Modular LEGO-like Desk Storage Containers to Reduce Desk Clutter

I've been looking to reduce clutter around my desk, but couldn't settle on a specific solution. So I thought to myself, maybe I don't have to commit? I started thinking about configurable storage and my mind naturally went to Lego.

I looked at online models first. I'm not really one to reinvent the wheel unless it needs reinventing. The models I found looked great but I think they lacked customisation.

The wishlist

So I decided to make my own design. The idea was to have:

• fully modular design that would work even when resizing

• sometimes drawers need to slide from the side, sometimes from the front

• a clip that would allow seamless pull

• some kind of weight feature to ensure pulling out the drawer would not pull the base?

• supportless design

• configurable sections within the drawers

• some kind of pull-out clip to make the drawer handles easy to grip and pull

A teardrop base

I managed to implement a teardrop cavity on the underside of each base. This created a supportless overhand that worked great and still had the tight fit to ensure modules would not fall off each other. This printed REALLY well!

The slide-in top cover

Because I wanted a supportless print, I had to make a slide-in mechanism for the top cover. This meant that when a user pulls out a drawer, there was a risk the top cover would slide out with it, but I thought that it created a differentiating factor between this design and other designs, so I decided to keep it in.

Getting the tolerances right

So then, to make the weight feature it was essential I got the tolerances right. The tolerance between the drawer and the base had to be "loose" maybe about 0.35mm compared to the tolerance of the top.

Front or side?

I also made it customisable that the user could select which side the drawer open from. Sometimes, you need to store something long, and sometimes something wide right?

The optional knob

After a couple of test prints, I realised that the empty groove alone barely made space for users to insert their fingers and pull. So I did a simple optional knob design:

Overall, really happy with how this turned out! If you would like to design one yourself, check out the "Design" section.