revised 6/2025: The IKEA NORDLI modular drawer collection has been discontinued. It is no longer possible to build new cases like these.

revised 7/2023: added Decimator MDHX Holder accessory

The Voxel Case is our cable and equipment storage solution at The Voxel Theater in Baltimore, MD. We designed the cases with four goals in mind:

• Modular. As we grow, our inventory will grow. Changing should be easy.
• Intuitive. Guest artists should be able to easily find what they need.
• Tidy. We regularly host guests and classes, so we want the theater to look nice.
• Inexpensive.

We centered the design on the IKEA NORDLI modular chest-of-drawers system. We then designed a light-duty castered enclosure to accomodate. Though they aren't quite robust enough to go out on tour, they work great rolling around our theater.

Using a modular system means drawers can be swapped without modifying the case itself. We think they look pretty sharp!

One Voxel Case costs around $650, including all hardware.

Shopping List

Prices are accurate as of 6/2022

NORDLI Modules

Prepare Materials

The box can be made from two 4x8 sheets of 23/32" (common ¾") plywood. We chose sanded Birch plywood because we like the finish.

Sheet Layout

Latch Cutouts

Cut out notches for latches as indicated. These measurements are for Medium Recessed Latches from Reliable Hardware, and will need to be adjusted if you use different latches.

Alternatively, the notches can be routed out to a depth of ⅝" instead of cut out completely.

Caster bolt holes

Drill 5/16" holes for 5/16" x 1-¼" carriage bolts. This pattern ensures that there's space for the heads of the carriage bolts on the inside.

Paint

Now's the time to paint it. We gave it a base coat of dark muck paint, then black latex, and finally a clear seal coat for durability. We also painted a name for each case on the side, so you can tell what's in it.

We also left the inside of the lid unpainted, to make the accessories easier to see.

Assemble

Assemble the case as shown using your preferred fasteners. We opted to use glue and screws.

Pay close attention to which pieces cap the others!

Cut the piano hinge to 4'-8". Temporarily clamp the front to the case, line it up, and screw in the hinge between the two halves.

Then bolt on the casters using (16) 5/16" x 1-¼" carriage bolts, (16) 5/16" nuts, and (16) 5/16" washers.

Finally, screw in the two bottom spacers. They should be against the outside of the box and not obstruct the caster bolts.

Drawers

There's five different NORDLI drawer modules that can be mixed together. Each unit has one or two mounting holes in the back.

The case is slightly wider than the drawer units- you may wish to shim the ⅛" space on the left and right sides. Once the module is in place, drill a 5/16" hole through the back of the case, using the factory hole in the NORDLI unit as a guide.

Bolt the module down using 5/16" x 2-¾" carriage bolts, 5/16" nuts, and 5/16" washers, with the head of the bolt on the outside of the case.

For added durability, use wood glue when assembling the drawers!

Notes

Here are some things we've learned while using our new cases:

• The top drawers are a bit too high for shorter technicians. We don't put anything in those drawers that requires a top-down view to find. You might consider leaving the top ⅙of the case as a open-faced shelf, as we did in our Video case.
• Use PETG filament when printing accessories, it's worth it for the increased durability.
• Print out useful references (cable color codes etc) and tape them up to the inside of the lid for quick reference.
• We don't like the desaturated light color of some of our circle stickers. If we were to do it all over, we'd use the stickers linked on the accessories section.

Accessories

We designed a series of 3D printable hangers and holders to store things in the lid of a Voxel Case. We recommend printing with thick walls and a sturdy filament such as PETG.

Circle labels

Circle stickers: https://www.amazon.com/Assorted-Stickers-Adhesive-Inventory-Classification/dp/B09FSSSK5G/

We used clear labelmaker labels on top of these stickers to add text.