Papercrafts and other fun things: A Tumble Cube Birthday Box

This Tumble Cube Birthday Box is a fun present to give to a child or an adult. Small treats can be a put into the sixteen drawers such as a Hershey Kiss, Shopkins, stickers, or a quarter. My toddler granddaughter was excited to see the tumble cube when she opened the present. I have included directions for a box to contain the tumble cube. Upon opening the first drawer, she was delighted to see the trinket inside. When I told her that there were more surprises inside the other drawers, she was thrilled. She hurriedly opened the rest of the drawers. The cube and drawers held up pretty well for a toddler. The tumble cube did fall apart at one point because I did not tape the hinge securely enough but I quickly remedied the problem and all was well. Word to the wise, make sure you use enough glue and tape the hinges securely if giving this cube to a toddler.

A tumble cube is eight cubes which are tape together to form a bigger cube. When the cubes are moved, they go in different directions.

Watch the video of the Tumble Cube in action to see the mesmerizing movements of the cubes.

There are eight cubes with a drawer on two sides for a total of sixteen drawers which vary in size from 1/2 in., 3/4 in. and 1 inch in depth. The two drawers are back to back. The drawer size must equal 1 1/2 inches. For instance, two 3/4 inch drawers or a 1 inch drawer plus a 1/2 inch drawer. The 1 inch drawer can hold a Hershey Kiss perfectly and the 1/2 inch drawer can hold a quarter. I have found that some Shopkin toys can fit into the drawers too.

Here is the PDF file. I used card stock from DCWV called "Birds and Butterflies" for the drawers and outer skin. I used 65 lb. white card stock from Walmart for the cubes. I used Scotch Packaging Tape to tape the boxes together.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Sc39ogtuaMcCOMVLkFjd3SzN-90yiUUp/view?usp=sharing

Here is the .Studio file.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vejbx9b3lptmKQWXzCdClHIcptsz56CX/view?usp=sharing

Here is the SVG. The file extends past the viewing area.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cr5PNFv0p3zyT-mU-CQqyI0-uWy2A-Sh/view?usp=sharing

Make Eight Cubes

Fold the inner window as shown above. This will create a platform inside the cube so that the drawers will slide into and out of the cube.

Crease all of the window tabs as shown above. The window tabs are triangular tabs. This triangular tab provides a sturdy beam so that the cube does not collapse easily.

Apply glue to the tabs of the window. Adhere to create three triangular beams. Place this side at a right to form a platform base. Repeat for the other side.

Crease all of the remaining dashed lines inward. Apply glue to all three sides of the window plus the end tab.

Form the cube by pulling the two sided squares with the tab into a cube as shown above.

The cube is complete with a platform for the drawer at the base. Repeat for the other cubes.

Make the drawers

Make the drawers by gluing and adhering the tabs.

The back side of the drawer has a stopper to prevent it from coming out of the cube. To insert the drawer, tilt it into the cube and push into the cube. Before inserting the drawer, make sure that the ledge is on the bottom of the cube.

Attach the Eight Cubes Together

Tape the cubes together at the six locations indicated above. I used Scotch Packaging tape. The tape needs to be durable because it will be under a lot of stress when the cubes are moved around. Apply the tape precisely as the tape needs a good bond. (The tape on the far side was not cut to size as I wanted to show that tape is applied to this side.)

Please be aware: the tape needs to be the exact length of the box and can not overhang. The tape should not interfere with the movement of the drawers when they are opened and closed.