organizer Boxes

Do you use a CAD program capable of opening f3d (Fusion) or STEP files?

Are you a new or relatively lazy/efficient Fusion360 user? (Or could be convinced to sign up for a free account?)

Do you want to create custom drawer organizing bins/buckets for ANY (and I do mean, ANY) sized drawer you may have, and use that space EFFICIENTLY to store odds and ends?

Have you, perchance made a bunch of drawers from a variety of scrap wood pieces with different thicknesses? (Resulting in a set of drawers where the internal dimensions of each is just different enough from the others to be impractical for a standardized pre-defined set of drawer organizer models).

Yeah, me too. That's why I made this. :-)

Now this not a new concept, but it's my take on the drawer organizers/boxes/bins. While I freely admit that I was inspired by other people's work that I saw on YouTube, (Clough42 for example). I used those how-to videos to build these models from scratch, then just tweaked it a bit to solve some of the issues I came across... and shared it with you, dear reader.

WHY USE THIS MODEL?

It is NOT dependent on any pre-existing storage system, (Ikea based furniture, Gridfinity, etc like many found here on Thingiverse) nor does it require ANY specific dimensions. You can adjust this to ANY rectangular/square drawer size, and divide the dimensions proportionately (preferably with whole numbers, no fractions etc) into equally sized boxes that form rows and columns, to your taste. You can even make different sized bins by doubling/halving/multiplying the width or depth (and by depth, I mean front/back) which is a great way to keep it looking consistent.

If you're wondering: "Why not use Gridfinity?"

Gridfinity is a standardized system that makes all modules in it's huge catalog, a multiple of 42mm (1.5" or so) sided squares. it's actually an adaptable workspace system, where you can put everything you need onto your workbench, arrange it efficiently, and pack it away.... it's way more than the small parts storage that many consider it to be. That said, as a small part storage solution, it's going to be less spatially efficient than a custom made box.

What if your drawers are not a multiple of 42mm wide, or deep? There's always space going to be left over, and multiplies out over numerous shelves and drawers. That's not ideal for my situation. My goal is to make every single cubic millimetre available as storage, regardless of what size your drawer is, with an absolute minimum of wasted space.

WHY WOULDN'T YOU USE THIS MODEL?

There's no stacking. Like everyone who has ever had a messy workshop, I too looked for ways to use the space efficiently without putting much effort in. However, I have found that (for me personally) stacking things in drawers defeats the fundamental point of drawers. You see, I think the drawers serve the point of bringing things out and presenting it nicely and easily accessible. So I want to open it up and see everything in it. Adding layers to drawers just means any one (or combination of):

• Your drawers themselves are too tall,(make several shallower drawers instead of one big deep one, for better use of storage space.

• You don't have enough drawers (see previous point), ...or make more :-)

• You simply aren't storing the right things in them. (yep, I'm guilty of that one too!)

SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

These organizer boxes, if sized appropriately, are indeed great for what they're intended for. However, they can't fix the underlying issues if it's the cabinetry or someone's personal inertia regarding garage/workshop organisation. (Sorry, I'm not THAT good of a Fusion360 designer, hehe)

So have a good look at the causes of your storage woes, not just the symptoms and then take a moment to do a little each day... to make the most of your space. Printing the HUNDREDS of these boxes gave me the time to assess each drawer, design boxes for each item type, all while cleaning up the "miscellaneous" boxes/drawers/buckets/refuse piles/etc that were littered around the workshop. Which in turn gave me a staging point to attack the bigger messes.

Haven't scared you off? Well let's get back to adjusting the box size(s) to your needs!

SO HOW DO I USE THIS DESIGN?

Open the f3d file in Fusion360. While in "Design mode" Hit the FX button > user parameters... if you're not using full-screen/maximised window (or just have a low-res screen) then the FX button may well be hidden from view. In that case:

Click: modify > parameters > user parameters

...and adjust/enter the values as needed. The parameter names are explained below.

Simply enter your (carefully measured and noted) internal width/length/height dimensions of you drawer. This is the basis from which ALL other parameters are calculated, so please read my notes on how to improve your odds of success below. Then simply decide how many rows and columns of bins that you'd like to fit into that space. It'll resize the bins accordingly. Of course, it'll assume you'll want all the boxes/bins to be the same size throughout the drawer, we'll discuss adding variations below. Once you're happy with the size, shape, features, etc....

Then I just right click on the body name (in the browser section on the left side of the screen) then select export mesh > save that as an STL/3MF/whatever, and slice it up accordingly using your slicer software of choice.

Please note: If you're a user of the original AnkerMake slicer instead of the beta AnkerMake Studio which is Prusa Slicer based, then please note you should export as STL because the AnkerMake slicer app doesn't handle 3MF files. PrusaSlicer and Cura based slicer users should be fine with 3MF files.

IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS?

The parameters should be self-explanatory, but to ensure your success, please let me outline them here, with some suggestions here and there:

INTERNAL DRAWER WIDTH:

The width of your drawer from the INSIDE of both sides. Measure this and deduct 1-2mm for easy bin removal/"wiggle room". (just deduct the 1-2mm once for the entire drawer width, your printer should be more than precise enough to handle the rest).

INTERNAL DRAWER LENGTH:

The distance between the inside edges of your drawer front and back. Measure this, and deduct 1-2mm for some "wiggle room" between boxes (deduct 1mm or so just once, for the entire drawer length, no need to do this repeatedly for each storage bin)

INTERNAL DRAWER HEIGHT:

Basically, how deep your drawer is. Now please note, that some drawers (with partial height sides) may allow bins taller than your drawer sides. In short, just like the internal drawer length/width, it's recommended that you measure your maximum usable drawer height, and deduct 1mm just to ensure everything fits. Some larger cabinets (and upper drawers) sag ever so slightly in the middle, so deducting 1mm is a nice default buffer, but if you need to add more space, feel free to deduct 2mm or even more.

