Hidden Love Message Valentine's Gift Box

I wanted a 3x3x4 inch box, so created one 3x3 and 2 3x4 boxes. I then created a rectangle the width of my material, 1/8 inch wide (.125 in), and 1 inch high. 

Visualize where tabs will go and place these smaller rectangles on each larger rectangle either inside or just outside the lines on each side. 

Whichever part you decide to have tabs on for the front/sides, have the full width be the size with tabs so remove 1/8 inch from those sides. (So, 3x3.75 + .125 in tabs on either side = full 4 inches in my case)

Tips: Visualize which will represent the top/bottom, which will represent the left/right, and which will represent the front/back of the “block” we are making. Where they intersect, one should be a tab and the other an indent. 

I chose to have the top/bottom to be all indents, the front/back to be all tabs, and the sides to have tabs on the top and bottom, indents on the sides.

Use the align tool at the top to align the tabs/indents appropriately (see tips below). Use the subtract tool to remove indents and Unite tool to add tabs.

Tips: For tabs or indents on the top or bottom, use align center horizontally. For the sides, use align center vertically.

For indents on the sides, you can use align left/align right as well, but will have to manually move the smaller rectangle for tabs. 

Set the settings for all of the cuts (I used 98% at 3 mm/s), then copy and paste so there are 2 of each shape.

Design an image for the lid and a message for the inside of the box. In my design, I used shapes that come with XCS. Set the engraving to the settings that work best for the wood you are using. I used 82% at 88 mm/s. 

Put in a sheet of wood large enough for the design, let your laser engrave and then cut it out. This took about 18 minutes on my machine.

Use wood glue and masking tape to keep the box stable while the glue dries.