Cardboard Hardware Boxes

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Plans and more details:
jerswoodshop.com/cardboard-har...
Video about the Modular Cabinet system:
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[@liambohl]

Using a heat sink to help set the hot glue is really clever. And your statement about priorities is so important. A great teacher once told me that engineering is the art of managing compromises.

[@Don.Kiwitas]

And roughly speaking economics is said to be the subject dealing with the optimization of choice among alternatives. So what is optimal for a tray/drawers worth of part storage containers: waiting fifty-three hours for the printing of a set of two dollar new material plastic boxes or working one hour to cut fold and paste a similar set of nearly free recycled cardboard boxes - entirely up to your judgement of course (economics also considers as highly valued the user's preference).

[@makenchips]

It's all about understanding your products "requirements" and it environment it will be used in and how. Along its development, there are tradeoffs. We used to say, turning the dials, like the wizard of oz did! 🤔😅🤣👍

[@NickWelch]

I'm skeptical that it is pressed for long enough for the heat to flow through corrugated cardboard and into the heatsink. Corrugated cardboard is a pretty good insulator.

[@marksaus]

I'm skeptical that the heat dissipation really does much through the 4mm of board... But I also thought that it was clever!

[@herrpez]

@@marksaus Since it's getting crushed, it won't be 4mm. But I'm still with you that it seems unlikely to make a difference in hardening time.

[@leobrent7926]

Jer... I could watch you fold cardboard for an entire hour. The way you think of every little detail is why you have such a loyal fan base. I bet you could make a video on how you figure out a better way to sweep the floor of your shop and we would still watch and learn something, like how do you get every last bit of dust from the corners without using a vacuum hehe 😂

[@tomashubelbauer]

I can confirm I would watch that video :D

[@ginfonte3386]

Jer....you are a genius. Is it hard to live with yourself? 😸😻

[@brindmusicnerd]

This 👆

[@befmx31]

I was going to say something along the same lines. So much thought is put in everything he does.

[@davidfuller764]

@@befmx31 agreed, Sub’d & Bell’d, indebted I am. Thanks

[@gillianbc]

By the way, in sewing, you often have this same situation where one piece of fabric has to be very slightly longer than the other piece. This is known as 'turn of cloth'. For example, for the collar of a coat, the upper collar piece is a little longer so it can fold over the under collar.

[@vallejokid1968]

Your ability to do tedious tasks without going crazy is astounding. I wish I had half of your patience. I’m really glad you’re back to posting on a regular basis again. I still go back and rewatch your older videos.

[@JohnGBeckett]

I love the pragmatic approach to use what you have while still achieving a great end result.

[@thesergeant3524]

Jer Schmidt...a gift to the maker community and to humanity as a whole. Thanks Jer!

[@emiliaescobar7652]

Brilliant!!!!

[@Itslvle]

A strange thing to be watching someone making small cardboard boxes on youtube. But they're cheap and useful, which resonates with me, as I am cheap and... well just cheap I guess.

[@ZopcsakFeri]

Much better than watching a guy hang his coat on a wall hook! :D (I did that in the past and some people even watched - not live though). Making cardboard boxes has more social benefits, especially if they are recycled!

[@TrionAlpha]

Only Jer could make folding a cardboard box a fascinating example of problem solving. Excellent!

[@LITHIUMINWATER]

It's so awesome to see new content on this channel! The belt grinder inspired tens of thousands of people around the world and I'm sure they are all eagerly watching. Thanks Jer!

[@wafflebeaver]

The amount of thought that went into this is amazing. Also... Very satisfying to see perfectly sized cardboard boxes being made by hand

[@bruce-le-smith]

super cool, reduce, reuse, recycle. as much as i love to watch videos on 3d printed modular systems, there is something very satisfying about this. especially when you think about all the time, labour, and resources it takes to run cardboard boxes through the recycling system

[@hanswurst9120]

You're my favorite nerd and I'm not even into wood working myself. I'm so glad you and your videos are back and I sincerely hope you are and have been doing fine!

[@WilliamAlanPhoto]

Every ASD person watching this, absolutely LOVES what you did here!

[@woodsprout]

Yes, diagnosed ASD here !

[@daveyjones7391]

From a previous video: "...extremely precise..." Ah yes, my favourite level of precision...

