Fuck it. I'm now contemplating using a bit of box folding with cardstock to make component drawers. 😂

The hardest part in devising this fold pattern is actually the drawer handle. I want a vertical pull handle in the middle but the compartment dimensions are making that difficult.

These drawers are gonna be decade binned for resistors with <1k range in one side, >100k range in the other side, and 1k-100k range in the middle.

I want to think up something similar for capacitors.

I made the executive decision to let myself use glue to attach a handle to the drawers, which kept the primary fold pattern simple.

So simple, in fact, that I can fit four in a 2x2 pattern onto a standard 8½x11 page. Hell yes. 😁

Six pages can print out 24 of them which will be perfect for E24 storage of resistors.

Uh... now I need to learn how to make the fold patterns to print. :x

Edit: LibreOffice Calc is a non-starter for this idea. Gonna need a better design tool.

I found an even harder pattern to figure out: the drawer cabinet. I've decided it's going to be a four-drawer unit cell to keep the fold pattern small and simple, but it needs to provide support for drawers filled with components.

The hard bit is the little shelf upon which each drawer must sit. I've got a few ideas boinking around in my rubber skull but none have I settled upon quite yet.

I may also be underestimating the strength of cardstock and I should get some sheets to start prototyping

The unit cells will get snuggled 4x3 into a much sturdier outer box made from cardboard and from there I might be able to start working within the dimensions I've defined for these things to design and fold more elaborate drawers for components with different storage cell dimensional requirements such as capacitors and LEDs, transistors, and integrated circuits.

Maybe if I can design this well enough, I can open source the fold patterns to give folks cheap and accessible component storage. :3

In theory it should be a LOT cheaper and more accessible than 3D printing, and also less annoyingly porous to component leads & more sustainable than cheap plastic tackleboxes drop shipped from China.

The only significant costs incurred should be the cardstock itself and going to a print shop to print the cut & fold patterns onto it if you don't already have your own printer that can handle heavy paper.