Finger-joint box: parametric template

Parameters

Open in the editor opens the design with these defaults; change them afterwards in Modify › Parameters, and everything that depends on them follows. Opened from the editor’s template library instead (New ▾ › New from template…), the template asks for its values first and checks them against these ranges and against each other, and Copy link gives an address that opens it with your values.

Name	What it sets	Default	Range
`W`	Outer width	160 mm	60 to 600 mm, steps of 1
`D`	Outer depth	110 mm	60 to 600 mm, steps of 1
`H`	Outer height	80 mm	40 to 400 mm, steps of 1
`thickness`	Material thickness	3 mm	1.5 to 12 mm, steps of 0.1
`finger`	Finger width (target)	15 mm	6 to 60 mm, steps of 0.5
`kerf`	Kerf compensation	0 mm	0 to 0.5 mm, steps of 0.01

Notes

Six panels that lock together with finger joints. A snug fit holds without glue; a little wood glue in the joints makes the box permanent.

W, D and H are the outside sizes. Finger is the width you would like each finger to be: every edge is divided into an odd number of equal fingers as close to it as fits (at least five), and the panels that meet along an edge share the same division, so tabs always fill notches. The top and bottom own the corners, then the front and back, then the sides, so no corner is missing or doubled.

Measure your sheet with calipers and enter that thickness: 3 mm plywood is often 2.8 to 3.2 mm, and a difference larger than the kerf leaves joints loose or too tight to close. Kerf widens every tab and narrows every notch by your laser's cut width: leave it at 0 for a slip fit, or enter the kerf (typically 0.1 to 0.2 mm on CO2 and diode lasers) for a press fit.

To cut it, right-click each panel's sketch in the browser and choose Save As DXF: each sketch holds one panel's outline at full size. Top and bottom are identical, as are front and back, and the two sides.