Problems using boxes.py

So I guess I’m just dumb, but I can’t figure out how to import a design from boxes.py to Lightburn. I also can’t figure out how to size the slots and tabs to the dimensions I want instead of using the default finger joints shown on the stock drawings.

Can someone explain all this to me in terms that assume I no nothing, which isn’t too far from the truth?

Thank you.

Using the Search :mag: found near the top-right of every page here, there are several posts that should assist you. I would start with,

They offer documentation, also worth reviewing, for controlling the settings for the box you want to design. Once you have a design you like, you can adjust the slots and tabs directly within LightBurn to adjust for production using different thickness materials.

For that part, set the Format dropdown to lbrn2 and you’ll get a LightBurn file you can just open.

Key gotcha:

  • Set the inner_corners to corner because the others are intended for CNC routers

Additional tweaks:

  • Measure and set the thickness of the material you’re using!
  • Tweak the burn parameter for whatever makes the best fit on your machine; the 0.04 works for my CO₂ laser.

Then hit the Download button and save the LightBurn file.

That will be moderately difficult, because the Settings for Finger Joints section are computed in terms of the material thickness you entered:

In general, Boxes.py is intended to eliminate the need for detailed fiddling when all you want is a simple box. If you really care about the exact tab and slot sizes, you can batter it into submission, but it’s not gonna be easy.

What might not be obvious is that you can download a file, open it with LightBurn, figure out what’s wrong, change one thing in the web page, download another file, and see what happened. I iterate around that loop many times until I get it close enough to right for my simple needs.

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That may be more difficult than you expect, because Boxes.py rounds the outside corners:

It makes assembly easier, but AFAICT they’re invisible to the LB resizer tool. You must tell Boxes.py to build the tabs to your specs, rather than fix it in the mix.

I suspect that’s only the case when you have a non-zero value for “Burn”. Personally I’d leave burn at zero and use the kerf setting in LB to adjust for this.

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Today I learned: indeed it is!

I favor having Boxes.py emit a ready-to-cut layout, using a Burn value tailored for the material. That way, the next time I need the same thing (from the same material), I can’t possibly forget to resize the slots / apply the kerf / do the whatever.

Thank you. That was exactly the info I needed. Tried it and it worked perfectly.

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