Birthday Australian Animals Montessori-Inspired Matching Cards | 8 Pair Memory Game & Keepsake Box

Process Canvas 1 in the following order:

1. Engrave the animal illustrations and names.
2. Score the teal inner borders.
3. Cut the red outer card outlines.

Once processing is complete, leave the leftover plywood frame in its original position.

Do not remove or reposition the surrounding sheet.

Place a new sheet of at least 300 × 300 mm 3 mm Laserply into the laser.

Open the box canvas and adjust the processing settings for your machine and material.

Before processing:

• Confirm the lid artwork is set to engrave.
• Confirm the rounded lid border is set to score.
• Confirm all box outlines and slots are set to cut.
• Disable or delete the red assembly-reference words.

The box structure was created with Boxes.py. The divider is already included in the generated design, while the decorative lid artwork was added afterward in xTool Studio.

Engrave the lid artwork first, score the lid border second, and cut the box components last.

Remove all parts from the laser and arrange them on a flat surface.

The complete component set includes:

• Bottom
• Front
• Back
• Outer side left
• Outer side right
• Inner side left
• Inner side right
• Divider
• Lid
• Lid up
• Lip left
• Lip right

Clean loose residue from the pieces and dry-fit the joints before final assembly.

Most of the box uses tight press-fit construction and does not require clamps.

Locate the engraved Lid panel and the long Lid Up strip.

Press Lid Up onto the appropriate edge of the lid. It can be glued flush for additional security, but the joint may be tight enough to remain press fit.

Keep the engraved face of the lid facing upward.

Once connected, these two components form the finished sliding lid.

Set the lid aside while assembling the main box.

Push the Divider into the centre slots in the Bottom panel.

The divider is designed as a tight press fit and usually does not require glue.

The direction of the semicircular finger notch does not affect assembly.

After the divider has been fitted, press the Back wall into the rear edge of the bottom panel.

Make sure the divider and back wall are fully seated before continuing.

Fit the Outer Side Left and Outer Side Right panels onto the bottom and back wall.

Press each finger joint fully into place.

A rubber mallet can be used gently if the joints are particularly tight, but clamps should not be necessary.

Fit the Front wall onto the remaining edge of the box.

The two rectangular openings in the front panel accept the divider tabs and help lock the centre divider into position.

Press all joints together until the box sits square and the edges are fully seated.

Locate Inner Side Left and Inner Side Right.

Apply a small amount of wood glue to the flat face of each inner side piece and position them against the inside walls of the box.

These pieces form the lower half of the sliding-lid channel.

Apply glue only to the flat joining surfaces. Keep glue away from the area where the lid needs to slide.

Repeat on both sides.

Push Lip Left and Lip Right into position above the inner side pieces.

These parts create the upper half of the sliding-lid channel and are designed to press into place.

Together, the inner side and lip components form a channel that holds the sliding lid securely.

Insert the completed lid into the rear of the box and slide it forward through the side channels.

Check that the lid moves smoothly and closes fully.

Remove any loose residue or gently clean the channel if the movement feels tight.

Place the finished cards into the box as two stacks of eight, separated by the centre divider.

The semicircular openings in the divider and inner walls provide room to grip and remove the cards.

Slide the lid forward to close the box.