Sliding Dovetail Lid for 3D Printed Box | Fusion 360 Tutorial

[@ProductDesignOnline]

*FREE DOWNLOAD* - Sliding Dovetail Lid Box: bit.ly/DovetailBoxSTL

[@gorefish]

To keep the lid from sliding off, I'd add in a 4x2x2 mm rectangular hole/slot on the rear bottom of the lid and also print a 4x2x4 mm key (with the requisite offset subtracted in for your printer) to make a friction fit between the hole and key. The extra 2mm that sticks out of from the hole/slot once you press the key in by hand will add a nice positive stop with the option of prying the key off if you ever needed to fully remove the lid. Great video as usual!

[@davebarkerdesign]

I really appreciate how Kevin takes a simple project like this and unpacks so many valuable lessons and resources from it. Very elegant use of the parametric features and Model Parameters Dialogue. I ALWAYS learn something new and useful from watching his tutorials. Thanks Kevin!

[@waynefilkins8394]

So true. I just did something similar to this and it was a train wreck compared to how he did it. I forgot about offset and shell, and projection is more powerful than I remembered lol. What I really want to learn is to improvise how he does. I do a lot of improvisation but it leads me down these super complex paths that take hours to get where I want, where he just does something that takes a couple of seconds lol.

[@ProductDesignOnline]

Join my Patreon to get all of my demo files ➞ patreon.com/productdesignonline - *TIMESTAMPS* 0:00 - Creating a sliding lid in Fusion 360 0:27 - User Parameters preview 1:08 - Creating the box 1:50 - Making the box hollow 2:43 - Projecting the edge of the box 3:29 - Cutting out the dovetail shape 6:00 - Testing the dimensions 6:23 - Creating the lid of the box 7:45 - Factoring in the clearance 10:15 - Model Parameters into User Parameters 12:45 - Creating the thumb hold on the top 14:13 - Adding a sliding joint to the lid

[@mcantonz]

From all the information about Fusion 360 on the web I've seen so far, your videos are the best. Your way of teaching is calm, patient and elegant, your explanations are clear and easy to understand. I do the exercises along with the video side by side and I'm always learning something more. Congratulations! It's just an idea to prevent the lid from coming off, I put two small pins, one on each side of the front of the box to be printed separately and placed after the lid. The top of the pins can be flush with the thickness of the cover and the pins protrude about 1.0mm into the case. They were virtually invisible and prevented the cap from coming off completely more easily.

[@MikeScannell]

Excellent tutorials!

[@ProductDesignOnline]

Thanks for your support!

[@zn123m]

Every time I check Kevin's video, no matter how difficult it may look, I have the confidence that I will surely learn and master it. The trust and confidence I got are invaluable. Thank you.

[@ProductDesignOnline]

Glad to hear that, Leo. Keep at it! :)

[@kstickak]

So I printed this box and it worked great. I wanted a longer one and with one dimension change in the main box sketch everything was adjusted correctly!! So awesome. Great job explaining this concept.

[@savrtuthd]

Your fusion tutorials are the best! The solution I used to keep the lid from sliding off are slots for 3mm diameter 3mm thickness neodymium magnets. I find the way the components snap together to be very satisfying.

[@avramgrossman827]

I love having examples like this because I can use it to learn by, and I have a functional product when I'm done. I'd like to add a tab to snap it shut when closed. I'm going to figure out that solution next. Thanks Kevin for a great series.

[@sergey-N10]

Thank you, Kevin! As usually it’s a very good tutorial. You’re the best in F360!

[@partonprints]

This is awesome man! Please keep up the 3d print series. It's so helpful and as always the best online for Fusion 360.

[@FPiorski]

Man, this is quality content! The only downside is that I learn how wrongly I've been doing things in Fusion

[@larrybud]

there are benefits from learning to do things the "wrong" way. Individuals have preferences on accomplishing the same tasks as well.

[@Dyl_Cam]

@@larrybud I've learned almost everything in fusion by first doing it the wrong way lol

[@adamgarceau]

I can't thank you enough for making this video. I had what I thought would be a simple project become instantly complicated. I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't found your video. You're the man!

