This box is decorated with a molecule of my Woven Triangles Tessellation IV. Based on the crease pattern, you can fold the complete box, or use just the central part and fold the tessellation. In contrast to other members of the Woven Triangles family, the molecule uses a 10 by 10 grid rather than 8 by 8.
In addition to photo diagrams, a clean precrease pattern is included. You can use it to fold the model without any visible grid lines. The precreases can be constructed using pure origami methods. You can find some tips on how to do that in my blog post.
A Printable Crease Pattern
Editor’s note: Daniel Scher created a PDF of an 8-inch clean crease pattern that can be printed on an 8½ x 11-inch sheet of paper. Daniel's original will give you a box with visible lines. I appended a version in which the lines are hidden inside the box. I also added crease patterns for 6-inch paper. All four versions are in the PDF above.
A Masu Box Bottom
Editor’s note: If you want to make a basic masu bottom (with the edges of the blintz meeting at the center), here are the paper sizes you will need (and read no further):
- Use a 6-inch square sheet for the box top and an 8⅛-inch square sheet for the bottom.
- Use an 8-inch square sheet for the box top and an 11-inch square sheet for the bottom.
The diagrams in the PDF above show how to make masu box bottoms of varying depths. Here is the range of paper sizes for 6- and 8-inch squares:
If you start with a 6-inch sheet (to make a 3-inch top):
- Use a 7½ to 9-inch sheet for the bottom to make a medium-depth box.
- For a very shallow box bottom, use a 6-inch square. For an almost-cube, use a 12-inch square.
If you use an 8-inch square sheet (to make a 4-inch top):
- Use a 10 to 12-inch sheet for the bottom to make a medium-depth box.
- For a very shallow box bottom, use an 8-inch square. For an almost-cube, use a 16-inch square.