NOTES FROM THE WORKBENCH
Shallow trays for a desk drawer
A set of shallow trays works better when the drawer layout includes wall space and a way to lift each tray out.
Reviewed October 27, 2026
Map the space you can use
Measure the inside of the open drawer where the trays will actually sit. Look for curved corners, protruding runners and changes in width from front to back. Check the available height when the drawer closes.
Draw that clear rectangle on paper and mark anything that must remain accessible. Avoid designing every tray directly against the outer limits before you have tried one in the drawer.
Give each tray a job
Sort the contents into practical groups rather than dividing the drawer into equal cells automatically. A long pencil tray, a small clip tray and a wider note tray have different useful footprints. Shallow walls make small objects easier to see and pick up.
Write a short dimension schedule and give each tray a stable name. This is easier to maintain than repeatedly changing one project called tray and losing the settings for the previous size.
Keep walls and removal gaps visible
The generator's tray base is measured between fold lines. Finished external size depends on the folded wall and paper thickness. Two 120 mm-wide base settings therefore do not prove that the assembled pair will occupy exactly 240 mm.
Leave a deliberate gap and make a trial of the most constrained position. Check that your fingers can lift the tray without bending the adjacent wall. If you need a tight modular fit, measure the assembled first sample before cutting the rest.
Compare the flat footprint too
Every added millimetre of wall height extends the flat net at two opposite edges. Taller walls can turn a one-page layout into a tiled print even if the base remains unchanged.
Use the print preview to compare wall choices at 100%. Paper trays are light organisers; avoid loading them with sharp or heavy items as though the tool had established their structural strength.
Ready to make something?
Set the dimensions. Check the folds. Make a small test box.