[@ProductDesignOnline]

You're welcome, Adam. Glad to hear it was helpful 😊

[@larrybud]

Kevin has a knack for choosing projects with common uses.

[@billbyrd9845]

Thank you for the tutorial. I added fillets before doing the dovetail layout and the floating bubble would not respond to the coincident command. So I gave the bubble a dimension from a random edge and it worked. (I like keeping it simple, no need captivate the lid. )

[@f.s.863]

Follow your channel for several month and I have to say that you are one of the best youtuber explaining Fusion 360. Thanks for that.

[@dancoon7653]

Needed to make a dovetail for a project so came straight here to learn. Glad everything you taught me has meant I was nearly doing this one blind but there was some great refreshers in there. Thank you again for teraching me a new skill from scratch. I have ADHD that makes it hard to focus and get things to "stick" in my mind but your videos are so easy to follow. When I next get paid I promise I'll send over a few £££. Afterall this would have cost loads to learn otherwise.

[@popvotocek]

Love the real life footage.

[@taterfpv]

Recently subbed. I have unlearned so many bad habits! I love your emphasis on best practice. You have a real knack for creating and presenting educational content. Thank you for all your work.

[@ProductDesignOnline]

Glad to hear that! Appreciate your kind words and support :)

[@MrBobaFett]

Great video. A note on how I would suggest setting the parameters. The outside dimensions probably don't matter for this box, what matters is what needs to go inside it. So I would set the height, width, and depth parameters for the inside dimensions and use formulas with the parameters to drive the outside dimensions, including the offset. So if I know the size of the object I want to put in there I don't have to do any math to figure out what number to put in for those outside dimensions.

[@AlexSlaets]

just a matter of creating parameters for inside dimensions and using these in the parameters for the outside dimensions. Like: Length = inside_length+wall . Fusion does the math for you.

[@MikaelBertlinSwe]

Very good tutorial :) *Thumbs up* from me for sure. About how to "snap" the lid, I'd embed the magnets inside the lid at the backside and inside the box back side. That way the lid will stay closed without any visible "stops".

[@mariosilva275]

Thanks!

[@ProductDesignOnline]

Thanks for your support! Have a happy new year!

[@partsdave8943]

While it is logical, I didn’t realize that F360 allows parameter changes to the existing model parameters like you demonstrated. Thanks. I’ll definitely implement that!!!!!

[@iaodfsh]

Great stuff. I learnt how to use Fustion 360 without looking at a single tutorial because most of them were awful. But yours are amazing. And I've also learned some new stuff or things I've never thought of using before.

[@Cpreisinger]

As some others have said. Around 3:50 you complete the line with some random hotkey locking the second point of your line properly. If you don't use whatever hotkey you pressed the point remains white instead of solid black and causes the sketch to not get the lock. I've tried both enter and escape with no luck

[@ProductDesignOnline]

Hi there! Once you punch in the two dimensions and have hit the tab key to lock it in, you simply click with the mouse to place the line. No hotkeys were used just clicked to place the line.

[@maddiedawson8817]

Basically completed my entire engineering project thanks to this video.

[@chriswesley594]

Superb. I learned a lot. Not just very knowledgeable, but you speak very clearly, saying no more than and no less than is needed. Thanks.

[@diego9x]

Had to subscribe, this idea of creating and printing random stuff is great cause sometimes there is that one thing you need to find out how to do on your design and this type of tutorial might cover that one thing you need help with. Thank you!

[@BenjaminK123]

This is really cool thank you, just a handy tip in the joint limit you can just add your length user pram that way if you do changed the length you will also change the joint limit as well :)

[@shommy8081]

i literally love you i had a school project and this solves it all you are the best for real

[@anthonyfoster4804]

What I have in mind is to create project on the bottom of the box, remove the side that the opening for the lid is on and make the side a removable dove tail like the lid. On that project create a latch on the inside to hold the side in place. Put a stop on the bottom side of the lid. To assemble put the lid on the box and slide the front side of the box in place to latch in place. The offsets for the lid stop will be up to you. Great videos. I am still a fledgling with Fusion 360.

