Making a Small Wooden Case

INTRO

This instructable will tell you how to make small wooden suitcase to store things in while you are on your way.

I worked on this little project for a course which involves working with a 3D-printer and laser cutters.

REQUIREMENTS

- Battery 9V
- Battery connector 9V
- Green leds diffuse 10mm (6x)
- Switch
- 3D printer
- Laser cutter
- 3mm thick wooden plate
- small piece of rope
- Wood glue (I use a glue gun)
- Small screws
- 1 small case closure
- 2 small hinges
- 4 small screws
- 6 small nails
- Hammer

Step 1: Brainstorming + Concept Drawing

Before I knew what I wanted to make I decided I should brainstorm a bit, to come up with ideas. Once I had figured out I wanted to make a small case, I drew a concept for my project.The inside of the cover containts a small electricity circuit to power small LED lamps. Details will be explained in the further steps to come in this instructable.
The handles that are shown in the image are not implemented in this project.

Step 2: Making the Handle

For the handle I will use a 3D-printed tube which has length of 90mm and a width of 15mm. These measurements are best to fit the grip of a normal hand.

The reason for 3D-printing the handle is that we need to use a 3D-printer. The handle is small therefore I chose to use the 3D-printer for it.

It took 60 minutes to 3D-print.

Step 3: The Box

I used www.makercase.com to generate a laser cutting plan for the design of the box. Measurements are 160x180x180mm. After the laser cutter has cut the different parts of the box out of wood, you simply put them together with glue like a puzzle.

Step 4: Assembling the Hinges

You can use every hinge you like, but I used these small ones. You simple drill 4 small holes with a drill.
Then I place the hinges with a small piece of tape on the hole so the hinges stay on their place. As last I drilled the hinges into their place with 4 small screws. Now we have a small little box with a lid.

Step 5: LED Lamps

To power the small LED lamps, I used a 9V battery. I put the connector on the + and - of the battery.
After that I used solder to connect the battery to the LED lamps.

WARNING: Because the battery is too strong to be connected directly to the LED, you have to use a small resistor (see picture). Between each connection to a LED there has to be a resistor.

After solding the connections together I connected all the +'s to 1 wire and connected that to a on/off switch. Same goes for - . For the result see pictures in the end.

Step 6: Case Closure

This part is very simple, to the lid and base of the I install both parts of the case closure. With some very small nails I secure it to the wood. For safety measures you should hit the nails crooked with a hammer.

Step 7: Attach the Handle

In this step the handle I have made with the 3D-printer will be attached to the suitcase. You simply stretch a small piece of rope right through the handle. Then drill two small holes on either side of the case closure. Put both ends of the rope into the holes and make a knot. And now the suitcase has a handle.

Step 8: Admire Your Suitcase.

In the photos you can see the result of this small project. I certained enjoyed working on it, especially learning how to use a 3D-printer and laser cutter machine. There's a lot more work involved than one might think. I hope you learned from this instructable and hope to see any of your own results in the comments.

Regards,

Jesse Wouters

(0911023 <-- studentnumber for teacher)