What to measure
Steel tool chest drawers have folded edges and runner hardware that steal space. Measure the clear floor of the drawer between any folds, in both directions, and measure the height to the underside of the drawer above with the drawers closed, not to the rim of the drawer itself. Then sort the tools into groups and measure the longest tool in each group; that length, plus 5 mm for fingers, sets the compartment size. Pliers are measured closed, across the handles at their widest.
Laying out the bins
The values on this page give a 200 by 150 mm bin with two compartments across and two deep, each about 97 by 72 mm inside. That suits sockets, bits, tape measures and small pliers. For long tools such as spanners, set the compartments across to 1 and the compartments deep to 3 or 4 to get long channels. Fill the drawer with several bins and take 0.5 mm off each outer size so they slide in without wedging; a row of four bins that are each exact will not fit, since every print is a touch oversize.
Clearance, wall and material
Tools are heavy and get thrown in, so this page uses 2 mm walls, five passes of a 0.4 mm nozzle, and a 1.6 mm floor and dividers. Walls of 1.2 mm work for kitchen drawers but crack when a hammer lands on the rim. PETG is the better material here: it takes knocks without chipping and tolerates oil and the heat of a summer garage, where PLA can sag. Keep the bin height 3 mm or more below the clear height you measured.
Printing
Print floor down, as generated, with no supports. A 0.2 mm layer height is enough; 0.28 mm saves time and the coarser finish does not matter in a tool drawer. Use four bottom layers so the floor is closed. PETG sticks hard to smooth beds: use a textured sheet or a release layer, and let the bed cool before lifting the part so the floor is not bent.
Outline drawing
Top view, to scale. The bin is 60 mm high with 2 mm walls, 1.6 mm dividers and a 1.6 mm floor.
Parameters the generator will use
| Setting | Link parameter | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Model | model | drawer_bin |
| Outer width (X) | width | 200 |
| Outer depth (Y) | depth | 150 |
| Outer height (Z) | height | 60 |
| Wall thickness | wall | 2 |
| Floor thickness | floor | 1.6 |
| Compartments across (X) | cols | 2 |
| Compartments deep (Y) | rows | 2 |
| Divider thickness | divider | 1.6 |
All lengths are in millimetres. Outer size from these values: 200 x 150 x 60 mm.
Open the generator with these values
This model is free. One $7 licence key opens five more models. Get a licence key on Gumroad ($7)
The fitted drawer organiser bin is the free model: no licence key and no account are needed to preview it and download the STL. The other five models (pipe and cable clip, hex bit holder, screwdriver rack, 42 mm grid bin and drill guide jig) need a licence key.