[@AlexSlaets]

Thank you for this excellent instruction. I managed to reproduce it successfully ! Working further on this topic, I've found another way of doing it, which, if you don't mind I'd like to share with you: Instead of working with offsets on the sketch I tried the following: Box and lid as seperate components, as you do it. Create the box as a hollow, complete cube. Create the lid with triangular profiles on the sides, sketch on the xz plane, extrude along the y axis. Cut the lid from the top shell of the box using combine with the lid as tool and keeping the tool. This creates a box with a slot for the lid, but without any gap, so it won't slide , of course. The use the offset face command on the box's 4 slanted faces where the lid slides in. A value of -0.1 mm works for me (0.20 layers). It gives the same results , but I found it a little bit easier.

[@richardpowell2953]

You make the best tutorials for any software I've ever seen! Please keep making these.

[@ToddRafferty]

8:24 - the only way I was able to get this to work is by making sure that the top two lines were projected along with the trapezoid. So, something in Fusion 360 has changed.

[@donpotbury2220]

Your videos are awesome! You present things so clearly. Thanks for sharing! I had an idea for keeping the lid on. What about a little embedded hinged flap that would only open 90 degrees? If would fold up flush to the bottom of the lid then swing down to act as a stop. Just a thought.

[@wrekced]

For the lid to be retained, just put a little flexible tab on the inside, rear edge of the lid. Something that can slide one way over the edge of the box but stop it going the other way. Thanks for this video!

[@joecasullo7633]

Thank you very much for the instruction, sure beats fumbling through learning on my own.

[@solarmandave]

Fantastic Video!! I was able to quickly design my own version with your help. I put a small ramped catch on the back of the lid that should snap in when assembled. I printed the lid face down to get a smoother texture from the Prusa print sheet. Thanks!!

[@rickseiden1]

I learned SO MUCH from this video! You've earned my subscription!

[@drewx10]

Cool tutorial and I'm going to print a few. I changed the design a bit. Rather than a depression for the lid and raised it. In my slicer program, I cut off the raised piece and duplicated. The second one will be glued on the bottom of the lid to act as a stop. Thanks

[@drewx10]

Update on this. My idea to glue a piece to stop the lid from coming off was a fail. Couldn't figure out how to glue a tiny piece and stick into position accurately.

[@msesbreno]

Clear and straight-forward instructions! Thank you for an awesome, no non-sense tutorial! You got 1 new subscriber here :)

[@ProductDesignOnline]

Thanks for your kind words and support!

[@graphguy]

This was cool. I have it printing right now. The lid came out nicely. We will see how well the .25 offset works on my max neo.

[@HughD]

Really good and practical tutorial. I tried a thin bead of superglue about 4-5 mm long on the dovetail right at the outside and it seems to work fine and gives enough friction to keep the lid closed yet still open easily. I actually had to do it twice as the first one wasn't thick enough. As another viewer posted, I had trouble with the coincident constraint and spent an hour trying to repeat exactly what you did. I eventually got it to repeat, but still don't quite understand what we're doing there although I do know without it you can't change dimensions and have the cutout work. I tried w/o the constraint as you did and saw exactly why you need the constraint. I'll go back through a couple of your earlier videos on constraints.

[@Giggity4242]

What did you do to get it work? I restarted this project a few times, and must have made at least 5 sketches. Edit: I moved the line from the outside of the box to the inside.

[@umitdemir2873]

Special Thanks for Umit because he has learnt new features... ;) It is totally nice video.

[@chrisyoung8062]

Best fusion 360 tutorials ever!

[@nineteen80]

Thank you for a great tutorial. I used the basic concept to create a channel and diffuser for LED strip lights for a project I am working. I can adjust the parameters to fit different width of LED strips. I this is my first project I have modeled from start to finish!

[@ProductDesignOnline]

Sounds awesome. Congrats, Will!

[@mrvelvinator]

Dude! This videois great! So many Tips and Tricks I have been doing the hard way in Fusion!

[@HughD]

After seeing how smooth the bottom of the box was, I decided to print the top again, but this time upside down and it came out great, including the finger notch. My heated bed is fairly new and smooth so it made for an excellent finish.

[@ProductDesignOnline]

That's great, Hugh! What printer do you have?

