The Ladder Box is a modular, adjustable shelving unit, designed to store electronics and their wiring. Everything is laser-cut from either bamboo plywood or red-tint acrylic. Ordinary wood glue is used to hold the parts together to form the major components, but the main assembly is knock-down.
The supports are on the outside in order to maximize internal space and leave the interior sides flat. This also reveals the construction, and the charred edges highlight the manufacturing process.
Instead of hiding the charring, or the supports, they are visible as a design element down the front, sides, and back. The box uses this "inside out" aesthetic to demonstrate how it was constructed. The exterior reveal of the tabs also exposes the interior configuration, showing where the shelves and dividers are mounted.
Acrylic was chosen for both its transparency and color. It also has a bit of an "oooh, shiny!" factor. Being transparent, the status lights of the electronics are visible through the panels without needing to open the box. The red gives a nice, strong contrast to the more neutral bamboo, while still complementing its warm tone.
There are cable runs through the shelves and top, as well as the back panel. Internal divider panels help organize the electronics and increase rigidity of the assembly.
The electronics in this instance are a cable modem, wireless router, old laptop running FreeNAS, external hard drive enclosure, and powerstrip for everything. The only connections leading out are for the cable net connection and power.
Though designed with this specific electronics configuration in mind, it is flexible and can accommodate a variety of configurations.
Ideation and performance specs were worked out using sketches. Modeling in Rhinoceros was done to determine sizing and assembly. This was followed by a cardboard prototype to verify the sizing and usability. Though slightly flimsy, the prototype was functional, containing the file server, router, and all the cabling.
Once the prototype proved the concept, the parts were arranged in Rhino, virtually cut and built to ensure fit, then sent off to Ponoko SF for cutting.
The Ladder Box kit is on sale at Ponoko. For now, the only inserts available are shelves and vertical dividers. However, the flexible mounting system means different inserts can be made, including drawers or even purpose built shelves for specific applications. (Think a caddy for a Mac Mini media server, an ethernet cable coiling panel, or a shelf with a secret compartment!)
The Ladder Box was even a featured product in the Ponoko showroom for a time.
There is a blog post debuting the Ladder Box modular shelf, with some thoughts on the theory behind the analog + digital process.