Board Game Toolkit
Working with Fusion 360
Intention
One of the things that I like to do in my free time is make board games. In order to make board games, I’ve collected a variety of materials and tools; however; I don’t have an organized way of storing my materials and tools, and sometimes they’re scattered in different locations. With my project, I planned on making a board game toolkit that will store all my materials and tools in one location. My goal was to make a case that can hold some of the components that I currently have, but also have some modularity so that I can add more materials to it in the future if I ever get any.
Research and Context
While there are such things as “Board Game Toolkits” already out there, they tend to just be a collection of different components stored in baggies inside of a box. While to some extent this works, this solution doesn’t feel very ‘neat’ as you still have to shuffle around through the bags in order to find what you want. I would like something that has defined compartments for each component type, as well as having space set specifically for tools.
Aesthetic Inspiration
I like the idea of modular design, where components are made such that they can be switched out for other ones depending on the need. Using something akin to this, I can make a variety of mini containers within the toolkit that each store different component types. This also allows me to make more containers in the future that I can switch in if I get more components.
Prototype and Sketches
I first started by taking measurements for dimensions that my toolkit would need to accommodate and then making sketches based on them. For the toolkit, it would need to be large enough to store cardboard sheets and cutting boards, and also small enough to fit within my backpack, so those were the relevant dimensions for its design. For the dice box, it would need enough space in it to fit a good quantity of standard 6-sided dice
With these sketches as a base template, I used spare material I had around to make prototypes, playing with the spacing of components to see how I wanted it.
While making the toolkit prototype, I found that having tools located on the underside of the lid would probably work best, so I would need to make a way to secure tools there. Also, while making the dice box prototype, I played around with having the shelf have an open side vs. having a closed side and found that the open side made it easier to remove and insert dice, so I decided to keep that feature of my original design.
Process and Procedure
The body of the toolkit was made by laser cutting. I modeled the body in Fusion 360, and saved the sketches of each piece as DXF files. After cutting the pieces using the laser cutter, I glued together the outside using woodglue and clamped it together overnight. Unfortunately, I didn’t have big enough clamps to ensure all the edges were square with each other, so the outside box is slightly cattywampus, meaning that the inner shelf wouldn’t fit. I then had to adjust the dimensions of the shelf and cut another one. I then sanded the edges of the box so that they wouldn’t catch on anything, and I finished the outside of the box with a stain.
The dice box was made using 3D printing. I modeled the box in Fusion 360 and saved the parts as STL files. After printing the parts, I used the parts wash to remove support material. After drying the pieces, I sanded the edges of the walls and tracks so that they’d be able to slide smoothly past each other. Unfortunately, I didn’t make any gap between the parts when modeling them, so they fit extremely tightly and had to be sanded a lot to be able to even fit together.
I made the scissor and x-acto knife holders using 3D printing. I modeled each holder in Fusion 360 and saved the parts as STL files. The x-acto knife holder needed no sanding because it was one part, and the scissor holder, which was made into 2 parts so that I wouldn’t need to use the parts wash for multiple days to remove support from a tight hole, needed no sanding because I learnt my lesson and accounted for the fit between the friction fit pieces.
I made the hinges using 3D printing. The base of the hinge was used from the McMaster Carr model of the part 11175A13 (which I originally was going to order but then figured it would be better to first see if the hinge was sized the way I wanted), but I modeled the hinge rod mechanism to piece it together in Fusion 360 and then saved the parts as STL files. After using the parts wash, I sanded the pieces and put them together.
I secured the scissor and x-acto knife holders to the underside of the lid using super glue, and secured the hinges to the outside edge using super glue as well.
Final Product
Reflection
This project was a fun way to get introduced to 3D printing and laser cutting, neither of which I had any prior experience with. I wish I had more time to create containers for other components that I have, but I think this is a good start. I look forward to continuing to use these tools for other projects in the future!