[@HughD]

@@ProductDesignOnline Creality Ender 3 - I also took advantage of printing the top upside down to also add a 20mm x 5mm rectangle at the bottom edge (under the finger pull) extruded to .3 mm with filets to act as a friction stop to keep it closed. Thanks again!!

[@CadmonShum]

Thank you Kevin, enjoy your lesson as always, you are the best!

[@Frameshaft]

Very informative video ! I learned how to project onto new sketches!

[@wualex846]

I think for preventing the lid out of box, you can add two symmetrical shallow cut at each side of the sliding rail then extrude two short pins at bottom of trapezoid, so when lid fully slide out, the pin will stop it off from box.

[@RoadRogue1]

Thanks, Kevin. I always learn new things from your tutorials.

[@SourceMinion]

Thanks for the helpful video Kevin. After seeing this I'll definitely be taking advantage of user parameters moving forward.

[@sourmcnuggets6178]

You have helped a great deal! Thank you so much for making it easy and simple to understand. You really have no idea how hard it was to find something that's simple and gets the job done. I didn't use your design but I took what I needed from it and now I can finally make my GFs damn Christmas present

[@KonradSarnowski]

Just starting to learn modeling for 3D printing and those videos are awesome! :O

[@kineticsymmetry9849]

You could create small nubs near the front of the lid and offset a spherical shape so it locks into place when the lid is fully in, you'd definitely want a good handle for that method. Alternatively, you could create a pin hole within the box edge where a securing pin could be inserted into the lid to hold it in place, changes to the lid style would yield better results for that method however. Also i find Curved lids are less likely to fall out easily because of the curvature, it depends on the shape, e.g. if the lid was slightly angle downwards towards the back end gravity would help keep it in place as opposed to a "perfectly level" slide track letting friction be the only pull force on the lid. creativity's the limit.

[@guate6]

I don't know if you ever resolved the issue of having the Box lid being retained or not, but after watching your video, the idea struck me of having some sort of separately 3D printed Peg or lip or something that you can put on to the lid after you've installed it. It can really be anything, to square pegs, an entire Square lip the length of the lid, a dovetail shaped dowel bet you press fit into the back of the lid. Any of these can be manufactured ahead of time and then put together after assembly. Of course there's going to be a minimum size where a person's fingers won't fit and articulate correctly to press fit the part in, but in many cases I imagine it might do the trick.

[@joelfrojmowicz]

Once again, another amazing video. Amazing Fusion 360 tutorial series. Learned a lot!

[@Sharkey007x]

hey again Kevin, I've been trying to figure out a good way to make some catch to help keep the slide lid closed without the need for magnet or strap, but have been stumped as to how to implement. I played with tightening the clearance, but want this to be able to be easily printed by others too and so wasn't sure about making it more friction

[@liluterKA]

I didn't use parameters but pretty the same. I make lid stop as a small bump on the lid. If you make two bumps one in front and one in back so it will be open stop and close stop . Nice work and thanks for lessons.

[@liluterKA]

Laser box for digital distance laser meter found on #Thingiverse www.thingiverse.com/thing:3329499

[@liluterKA]

Another dove tail closings by rotation Dial indicator box found on #Thingiverse www.thingiverse.com/thing:3325268

[@rk57chat]

Thanks Kevin, again an excellent video, so many useful hints and professional ways of doing - just great !

[@cc_snipergirl]

That angled fit is smart. I'm over here wondering how I'm going to get this tiny overhang to work without sagging or really bad supports.

[@chemprofdave]

As Jorge J commented below, a flange will keep the lid from coming out, but it would also prevent it going in! If you end the dovetail at the same length that the flange begins, you can put it in. Or, a little trickier, add a hinged stop, sunk into the lid, that swings down when closed. Then you can hold it out of the way to remove or replace the lid .

[@L.F_88]

4:40 I have the problem that I constraint Horizontal/Vertical not working, ("Error: Failed to solve. Please try reworking dimensions or constraints."). I did it exactly like in the video. I would be happy if I got an answer Thanks for the video, I learned a lot from it! 👍

[@Felix.Garcia]

the same way you added the divet, you can add a locking divet. A notch running lenght of lid will ensure it clears, but locks once its pushed all way in. Done it many times.

