Skip to content
Hingesmith
Studio
Open Studio

Apple living-hinge box

An apple with a stem and leaf. Teacher appreciation, back to school, orchard weddings.

Stem and leaf. The wall is one strip of plywood with a living hinge cut into it, so the whole outline wraps from a flat sheet. Set the size in millimetres, pick a hinge pattern and a lid, watch it fold in 3D, then export the cut file for your laser.

Open the Apple in the Studio See Pro pricing

Pro shape: preview and fold it free, export from $9 a month or $149 once.

Apple box: a 3D render of the laser-cut living-hinge box in Baltic birch with its scored lid drawing

At the suggested size

174 × 178 × 80 mm on 3 mm plywood

These numbers come from the same engine that makes your file, built at the size the Studio suggests with the Straight Lattice hinge. Change the size, stock or pattern and they update live.

parts
6
on 2 sheets of 420 × 297 mm
of cutting
22.2 m
640 hinge cuts
wall length
540 mm
in 2 strips that butt-joint
tightest bend
R15 mm
rounded to suit 3 mm stock
hinge load
92%
of the safe twist limit
lid art
Scored
a matching line drawing on the lid
Apple lid as the laser sees it: red cut outline and blue scored lid art
The lid, as the laser sees it. Red is the cut, blue is the scored lid art. Turn lid art off in the Assembly tab for a plain lid.
Three lids

Drop-in, Snap-lock, Magnetic Lip. Every lid works with every shape.

Three stocks

3 mm, 4 mm, 6 mm. Hinge spacing and corner radii follow the thickness.

Kerf-compensated

Tabs grow and slots shrink by half your kerf, so parts press-fit without sanding.

Hinge patterns

Hinges that suit a apple

Any of the 21 patterns works on this shape; the cut spacing adapts to each curve of the wall. These four suit the Autumn and Thanksgiving collection. Each link opens the Apple with that hinge.

Leaf Vine cut layout: red cut lines and blue score lines
Leaf VinePro
Mirrored arcs form leaves
Herringbone cut layout: red cut lines and blue score lines
HerringbonePro
Parquet-style slants
Twill cut layout: red cut lines and blue score lines
TwillPro
Slanted dashes
Braid cut layout: red cut lines and blue score lines
BraidPro
Three-strand plait

Leaf Vine: Mirrored arcs that close into leaves on a vine. Botanical and wedding boxes, spring and autumn collections.

Before you cut

From file to finished box

Import the SVG at 1:1, give the blue layer a light score pass and the red layer a full cut, score first, then cut. The guides cover settings by machine and material, assembly, and selling what you make.

More like this

Autumn and Thanksgiving, and neighbours

Maple Leaf lid: red cut line with its scored lid art in blue
Maple LeafPro
Three lobes and a stem
Pinecone lid: red cut line with its scored lid art in blue
PineconePro
Scaled oval cone
Acorn lid: red cut line with its scored lid art in blue
AcornPro
Cap and nut
Mushroom lid: red cut line with its scored lid art in blue
MushroomPro
Dome cap, thick stem
Pine Tree lid: red cut line with its scored lid art in blue
Pine TreePro
Two-tier pine
Bell lid: red cut line with its scored lid art in blue
BellPro
Domed crown, flared mouth
Ornament lid: red cut line with its scored lid art in blue
OrnamentPro
Bauble with cap and loop
Snowman lid: red cut line with its scored lid art in blue
SnowmanPro
Three snowballs and a top hat
All shapes in Autumn and Thanksgiving Browse all 100 shapes

Questions about the apple box

Is the Apple box free to export?

You can design it, change every setting and fold it in 3D for free. Exporting its cut file needs Pro: $9 per month, $59 per year, $149 one-time. The Rounded Box, Curved Cylinder and Hexagon export free, so you can test your laser settings before you buy.

What size can a apple box be?

Anything from 60 to 400 mm across and 30 to 250 mm tall; the suggested size is 174 × 178 mm. Picking the shape keeps your current scale and applies its proportions, then you can set the width and length to the millimetre. Curves need a minimum radius for the hinge to bend (8 mm on 3 mm stock, 10 mm on 4 mm, 15 mm on 6 mm), and the studio warns you if a size is too small for your stock.

Which lasers and software can cut it?

Any laser whose software imports SVG or DXF at 1:1 in millimetres: LightBurn (Omtech, Monport, Ortur, Atomstack, Creality, K40 and most CO₂ and diode machines), xTool Creative Space, Glowforge (SVG), LaserGRBL and Inkscape. The file has a red cut layer, a blue score layer for the lid art and fold marks, and a black sheet boundary.

What material should I cut it from?

3, 4 or 6 mm flat sheet stock. Baltic birch plywood bends best; poplar plywood and MDF work for gentler curves. The hinge spacing is sized for the thickness you pick, and the free bend test strip tells you how far your particular sheet will go.

Can I sell apple boxes I make with it?

Yes. Boxes you cut from your exports are yours to sell, on Etsy, at fairs or anywhere else. What you may not do is resell or share the cut files themselves as a template.

Fold a apple box in your browser

No account, no download to install. The design opens ready to size.

Open the Studio