CONTAINER WALL THICKNESS:

Now, some people print their drawer organizers very thinly (and in vase printing mode) but I designed this to be a bit (read: much) more robust than that for workshop purposes. I prefer wall thicknesses of 2mm or more (I sometimes go up to 4mm, particularly for larger boxes because larger screws, bolts, and other metal objects get heavy very quickly). Do what you like though. However, thicker walls take much longer to print, cost more to make, and naturally take up more space in the drawer. So keep this trade-off in mind.

NUMBER OF CONTAINERS - WIDTH: (number of columns of equally sized bins in the drawer)

I designed this model to FILL your drawers with as little space wasted as possible. As such, all container dimensions are RELATIVE to the internal width/length/height dimensions of your drawer.

If you set this value to 3, the width (distance between the left and right outer sides of your organizer bin) will be equal to your internal drawer width divided by 3. If you set a value of 6, the width of your drawer will be divided by 6. The higher the number, the NARROWER the bins (and vice versa). I like using the 3, 4, 6 and 12 values, for a 550mm wide drawer, but again, this depends on the size of your drawer, and what you want each bin to store.

TO MAKE BINS OF DIFFERING SIZES:

Once you've saved your STL/3MF file, re-adjust your model to a new size using the parameters. Just remember that you'll need to export the STL/3MF (preferably with a new file name) and re-slice the file each time you adjust the size in some way. Naturally, once you've sliced each file, you can reuse the gcode repeatedly for multple prints.

I name my resulting STL/3MF files something like this:

WorkbenchDrawer4-12Wx8D.stl
WorkbenchDrawer4-6Wx8D.stl

..because my drawers aren't exactly identical. By doing so, I know which model I need because it matches the drawer in the shop, and the number of rows/columns are indicated by the 12 columns wide by 8 rows deep. That way I can dredge the file up and KNOW what bins i need to print or reprint.

Pro tip: Keep it adjustable for future use! (For ordered drawers)

I find that adjusting bin sizes to be consistently wide with varying front/back depth OR consistently front/back deep with varying width (pick one) makes rearranging the bins when the order of the stored items needs to be changed very easy. Changing sizes on both dimensions, while pretty and completely doable with this file, is not recommended if you plan on making ANY changes (where order of stored items may be important) in the future.

NUMBER OF CONTAINERS - DEPTH (number of rows in the drawer):

Just like the number of containers - width (which determines the left-right dimensions of your bins/boxes), the depth sets the front/back distance of your containers by dividing your available drawer space in whole numbers. Again, the larger the numbers, the smaller the bins. I have some VERY deep 700mm drawers, so I use a value of 8 here (so 700/8 = 87.5mm which is great for small packets of mid-sized screws (or mid-sized packs of smallish screws) However, if you've got cutlery that might be 250mm long and your drawers are 550mm deep, then a value of 2 would be better.

(Quick note: Many printers only have a printable build plate area of about 220mm x 220mm... so if you need to print larger than that, you'll probably need a Prusa XL, or a Creality CR10 series, or any of the larger sized printers. Please keep your printer's capabilities in mind when adjusting parameters).

LABEL HEIGHT:

This is how far the filleted overhang extends from the back edge of the container. I use a little Dymo label printer and found that 10mm is sufficient. However if you prefer larger fonts with greater height, you can adjust this to a higher value. Be warned though, this eats into your opening space to see and access your stored items, and I strongly encourage you to keep text to a single line.

Of course, if you don't want any finger tab/label, set this value to zero. The fillet on the underside may complain since the edge it works from is no longer there, but it shouldn't be a major issue if you delete that particular fillet from the history/timeline at the bottom of the Fusion window. To find the right point in the history, hover over each step in the time line and it should highlight the fillet in the model. Setting the body opacity to something like 50% should help make that highlighting visible as well. Look for a YouTube video on how to do that.

FILLET INTERNAL WALLS:

How rounded the four vertical corners are between the inside walls. I like 3mm but you can increase/reduce as needed. I use this to ensure I can fillet (round) the outside corners without thinning and thus weakening the bin walls.

FILLET EXTERNAL WALLS:

I found that the sharp corners were hard to line up when inserting the bins while wedged together with other boxes in the drawer. This makes it easier. I've set it to 3mm, adjust to taste.

FILLET EXTERNAL BOTTOM:

Much like the filleting of the external walls, this rounds the bottom so the printed box guides itself into any gaps between other boxes in the drawer more easily. You don't need much but I've set it to 3mm since it works well for me.

FILLET FINGER GRAB:

This is a bit of a misnomer since this parameter sets the radius of the fillet in TWO locations.

As you can see from this design, it has a small overhang for the label, but the most important purpose is also to provide a grip on the inside to lift/extract a bin/bucket from a closely-packed drawer. But this is filleted on the back for reinforcement and support free printing. Unfortunately, the label poses some reduced functionality as well... mostly reduced angles of visibility and item accessibility... it narrows the opening, after all. That said, I much prefer having a finger grab than not... particularly with larger and/or heavier bins. They'd be difficult to remove otherwise.

Second fillet location

I wanted any items stored in each box to be guided to where they'd be most visible, so I set the inside fillet of the four sides on the bottom to a much larger radius than the outside. While it does reduce the available space somewhat, it also pushes the last few items in the bottom into the middle for best viewing angle. The wide fillet also helps removing individual screws/buttons/whatever, by allowing you to easily slide an item up the inside of the front wall by providing a ramp, instead of becoming wedged into the bottom edges and corners.