[@ProductDesignOnline]

Great, tip! Thanks for sharing, Felix :)

[@marvelhildebrand433]

Why does he sound like nile red

[@Samson484]

Nobody knows who that is

[@Frozen_Priest]

@@Samson484 cool chemistry guy. And yes, they do sound similar

[@emanresutla]

At 4:05 Kevin grabs the upper right corner point and drags out what appears to be a construction line of some sort. I have watched this about 15 times and can’t figure out how to replicate that step. Can anyone clarify that for me please?

[@ProductDesignOnline]

Hi Justin. The construction line is created automatically when the degree dimension is added. If you're not able to drag yours to the right then click on its endpoint and double-check that there isn't a coincident constraint on it.

[@Hrforizzle]

This was confounding me too. I think the magic was to grab the construction line (yes created automatically with the angled line command) and drag it over, then back over the overlapping corner point again so that it was actively selected. Without that little maneuver, clicking the corner only selects the box corner point. 'Coincident' is for 2 points in the same place, so we need this little trick (dragging the construction line over and back) to be able to select both points and then add the constraint. I know this comment is almost a year old so you probably don't care, but for anyone else like me who runs into this issue now they may have the same question. Oh, and I also had to watch this clip 15 times! :P

[@jzpwhyyouwantmysurname3638]

To stop it from sliding out, add a snap latch to the bottom of the lid. Just add 2-3 layer slit above the latch (below whilst printing, has to be printed upside down) to allow plastic to deform while inserting and spring back once in place. Printed flat, there should be no issue as it's just simple bridge over the latch.

[@janinka7362]

Great video tutorial, thank you! :) Am a total noob, I couldnt do any fancy geometry fix for the lid, so I just tighten the tolerances from 0,25mm to 0,05mm and the lid is now holding well :) Subscribing and hoping to learn more :)

[@rjlatheart]

K another great project thanks for sharing. If you drilled a small hole and threaded it, then a allen screw could be inserted to be used as a stop. A 3d printed key & keyway would also work thanks again

[@santiagoblandon3022]

Great video =D. Have you thought of making a tutorial about japanese joinery? It is traditionally used for wood working but as 3D prints have anisotropic properties similar to those of wood, i think that the techniques and geometries involved would be highly compatible, resulting in very strong joints for 3D printed parts. wdy think?

[@ProductDesignOnline]

Hi, Santiago. I've used a lot of woodworking joinery techniques for some personal 3D printing projects. Great idea - I'll try to make some videos on them :)

[@santiagoblandon3022]

Awesome =D

[@zn123m]

Would love to see that.

[@emilksf1725]

8:20 the top two edges of the model aren't selectable for me in this case, anyone know why?

[@par4par72]

Keven- My eyes aren't what they used to be, so following the "bouncing ball" (Keystrokes/Pointer tracking) ..is another parameter of learning obstacle only you have medicine for. Could you add an opaque circle to the pointer, and maybe a keystroke indicator? ...( sorry I don't have the vancular). Thank you ! I ask this of you because your tutorials are the " Best Example " of how to present any given topic. Good Job !!!

[@kunalaphale9109]

Awesome video man..but can u plz also tell how to give offset on sideways of the lid

[@g.s.3389]

another great tutorial. Bravo!

[@TobiPHartmann]

Just a great Video Love your series

[@sallerc]

Great stuff as always, thank you Kevin

[@jacobgoodwin4992]

Thanks for the tutorials- How on earth did you select the top pieces for the offset at 8:24. I cannot select them to include them.

[@jajaramillo5]

Hi. You can add a flange in the rear-bottom of the lid as a stop to avoid it taken out completely from the box.

[@jajaramillo5]

I believe with some pression it could be pushed to place. It is just 1 or 2 mm.

[@jackkelley890]

I am in a pickle. I believe I see a constraint issue looking at the lid fit but I just don't see how to fix it. When I go into "change parameters" on change box sizes the lid is not being a team player. One side of the box angle has a dot where the 55 degree meets the top lip. The other side doesn't have the dot, but all the lines are there. I know this is probably basic. be kind im old.

