Laser Cut Tissue Box

This Instructable shows simple steps to create a tissue box holder for a square tissue box (4 3/8", 4 3/8", 5").

There are many websites that can help you get a basic box design for free. The one I used is called Box Designer. Once on the website, enter the dimensions of your box, mine were length=5", width=5", and height=5 1/4". I recommend having a little bit of extra room to ensure that your tissue box will fit. Make sure that you put the correct wood thickness, or it will mess up the design. My wood was .216". Once you have your dimensions entered, click on the drop down menu that says "file type" and scroll to "svg" (some laser cutters require different file types). Finally, click the "Design It!" button, and it will download to your computer.

There are many things you can use to edit your box design. I used Gravit. When in Gravit, you'll need to create an account if you don't already have one. After this, press "Open from Computer" and search for the file that was saved to your computer. It will pull up your file. There might be some random unwanted text at the bottom; delete this.

To make the hole for the tissue box, click the button at the top that looks like a circle overlapping a square. This is called "Shape". Once you click shape, click the option below that says "Ellipse". Drag out a circle of any size, we will dimension it in a moment. After this, click off of the circle. Now go to the pull out information tab on the right of your screen. Under "Documents", you should find a unit option. It probably says "pixels" right now. Click the drop down box and select inches. Click on the circle again and go to the right bar and under size it has a width and height option. Change the dimensions to whatever size you want, I did 2" x 2".

When you're done with that, click "file" in the top right, and go to the "save to cloud" option. It will pull up a big pop-up box and you can just click save. Insert a flash drive*. Go into your computer files and drag it into the flash drive.

*If the computer you are using Gravit on also has Adobe Illustrator, wait to save to your flash drive. You still need to save to your computer, though.

Get on a computer that has Adobe Illustrator*. Open up Adobe Illustrator. Hover over "file" and press "open". It will pop up the files on the computer. Depending on if you are using the same computer or not, find your file either under the computer files, or under your flash drive.

The file will open and the first thing you do is click one line. This may take a couple of tries and double clicks. Once your line is selected, right click and it will open up a list of options. Click on the "Remove Clipping Mask" button. Depending on the version of illustrator you have, it may have already been removed; it's good to check anyways. Right click on the same line and press "Ungroup". Again it may already have done that for you. After this, click on the background and press the "delete" button on your keyboard.

Next, hover over file, and down to "save as". After you click that, Click on the format option box. Find the "Adobe Illustrator (ai)" option and click it. Place it in your flash drive. Finally, press save.

*Again this may not be the same computer for some.

Plug in your flash drive into the computer connected to the laser cutter. Turn on the computer. Open IBoss. In the top left corner, hover over file, and click "open". It will pull up the computer files. Go into your flash drive and find and select your ai file. Change the cutting speed to 12 and the power to 100. If you are etching, you will need to change the color of what you are etching and set the speed to 60 and the power to 400, but I'm not doing that for mine, and each laser cutter is different. For a visual, click here. Turn on laser cutter and accessories. Click the download button in the bottom right hand corner. It may ask you to name your file, do so. For a visual click here and here.

Put your material into the laser cutter and make sure it is flat. Click the Z/U button and scroll down to "autofocus". Next use the arrows to create a starting point for the cutting,it should be in the top right corner. When you are happy with the starting point, click "origin". Click the "file" button and find your file. When you have it, click "enter". After this press "frame" and it will trace the outline of your file. If it goes off of the wood, you may need to readjust the wood, or change the origin. Check to make sure the ventilation is going. If everything is good, press "start-pause". For a visual, click here.

First thing to do is to lay out your wood and make sure all of the grooves fit together. Next, take one piece and draw a line of glue on the edge, click here to get a good visual. After you put on the glue, stick it together with the corresponding side. For a visual click here. Keep doing this until your box is glued, keep in mind you will have to add glue to more than one edge on some pieces. To make an openable tissue box, DO NOT glue the top piece (the one with the cut out hole) on to the rest of the box.

To start the sanding process, you need to have lots of patience, and not rush into it. There is always more to be done. Made sure you go with the grain, and use long strokes to make things level.

First, use a lower grain number sand paper, this will shave more off, and is good for any large gaps or things sticking out. Continue to use the low grain as needed, and slowly introduce higher and higher grains (takes less off). Continue until you are happy with the smoothness of the surfaces.

The first step to spray painting your box is to find an open outdoor space, free of people and things you don't want to get sprayed. Next, grab your spray paint, and set your box down.

Test your spray paint by shaking the can, and spraying with it flipped upside down and facing away from you. If the stream of paint is steady and not directly in one stream, you are set to go. Next, start spraying in random circular motions until you have one coat. The paint does not have to be perfect on the first coat! If you need a visual for this, check out the video that is embedded into this step.

After your first coat has dried, grab a very high number piece of sand paper, meaning smoother paper. Take this and LIGHTLY run it across the surfaces that seem to be unevenly coated. Don't rub too hard, or the paint will come off. Once you have done this, depending on how smooth you want your tissue box to be, you can continue to repeat the steps of spray painting and sanding. Personally, I was going for the rustic, wood grain look, so I didn't do many coats.

After you are happy with the paint, take a clear coat gloss spray and repeat the painting steps. Only one coat is necessary. This coat will protect your colored paint.

I had lots of fun making my box, and hope that this guide is helpful for you! Please share your project with me, if you decide to try it. Can't wait to see what you come up with!