Foam Board Project Dimensions

Ok, ladies, here are my dimensions.

Ink Pad Holder

supplies needed - foam board (4 pieces) 20" x 30", 3/16" thick
                           craft knife and several extra blades
                           quilting ruler(s) and cutting pad
                           pencil
                           hot glue gun and glue sticks (high temp)
                           lots of patience!

outer dimensions -  15"H x 24"W x 5"D
shelves - 3 3/4"D x 24" L (cut 12 (or 13 if you don't need a taller space at the bottom for daubers))
vertical supports - 1 1/4" x 13 3/4" (cut 5)  This is the right measurement.  I didn't cut channels in the bottom of the top shelf, so they don't need to be 14" unless you cut the channels.
left and right sides - 5" x 15" (cut 2)
top and bottom - 5" x 24" (cut 2)
back - 15" x 24" (cut 1)

You can obviously customize this to make it bigger or smaller.  For each horizontal row, add or subtract 1"; for each vertical column, add or subtract 4".  All other measurements should stay the same.

The shelves aren't as deep as the outer sides because I wanted the edge of the ink pad to stick out a little from the shelf.  This leaves a little space between the pads and I think it makes it easier to remove them.

Using my quilting ruler, I drew pencil lines starting from one edge 3 3/4" long and 1" apart on each side panel.  (If you want to make the shelf on top to hold reinkers, cut the top slot all the way from the front to the back.  This is where the 'top' piece goes.  If you don't want the top shelf, make your sides 1" shorter.)  Then I cut a slot with a craft knife a little less than 3/16" wide centered over each line.  This allows for a snug fit, and in my opinion, requires less glue to hold it together.  You can 'feel' how deep you make the cut, and just don't want to go through the back side of the foamboard.    Once my slots were cut, I used a jewelry tweezer to slide along the bottom of the foam to remove it from the back side of the paper.  You could use a small flat head screwdriver to do this, but I was lazy and didn't want to go to the garage to find one.  Anything that is dull and about 3/16" wide will work.  You can test your first slot by sticking the shelf in it to see how snug the fit is.  Then adjust your slot width if necessary.  Also make sure you mark your lines as mirror images on each end panel.  I made the mistake of marking them the same and had to re-do it.


See how the side panels are mirror images of each other?  The top slot goes all the way from front to back for the top to fit into.  I also trimmed 3/16" of foam from the bottom edge of each panel for the bottom to fit into.

I used my quilting ruler as a guide when cutting with the craft knife which makes it really easy to line everything up.  I tried a rotary cutter, and it didn't work, so craft knife it was.  You will go through several blades as they tend to dull quickly.  If you find that the foam pulls a little, and you aren't getting a clean cut, it's time to get a new blade.  I used at least 3 blades for this project.

Now it is time to cut holes in the shelves for the vertical supports to fit through.  The supports are a little less than 4" apart.  (This is because the end of each shelf goes into slots on the side panels 3/16" on each end.)  I measured my center line first - 12" from one end, then measured a tiny bit less than 4" for each of the other supports.  Each slot is 1 1/4" long and a little less than 3/16" wide and centered in the shelf (1 1/4" from both the front and back).  This time you will want to cut all the way through the foam board to make a hole.  This is where the first dose of patience comes in.  It takes a long time to cut those 60 little holes!

You will need to cut holes in the bottom panel in the same way.  Just start the slot 1 1/4" from the back edge, and they will all line up.

The holes are centered on each shelf, but are 1 1/4" from the back edge of the bottom panel.  See how they will all line up when assembled?

Now summon up some courage and patience, because it is time to start assembling.  This is the most rewarding part, though, and you will be so excited when you see it start to take shape!

I did a dry run first, without hot glue, just to make sure it was going to fit together.  Once I was satisfied with a few shelves in place, I disassembled it and started over with hot glue.  I used a high heat glue gun.  You have to act quickly, and have a few fractions of a second more to work with when you use high heat vs. low heat.  You could try a low heat gun if you already have it, but even the high heat started to set before I was ready toward the end of assembly.

Working one at a time, place a small bead of glue around the very bottom of each vertical support strip, and place into the slots on the bottom panel.  (Be sure to lift it up after every time to make sure you don't glue your project to the table.  Don't ask me how I know to do that!)

This is what you should have at this point.

Now it is time to slide each shelf onto the supports.  I tested most of the slots in the shelf, but if they are a little tight, just take it slow and easy pushing them down.  After you get each shelf in place, measure all the way around to make sure it is level.  Making sure they are evenly spaced is very important!  I used the end panels as a guide for placement. Then run a small bead of glue around the vertical support/shelf junction.  Add one shelf at a time, making sure it is spaced correctly before glueing.

Here, I have used the end panels as a spacing guide.  Do not glue the end panels in place yet.  You will do that after all the shelves are in place.

Continue adding shelves until they are all on the vertical supports.  Here is where you will need your second dose of patience.  You are going to glue each end panel on the shelves, and you must act very quickly once you apply the hot glue.  I started each shelf about an inch or so into its corresponding slot, quickly ran a bead of glue in all the remaining slot areas, then carefully slid the panel the rest of the way onto the shelves.  Do this for both end panels.

Now you will be ready to attach the top.  I put glue in each end panel slot and on the top of each vertical support, and set the top in place.  The front strip on the little top shelf measures 7/8" x 23 5/8".  Glue it in place, and all that is left is the back panel.

I glued the back on in two steps by running glue on one side edge and only halfway across the top and bottom edges before putting the back in place.  Then I ran glue on the remaining edges to attach the remaining half.

Ta-da!  Wasn't that fun?  You should be proud of yourself.  I know I was!

If you run into any problems, or can't make sense of my directions, please let me know and I will try to help.

And just because, I have to say this...  This is my own original design, including the measurements and directions.  Please feel free to use it to make your own projects, but please don't copy or sell it for your own profit.  Thank you.

I will be posting directions for my Copic marker cubbies next, and they are a lot less complicated.  If you are going to make both, I would start with the Copic cubby, then tackle the ink pad holder.

Guess I should have posted directions for them first.  What was I thinking?!  Sheesh!

Thanks again for your interest, and I'll be back soon with Copic cubby directions.

K