[@michalisspinos4988]

Thanks for fantastic videos. Realy helps. Any idea how to slide lid in curve? I try to make a box for coffee filters. Happy new year.

[@Sharkey007x]

thanks much for this!

[@WhyplayGaming]

I wonder if you shell the outside it would be easier too determine the required parameters for example you could then use the size of pack of cards too be the size

[@bryancoughlin3621]

Thanks again for your great videos!!

[@elricho72]

Great video ! Could you make a box with its individual faces that fit together to print all flat and then it can be assembly

[@lb9662]

I reduced the tolerance from .2 to .15 and the lid was still loose. So, then I printed off just the lid with a .05 tolerance and with a very light sanding I got a very satisfying friction fit. Hope this helps.

[@lb9662]

the sanding was only on the angles edges btw

[@L.F_88]

4:40 Ich habe das Problem das ich Abhängigkeit Horizontal/Vertikal nicht funktioniert, ("Fehler: Fehler beim Lösen. Bitte versuchen Sie es Überarbeiten von Bemaßungen oder Abhängigkeiten. "). Würde nicht über eine Antwort freuen Danke für das Video habe dadurch einiges gelernt! 👍

[@superalpha]

Add 2 limited-cycle living springs to the underside (2 makes it not twist around) of the lid near the edge. Wedge/ramp one side and square off the other or maybe not as sloped as to make it removable but with more force. Have it recess enough to be flush into the underside of the lid as it slides on past the wall. This would be a cool tutorial.

[@hlduinkerken6991]

Lid stopper idea: make 2 or 1 small hook(s) ( like a fishing hook )on the beginning of the lid. once inserted with a litlle force ( pla is a little bit flexibel) you wont be able to remove the lid “ >” > insertion only lifting up with a knife to overcome the highest part of the hook

[@Bukton5000]

When I do the constraints selection, its not giving me that lock icon. I've recreate the box 5 times now and don't understand what I could be doing wrong. Can someone help me please?

[@mwargan]

Great vid! At 8:40, why did you draw the line on the projected line instead of on the slightly higher up offset?

[@ProductDesignOnline]

Great question! I suppose if you want the lid to be perfectly flush then the offset line would be the way to go :)

[@greenerschannel]

Hi is there anychance you could do a demo on something like a kitchen cupboard or wardrobe. I'm currently trying to design my camper van and would find I video like this very helpful. Cheers.

[@randomtux1234]

could add a nub under the thumb recess, so it locks the lid underside with the back wall

[@AdamStranberg]

How would I cut out the back corners if I wanted to extend the lid's bevel to include the back? Thanks for the video!

[@steveuk5339]

Great Video and tutorial - Question for those who have printed this, can it be printed in 1 piece or do I need to print box and lid separately? Thanks

[@ProductDesignOnline]

Print the lid separately. Printing together would likely require supports and not be worth it :)

[@sideburnchef4957]

If you make a little nub on the back bottom of the lid, it won't slide out on its own, but you can still pull it out with a little bit of force. Plastic has enough flex for that. 😁

[@ProductDesignOnline]

Great idea! I thought about it but was worried about getting the lid on... but I think you're right... it could be flexed enough to get it on :)

[@meawayfromhome]

@Product Design Online . Could put a chamfer on edge to help it glide in. Another great video thx.

[@magneticanimalism7419]

!Help @7:54 when I select the bottom projection line, it selects the entire perimeter instead of just the dovetailed area after selecting chain selection, or if I select the sides it is not a complete selection. I've tried this several times to the point that I think madness is setting in.

[@ProductDesignOnline]

Can you share your file in my community space? Join free here: bit.ly/PDOcommunity

[@alexkwitko1577]

Can you do a tablet stand on the next one? From scratch, without the spl file. Keep up with the great work.

[@victorkalbskopf]

Lid stopper idea: Extrude a guiderail in the joint from the back forward. Then add a small pin in the lid joint that slides along this inner guiderail of the box. A separate front face of the box needs to cover the guiderail and needs to be printed separately. The pin then stops at this front face. The front face needs to be attached after the lid is in place.

[@ProductDesignOnline]

Great idea, Victor!