[@KouKee2]

If you stack a bunch of layers of cardboard together you can cut them out all at once using a bandsaw and/or table saw. Just another way of doing it that I've found to work well. However, it can dull the blade a bit so use an old one.

[@Jer_Schmidt]

Hadn’t thought of this, thanks!

[@Bob_Adkins]

A fine metal cutting blade would probably work pretty good.

[@mikekeeling]

@@Jer_Schmidt I was thinking about using my scrollsaw actually...

[@Killashandra111]

Wouldn’t there be a lot of tear out?

[@Jer_Schmidt]

@@Killashandra111 The table saw cuts it surprisingly cleanly. I haven’t tried the bandsaw yet.

[@ironmyno]

I worked with a packaging engineer on a couple of projects and I gotta tell you everything you've Done makes me pretty sure you've got a future in the industry. Your video is your resume.

[@gyrogearloose1345]

Well, I expect he has better things to do, but nice idea anyway.

[@justayoutuber1906]

My grandfather used to make ones with fitted tops too. He never hot-glued them, he stitched them. Kept bolts and nails etc. Good job!

[@guillermo7777]

Genius…simple ideas are difficult to came up to, I’ve been trying to came up with different options throughout they years to organize my random drawers… wood boxes, plastic boxes, metal boxes…. You name it, also been looking on the internet, but this is by far the simple and easy way that I SEE, BY FAR, thanks Jer, you are genius.

[@JayBates]

This is one of the most useful hacks I've seen in a long time. Everyone can benefit from making these. This will change the way I shop for lunch meat now. (plastic bins)

[@justavian]

There are several makers that are using 3d printed boxes that fit together for this kind of thing. As neat as those are, it takes hours to print a single box. I started making little boxes out of 1/4 inch plywood scraps, but even that is a bit annoying and time consuming. This is clearly the best solution, especially when i receive a box or two every week - so i always have an absurd amount of extra cardboard. EDIT: I should have watched to the end - you mention the same kind of 3d printed boxes...

[@mikejones-vd3fg]

I had the same thought with 3d printing, cardboard looks so much easier and quicker, but then i watched the video, theres a lot of box science going on... Maybe combine the 2 and print sheets you can fold into boxes?

[@justavian]

@@mikejones-vd3fg I like that idea. However, when i slice a print-flat foldable box i found online (40mm cube - 1.5ish inches), it's still going to take an hour with a .8mm nozzle. For me, that seems excessive - i'm going to try the cardboard version first and see how fiddly it is before i try printing something foldable.

[@tomnorman5461]

You're a MAN on a MISSION Jer, you covered all the bases...I like the cardboard 'forms' and the cost breakdown, nothing like a 'neat' box!

[@haroldchoate7497]

Jer, I’ve watched you work with steel, wood and now cardboard. You bring the same precision and consistency to the end product regardless of what you’re working with. I would never have imagined using cardboard in such a practical, functional way. Thanks again,

[@mikelastname]

Love the idea of using your drill press as a light weight press - great idea. I'd love to see you tour your workshop and show a few other things you can do with each piece of machinery - that's be awesome.🤩

[@emiliaescobar7652]

Wish he lived near me lol, great ideas, Love this video!!

[@spambot7110]

note: I cracked the table on my small bench top drill press doing this, so the light duty part is key

[@kwood6013]

Glad you're back! Really enjoy your videos

[@deepmystic6739]

This is genius Not only do you get to do some recycling But your reducing the weight by a fare amount once all the parts bins are filled Great idea

[@waynesardullo2482]

Your end comparison is a MUCH NEEDED education for others in realizing when you should and SHOULDN'T 3d print something. WTG!!

[@steamfan7147]

Great idea! I'm thinking they could even be dipped in some thinned down Shellac or Poly to seal them against humidity and make them a bit more rigid still.

[@5280ryan]

This reminds me of the saying “no solutions…..only trade offs”. Wow this is creative. Jer you are a bright guy- thanks for the vids!

[@ScruffyTime]

Love your work, and really digging the new hair colour too!

[@JustinLinn1998JC]

You are so absolutely meticulously, precise with your design and in your execution of production; when it comes to anything you make. You inspire me.

