Make carboard boxes on shopbot

[blake_koehn]

I have a new product that I am trying to get off the ground. It is pretty large, I need a cardboard box to ship it in. The places that sell boxes dont stock it that size. I was thinking of buying some cardboard and cutting the tabs and making just a few until I know whether my product will sell before ordering a bunch of custom made boxes.

Have any of you used your bot for this? would a bit or a drag knife work better?

Any suggestions appreciated, including a company that sells a box that is 24 x 60 x 3.
Thanks

[khaos]

Seems like a crate using 1x1s and 1/4" ply would be better/quicker/more time efficient for the proof of concept. My 2cents.

(Wardrobe boxes are very close to that size.)

[tmerrill]

Most moving companies have boxes like this for pictures/mirrors.

I found one example on Uhaul's site. Check out the 4 piece picture/mirror box:

http://store.uhaul.com/boxes.aspx

Tim

[ljdm]

I use mirror boxes for large items. It's a 4 pc set, so I can adjust the box to fit alot of different sizes. Google "mirror boxes".

[ljdm]

Tim ............ guess you type alot faster than I do.

[benchmark]

Blake,

I have the same problem in getting the right size boxes in small quantity's. I looked at carboard box software but that cost $6000, so my plan was to design the box in Sketchup and use the unfold Ruby to layout the box, then add a few tabs.
My plan was to cut them on the Shopbot with a tangental knife......Does anyone have any knowledge of cutting carboard on the Shopbot.


Paul

[knight_toolworks]

I have cut a lot of cardboard on the bot. upto 2" thick. a sharp downcut or upcut works ok. though you get a lot of fuzzies. crank the rpms up to max.
cutting it on the bandsaw gives a cleaner edge.

[donclifton]

Does the shopbot have the ability to use a tangental
blade. if so does it work on the A axis.
Thanks
Don Clifton

[erik_f]

I have seen a cnc for cardboard in action. It uses a swivel head to turn the knife around corners. I think you would have better luck trying cardboard with an 1/8" router bit and vacuum under it.

[myxpykalix]

Paul,
I vaguely recall something about "Ruby" on this forum for the phlatprinter which esentially is a way to fold things to create shapes, if i recall properly. http://www.phlatforum.com/

[knight_toolworks]

I forgot it seems the sampler the bit the cleaner the cut so if you can use 1/8" it works better. no idea why but I tired two fresh downcut bits and the 1/8" cut cleaner. bits wear pretty fast though.

[billp]

Guys,
Shopbot is now selling the "drag knife bit" blade from Widgetworks Unlimited. I've seen some samples of it's abilities at Camps and I think it would easily cut through cardboard...
http://www.shopbottools.com/spindles.htm

[scottcox]

I just bought some 10ft x 7ft sheets of cardboard from a packaging supply house for $6 each. I then made a long hinged jig from 2x4s to accurately bend my box edges where I wanted them. I cut my tabs with a razor and bent those edges, taped it up and was done. Quick to do, works fine and was very cheap. No $6000 software required.

If you want be more accurate, use the ShopBot with the drag knife and then the jig to bend it.

[knight_toolworks]

I don't think the drag knife will work. you make i9nside and outside 90's in cardboard and the knife won't be able to turn. I made one myself and it could not handle it. The pen attachment to draw where to cut may be the way to go.

[rb99]

I have seen a cardboard cutting router bit somewhere recently on the web. I cannot say where, but I made a mental note of its existence as I have seen demonstrations of a tangential cutter at a show.

RB

[foampro]

I have to build a few boxes a week for custom projects. I use a tape measure, scratch aul to endent the folds using the corrigation as a straight edge, and a carton sizer from Uline http://www.uline.com/BL_3401/Carton-Sizer
and a high temp hot glue gun. One thing I did was took apart a few professionally made boxes to see how they where built. It changed the way I was building boxes. They don't look shop made any more. Good luck!

Glen Kadelbach
http://www.innovativefoam.com
http://www.innovativecardboard.com

[tim_mcknight]

U Line is an excellent resource for boxes. We purchase ours from them.

[kerrazy]

We cut 50 to 60 Corogated plastic cases a week on our shopBot here @ work.
We use a rounded over bit with no cutting edge to crease the coro for bending purposes and a single flute end mill for cutting. We will cut 4-5 sheets deep in one pass, and we crease them one at a time.
we crease the first one, then stack and crease the next, if they are all the same design of course. then cut all in one pass.
Dale

[Call-Tech]

I just helped my niece with a cardboard boat project and I cut cardboard sheets with vacuum hold down and .25" straight 2 flute bit. It worked great. I cut half way through the cardboard where we wanted to fold it. I'm sure same would apply to making boxes.

Also, I order shipping supplies from this company. They stock most of Uline products at lower cost. However I did not see any 60" boxes on their site. but might be worth a phone call.

http://www.packagingsupplies.com/

Here is a photo of Nieces boat. Her Team finished taping it up at school. They could only use cardboard and duct tape to make boat. It had to carry 2 people across pool in a timed competition. Her team won 1st place.

6756

[drodda]

I use www.custommadeboxes.com (http://www.custommadeboxes.com) all the time. Quick and simple and Mike the owner is a good guy. I have been using them for more than four years and I get about 100 boxes made a year from them a couple at a time. Price break on 6,12,21 quantities also.

For the price I would not even think of building them myself.

-D