Don's Tools · 3D Printing · Basic Box

Basic Box generator

Set the dimensions and material thickness, see the assembled box in 3D, choose flat, finger or T-slot joints, and download a ready to cut SVG or DXF. Everything runs in your browser.

Box type
Dimensions are
Edges
Cut & export
Fit
Cut compensation
Labels
Panel layout
File output
Machine bed (mm, 0 = ignore)

Drag to rotate the 3D box, scroll or pinch to zoom. T-slot is beta - it adds bolt holes and captive nut pockets, so always cut a small test on scrap and check the fit before cutting the whole box.

Basic Box is a parametric laser cut box generator that runs entirely in your browser. Set the box type, width, depth, height and material thickness in millimetres or inches, choose inside or outside dimensions, and pick flat, finger or T-slot bolt together joints. Tune the kerf, fit, dogbone corner compensation, cut and inside cut colours, label colour and line width, keep panels separate or combined, and export a single file or separate panel files as SVG or DXF for a laser cutter or CNC such as Glowforge, xTool, LightBurn, Inkscape or Fusion. A live rotatable 3D preview shows the assembled box, and a machine bed size check warns when the layout is too large. T-slot is a beta feature, so test the fit on scrap first. Nothing is uploaded and every file is created on your device.

Frequently asked questions

Is my box design uploaded anywhere?

No. The generator, the 3D preview and the export all run in your browser. Files are built on your own device and nothing is uploaded or stored.

What files can I download?

A flat SVG and a DXF at true millimetre scale, as a single file or as separate files per panel in a zip. They open in laser and CAD tools like Glowforge, xTool, LightBurn, Inkscape, Illustrator and Fusion. Cut lines, inside cuts and labels are kept on separate layers and colours.

What joint types are there?

Flat edges for a glued box, finger joints for a press fit box, and T-slot for a bolt together box with captive nuts. T-slot is a beta feature, so test the fit on scrap first.

How do I get the joints to fit?

Joint fit depends on your machine's kerf, the cut width the laser removes. Cut a small corner on scrap of the same material, then adjust the Kerf value or switch the Fit between Loose, Standard and Tight until the parts press together snugly. For a CNC router, set Cut compensation to Corner and enter the bit diameter to add dogbone relief.

How do I use the 3D preview?

The 3D box opens by default. Drag to rotate, scroll or pinch to zoom. It updates live as you change the dimensions so you can check the look and the joints before cutting, then switch to Flat plan for the cut layout.

What do the machine and layout options do?

Panel layout can keep panels separate or pack them closer together. File output can give one combined file or separate files per panel. The machine bed size warns you when the layout is larger than your cutter's work area so you can scale down or split the job.