Guides
Everything between the file and the finished box
Short, practical reading from the people who wrote the engine: what a living hinge actually does, how to set your laser up for one, and how to make boxes that sell.
- HingesTheory
How a living hinge works, and why boxes crack
What actually bends in a laser-cut living hinge, how cut spacing and bend radius decide whether plywood flexes or snaps, and how Hingesmith sizes every cut from the wood’s twist limit.
7 min read - KerfSetup
How to measure your laser’s kerf (and why hinge boxes need it)
A five-minute test cut that gives you your kerf to a hundredth of a millimetre, typical values for diode and CO₂ lasers, and what kerf compensation does to tabs, slots and hinges.
5 min read - SettingsMaterials
Cut and score settings for living-hinge boxes: plywood, MDF and acrylic
Starting points for cutting hinge boxes on xTool, Glowforge, Omtech and other CO₂ and diode lasers, which layer runs first, and the two settings that matter most for a hinge that bends.
8 min read - HingesSetup
The free bend test: find out how far your plywood bends before you cut a box
Hingesmith’s bend test kit is a free strip with four hinge zones and a gauge plate. Cut it once per sheet of wood, read the result and set Wood flex so every box is cut for that plywood.
5 min read - SoftwareSetup
Importing Hingesmith files into LightBurn and xTool Creative Space
How the SVG and DXF files are laid out (cut, score and boundary layers, millimetres, 1:1), how to map the layers in LightBurn, xTool Creative Space and Glowforge, and the order to run them in.
6 min read - Assembly
How to assemble a living-hinge box: tabs, seams, lids and finishing
From a sheet of parts to a finished box: wrapping the hinged wall, seating the tabs, closing the seam, fitting a drop-in, snap-lock or magnetic lid, and finishing the wood.
7 min read - Materials
Best wood for living hinges: Baltic birch, poplar plywood, MDF and acrylic compared
Which sheet materials flex, which snap, what thickness to buy for which box size, and how to tell good plywood from bad before you waste a sheet.
6 min read - Selling
Selling laser-cut boxes on Etsy and at craft fairs: a seasonal plan
What sells, when to list it, how to price a living-hinge box, how personalisation changes the margin, and what the Hingesmith licence lets you sell.
9 min read