[@jonday8464]

What a refreshing video! Your thoughtfulness and craft are very inspiring. I appreciate how well edited your video is and how well you explained not only the process but your own thought process throughout. Honestly this is the best thing I’ve seen on KZbin in a long time. Thank you for this and sharing.

[@LearnMYOG]

Really nice use of never ending supply of cardboard boxes. Thanks for sharing the plans :)

[@keithreay]

Please make videos until you’re well into your 90s and beyond, because they’re incredible. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@randycosgrove3608]

A couple of years ago I re-vamped my small parts storage and built a 10 drawer cabinet and filled most of the drawers with small boxes in the general style of the cardboard ones you just showed. Several sizes that could all nicely fill a drawer exactly. But I used 1/4" ply ( underlay, it's cheaper ) and glued the pieces together then cleaned up the edges by sanding on my disc sander. Your method is much better. Cheaper, faster and yield the same result. Wish I'd thought of that. LOL. Nicely done.

[@peterbridge1928]

I’m 70 years old, and I am always blown away by your ingenuity. Best regards from Australia.

[@ExplorinDoranRBrown]

Brilliant design! Free plans! The 3D printing channels talk about how awesome their boxes are and how you can totally customize them, they don’t tell you the reality before you BUY their plans is how expensive and time consuming it is. We need more honest and intelligent designers/ makers… like Jer!

[@tomim7187]

Making useful stuff from "garbage." That is incredible. Nicely done, Jer!

[@mattw7949]

As always, your process development and attention to detail are awe inspiring.

[@joewhitney4097]

Great idea and video Jer. The idea of using cardboard is really thinking outside the box. And talk about RECYCLING, your adding a recycle use before going to a recycle bin. Can't beat that.😀

[@felipe_lopez]

Fantastic idea. I have been thinking of taking advantage of the many Amazon boxes that I have laying around. For sure the first idea was to make cardboard boxes, even make an organizer with drawers, you know some boxes are really big. But I didn't have any idea on how to build them. Thanks to your video now I can make these boxes and maybe even try to do a cardboard organizer with drawers, and inside them put these tiny boxes, something similar to those plastic ones that Walmart sells. Again, thanks for the idea!!!

[@Anne6621]

oh those cardboard boxes are too cool for words !!!!

[@ro_yo_mi]

Clearly a well thought out product.

[@alexandrealbergaria6224]

Always a pleasure

[@Sausagesaucey]

I was waiting for this one! I love seeing all the engineering and thought you put into this stuff.

[@bergfpv6486]

Really enjoyed watching you build those boxes. It's amazing how strong they are, and best of all, how perfectly they fit. My OCD was thoroughly satisfied.

[@SolarWebsite]

I love your attention to detail! I also love cardboard as a material to work with. It's cheap, forgiving, and can be easily and accurately cut and formed. I once built a 2 meter diameter geodesic dome for my kids from cardboard hexagons and pentagons. It was fast and easy to build, and astonishingly strong.

[@Snyblind]

I've made cardboard boxes before but never this precise! Very satisfying to watch

[@tomdahmer7596]

Once again you might sense the sound of applause from a remote corner of Colorado. Thanks, Jer.

[@AdityaMehendale]

And that is how I tell apart a GREAT KZbinr from a good KZbinr :) GJ

[@MijaresDigitalSuperImagenes]

I love seeing young people so creative and doing things super well. greetings young man

[@chiparooo]

Great up cycling project! Really like your fixtures and templates. Thanks for sharing!

[@terrigelbaum8066]

Great problem solving.......you're a man after my owe heart. Beautifully executed .

[@kizzy3356]

I was like “what could you possibly teach me w/ cardboard.” The answer is, a lot… while recycling… being resourceful, & showing there’s more options but they’re costly and time consuming. Love this guy!

[@moonbasket]

Thank you so much for this video! I wanted a simple video to walk me through the steps of making boxes to organize some of my kitchen drawers and most of the results were so overcomplicated. I appreciate a simple tutorial and the PDF plans. Thank you so much.

[@FlyingShotsman]

Awesome idea, Jer. I saved a few old metal parts cabinets from an estate clear-out recently, but the drawer dividers were missing. Your little boxes are the perfect answer to replace them. Many thanks!

[@fireinacan]

Absolutely love the cost/benefit with 3d printing! 3d printing is amazing! But it doesn't need to be used in every application.

