Although non-origami life has been over full lately, I still manage to get my fingers folding. A long plane trip was the perfect time to send myself partially insane in an attempt to find a new way to fold a one-sheet box with double thickness walls and floor from a rectangular sheet of paper. The result is the Diamond Box: a version with the diamond on the inside and a version with the diamond on the outside.
The models have been made from American Letter sized paper but any rectangle will do. The pictured models demonstrate that it is possible to fold the box lengthwise as well as from the other orientation.
Once again I apologize for providing CPs which are not easy to follow. It will definitely be easier to fold these models when I have completed traditional folding diagrams and instructions. Not this week, I'm afraid.
Both versions of the box are best folded from the colored side. The CPs reflect this. The black dotted lines over colored lines indicate that the crease changes direction during the folding process. The dotted black lines indicate that the crease has no function when the model is completed but is crucial during the manipulation stage.
The final , or near final, stage of both boxes involves either flattening the floor (the external diamond version) or tucking the bottom skin inside the walls (the internal version). Pictures of these processes would definitely help. I will endeavor to provide them later.
I will be most impressed with anyone who can provide evidence of folding these models without visual instruction. It took me several days to find a comfortable and easy method of folding them after I had invented them. My family could no doubt regale you with stories of my frustrated irritability during this time. Part of the problem was that the only American Letter sized paper that I could find with different colors on each side was absolutely terrible for origami. It cracked, split and tore under any kind of pressure. Arrgggghhhh.
Both versions can be shipped flat at a stage just prior to completion. This means that you can carry a collection around in your pocket or purse, allow your intended recipient to choose the paper of their choice and amaze them by converting the item into a box in a few seconds.
The stripped box shows the last few steps of folding the box with the diamonds on the inside. The diamond has already been formed at both ends. The side walls are carefully pulled out as the end walls are pulled up.
The orange spotted version show the final steps of the version with the diamond on the outside. In this case the diamond shape is made after the walls are pulled up and the floor is flattened.
If you want a lidded box use two sheets of paper, one about an eighth of an inch narrower and shorter than the other. Adjust this approximate measurement for thickness of paper. Make the small sheet into an internal diamond version and the larger sheet into an external diamond version. Put them together and admire.
There is a third model in this series in the pipeline. It will form the subject of a posting in the near future.
