Introduction: The Guinness Box -- Sort of an Origami Box for St. Patrick's Day

About: Oschene is Philip Chapman-Bell, a human resources drudge living in western Massachusetts. I probably should mention my deep and abiding enthusiasm for Open Source Origami. Clever catchphrase du jour: It isn'…

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This is a charming little box for St. Patrick's day -- when opened, it has a delightful reveal.

It is made from a scalloped octagon, a thoroughly impure medium for origami. (Most folders eschew anything that is not square. Some of the broader-minded origamistas will allow for the use of convex polygons. No one will sanction this shape.) A piece of letter paper will yield a box 2¼ inches (5.71cm) wide. Here, I've blown up the model at a local print shop,so it looks a little bigger.

Step 1: Grab the File

Here you are, a nice PDF of the Guinness Box model. As you can see, the shape is that of a scalloped octagon. Print this and then cut it out -- extra points for accuracy, here. Cutting around the scallops can be persnickety.

Also included here, for your edification and maybe pleasure, is a PDF of the model without all the artwork. This is CC stuff -- feel free to whup up your own boxes.

Step 2: Precreasing

There are several conventions for the representation of mountain and valley folds. Here, the mountains are solid black lines and the valley folds are solid magenta lines. The gray ghost lines are for reference only and may be safely ignored. Fold accordingly.

If you're not sure about the distinction between mountain and valley, try here.

Step 3: Collapsing

This is how it looks as you begin to collapse the model. The scallops will begin to stack up on top of each other.

Step 4: Locking

This is the cool bit -- the top of this box is slightly wider than the base. Put your finger in the center and push -- gently, now -- straight down. There will be a noticeable popping sensation as the model locks shut.

Step 5: The Finished Guinness Box

To open, grab opposite scallops and twist a little. The top will pop back open and you can open the box for the delighted audience and say, Is fearrde thú guinness! (Guinness is good for you!)

In the interest of full disclosure, I will point out that I have no connection to Guinness or the St. James Gate Brewery and that these graphics were lovingly liberated from Wikipedia. Their appearance here is consistent with fair use and if you disagree with me on this point and want me to even pretend to listen to your argument, you'll have to buy me a beer,

O'Hara's from Carlow is superior stout, anyway -- Slainte, baby.