[@lsdave]

Its a real treat to watch someone work when their brain works the way yours does.

[@zippyz4170]

Pretty useful and clever in the use of recycling something that probably would end up in a landfill.

[@eatenkate]

I want everything that i need to do in my life to be optimized, explained and narrated by you.

[@SamAlderDesign]

This is great. I've long wanted a jig for this kind of thing so thanks for sharing the design.

[@pieface1726]

just genious, the boxes dont need to be made of material any sturdier than this, half a day and you could line a every cabinet in a workshop with works bins.

[@TheCircusofFail]

Your video comes at a great time for me to organise my drawers. I’m always amazed at how much thought and attention to detail you put into your projects. Thanks for the video Jer!

[@giuseppecardillo2363]

Very good! It's a great idea to keep small parts at a negligible cost and without wasting plastic. Thank you

[@MeToob]

Cool. Have you considered making a die cutter? You could even include the fold creases.

[@Ambulare-Cum-Canem]

Мне кажется это резко усложняет проект, но вне всяких сомнений очень хотелось бы увидеть как бы это реализовал автор.

[@macswanton9622]

@@Ambulare-Cum-Canem Я согласен. Неотразимой особенностью этой серии является понимание его процесса

[@80211Denver]

Ever done such a thing? Be a neat video

[@hdl4259]

This is a brilliant idea, sustainable reuse of waste paper. Great thing.

[@alanmiller4012]

Thank you for another very good video. You think out your projects in a clear, helpful way.

[@brittond14]

I found this pleasing. Commenting provides you support from us viewers.

[@johnford7847]

IMO, a very useful video. Seeing your template and the folding process is SO worthwhile. Thank you.

[@alexold8183]

I appreciate the very thoughtful design and build process.

[@Tekni]

Very elegant design and process, and kudos to you for not turning to 3D printing and instead to upcycling

[@2dividedby3equals666]

Cardboard is how I started building things. I still have a good amount of little boxes like yours, but my design was not as elegant. I always enjoy how thourough you are on everything you make. I believe I'm older than you but I aspire to be as good of a designer/engineer as you are. Thanks for sharing and take care!!

[@TonySmith-oq7sz]

Good to see you back. Hope you are feeling better.

[@juergengmeiner5937]

Thank you for this great content. Some times ago a had a similar idea - your implementation of this idea is perfect. Giving the plans for free is also very nice.

[@jacqueormsbee882]

You are a very good teacher.

[@tomasdesigner4293]

Box makers flatten flap and location where you glue it (in diecut form) before gluing box, than that spot has same thickness as rest of cardboard. So you don't need that cutout in form.

[@daveyjones7391]

Agreed, however thisay complicate it beyond the scope of practicality for the average maker or Jeremy himself.

[@Onlygloo]

Great ! Cardboard, be it corrugated or not is always an underrated and underused material despite being so useful, easy to work with and almost free.

[@Mhakeman]

This is absolutely genius. I love everything you do. Keep sharing your hard work and creativity with the world!!

[@wendymontgomery45]

Absolutely love your attention to detail and appreciate your free info

[@batchrocketproject4720]

Fascinating, the details are appreciated. Thanks for posting. Many years ago I had an after-school job in a supermarket and often got to operate the checkouts. We used to leave stacks of cardboard boxes close by for customers to use to carry their groceries if they wished. One evening a chap took his time examining all the boxes before finally choosing one and beginning to pack his shopping. I made a friendly comment along the lines of "did you find the perfect box?" and it began a fascinating conversation that opened my eyes to the utility of cardboard. It turned out the fellow was an engineer whose job was designing cardboard boxes for various applications. Taking examples from the pile, he explained the various types of materials, fold patterns, and the trade-off between materials cost, design, and strength. I never viewed cardboard as boring after that.

[@tomashubelbauer]

So glad you're putting out videos again. Very enjoyable projects!

[@latenightwoodworker3283]

Awesome. Love the detail. Agree with using free items and building with your hands. Can't wait for the video on the casters to your cabinets.

[@xXjoehotXx]

nice idea to use upcacyling ... for glueing this cardboard together its easy to make glue on your own with flower , sugar and water . mixed that together will give u a good alternative glue without extra energy and very healthy . needs a bit more time for drying but ...

[@SirArghPirate]

This is such a fantastic way to recycle and repurpose cardboard waste!

[@Heatsauce70506]

I think I'm going to make one of these draw cabinets for my camper. Love the small boxes for nuts and bolts.

[@jimmihenry]

Boahhhh hey Schmidt you are a genius! You know what, my CNC is made out of cardboard and scrap. Seriously my CNC is made out of card board, 2 DVD drives and a 3.5" floppy drive (was broken anyway). The machine is connected via Bluetooth no USB. USB is so old school! Workspace is kind of tiny 38x38mm but it needs just a little space. It is a fabulous dust collector 🤣🤣🤣!

[@xenophilie]

I love boxes and making boxes, I also never could get excited about the time and effort of 3D printing them even thought I do need them to organize, so this is perfect.

[@user-fe5ih2bc9t]

So kool... Thx so much. I was looking on how to make small bins for my rhinestones with cardboard or cardstock paper. Thank you so much

[@Draskinn]

I've watched a lot of cardboard crafting videos and I'm actually impressed by the level of thought that you put into what at first seemed like such a simple box. Seriously bravo.

[@bwillan]

I have made and modified more cardboard boxes than I can count in my time. The Olfa knife with the metal tip along with a straight edge is great for scoring cardboard. The wood form block for consistency of the boxes is certainly the way to go and well worth the effort. Great job with this one.

[@scotty2307]

Templates are definitely the way to go for repeatability. I use a metal straight edge for creasing the cardboard. It makes a crease that allows the flap to fold very easily.

[@pitot1988]

I appreciate and enjoy how you being resourceful and making the design more accessible to broader range of makers. Thanks for putting your thoughts into improving and simplifying the design.

[@krtwood]

A high angle plywood/melamine blade in the table saw cuts cardboard and foamboard pretty cleanly. You could batch out all the cutting.

[@michaelcoccojr2513]

Blown away man! Like cardboard....in the wind.... really awesome and carefully thought out

[@lindaisrael]

I really enjoyed your video. The thought process you put into creating these boxes is amazing. Thank you for all the tips and even offering a free PDF document. I'm a crafting artist and decided I want to change some of my storage, but storage containers cost a lot of money and I would rather spend money on tools and supplies and not on storage. I have an abundance of cardboard boxes that I get do to my "day job" so I wanted ideas of how to create what I need. Usually I just repurpose an existing size of box, but seeing this video is giving me some ideas as I have a laser! Thank you so very much for your contribution to the world!

[@badams7873]

First time watcher. I have to say that I love how clear and concise your videos are. Right to the important parts, very logical, and easy to follow directions. Great Job!!

[@erikisberg3886]

I love this type of practical engineering, very clever design! Cardboard is very useful as a modelling and template material for me. PAD is actually a separate skill set that is very useful complementing CAD and 3d printing etc.

[@AvengerDK]

Hi Jer. Another great video. SImple, no-nonsense approach. I've always thought those 3d printed boxes for drawers was a huge waste of time and money... but they do look fantastic. I'm going to try your plans on cardstock and see how it goes. I made my own plans for this, but I went overboard and made them too sturdy for my application = a lot of wasted cardstock and time to build them.

[@fredio54]

I'll also say that for years I used A4 ream box lids as trays for storing tools and other stuff. A few survived to this day. I also scored a half dozen echo/yaris under seat storage trays which I still use. And the usual yoghurt, ice-cream, peanut butter, jam, pills, etc jars and tubs :-)

[@Jer_Schmidt]

Wish more food products came in square/rectangular containers…

[@stevem815]

@@Jer_Schmidt Don't we all.

[@PetroicaRodinogaster264]

Just exactly what I wanted…Google must have read my mind because I didn’t search for a video about it, you just appeared. I also want to thank you for being generous and giving the dimensions for free.

[@SvenIronhand]

Also thank you for the plans. Really appreciate it. I'm going to make some cabinets for my new workshop and I have a crap ton of hardware and not enough baby food bottles for all of it.

[@brianvaughn3312]

Outstanding project. Great rainy day activity with endless customization. Thanks!

[@ShopOfTheseus]

For the cost of buying a few Acro-Mils to sort Lego, I can now buy a laser cutter and make my own! Thanks Jer.