Laser cut generator
Advent calendar
Vector: Tell me what hides behind each day. I'll size every block. Cut: And I'll make sure every treat has a clear way down.
A chimney of plywood blocks. Pull the tab of a day and its treat drops through the chimney into the fireplace. Say what goes in which block and the sizes come out right. The walls lock into each other, only the two layers of the mantel are glued.
Treats
Each row is one kind of treat and how many days it takes. The block for each day is as tall as its treat needs. The sizes are typical; wrappers differ, so measure yours and pick Custom size.
Material
Kerf
Kerf is built into the file; leave kerf offset off in your laser software. Measure your kerf with the Kerf test first.
Fit
Corner play is extra width of the lock slots. Plate play lets the plate slide. The pegs have a small snap bump, so they click in. Cut the fireplace and one block first and adjust.
Clips and look
A clip is a small C-shaped piece. Its two prongs go through square holes in the walls of two blocks and end flush inside, so the channel stays clear. Pull it straight out to take the tower apart. The brick lines are scored on the outside of the long walls: put those parts face up.
Channel and fireplace
Empty channel fields: the channel fits the biggest treat plus the room you set on each side. The fireplace is made taller automatically when the tallest treat would not slide out of the fireplace opening.
Sheet
■ engraving (day numbers) ■ fast score (brick pattern) ■ cut
Checking that you’re human…
Switch off for laminated hardboard (MDF) or veneer with a pattern or grain: every part keeps its direction, so the pattern runs the same way on the whole tower. It may need more sheets.
- Height
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- Footprint
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- Channel
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- Sheets
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The preview and the files are made by our file service from the numbers you enter. The first preview may ask you to tick “Verify you are human”.
A download sends only the numbers of your settings and your signed pass token, with no name or email.
Vector: I'M A GENIUS… Your file is ready. Cut: Cut the fireplace and one block first. Real plywood has the last word.
Want a ready-made calendar?Advent calendars and Christmas designs, ready to cut, from $2.
How to use it
- Add the treats you will put in the calendar and how many days each one takes. The page sizes every block and the channel from them.
- Pick your plywood thickness. Measure your kerf first with the Kerf test and put it in Advanced settings.
- Download the SVG or DXF and open it in LightBurn, xTool Creative Space or the Glowforge app. Blue lines are the engraved day numbers, green lines are the fast light score of the brick pattern, red lines are cuts. Run blue and green first, red last. Many days need several sheets: you get a ZIP with one file per sheet.
Putting it together
- Build bottom to top. Floor first: three plates like steps, the biggest (step 3) on the table, step 2 on it (it has three slots), step 1 on top of that (the big window in the middle). Each step is 5 mm narrower than the one below; step 1 is 15 mm wider than the fireplace on every side.
- Fireplace: the wall with the arched opening is the front. Push the four walls into each other at the corners, long walls with the slots down, short walls with the slots up. The fireplace has no floor plate of its own: it stands on step 2. Stand the fireplace in the window of step 1 on step 2: the three tabs (back wall and the two short walls, 20 mm, in the middle) go into the slots of step 2. The window of step 1 follows the foot of the fireplace. The arched opening goes down to the bottom edge of the front wall. The fireplace is 15 mm wider than the tower on every side.
- Mantel (the shelf): two loose layers, no glue. Lay the lower layer, as big as the fireplace, on top of it: the 20 mm tabs on the top edge of the four fireplace walls go into its four slots, then the upper layer (5 mm larger all round) on top of that. Both have the same opening for the channel with four small slots. The mantel is 15 mm wider than the tower on every side (20 mm at the upper layer); you can put small decorations on it around the tower.
- Block for day 1 next: lock its four walls and press it onto the mantel: the four long pegs under the block go through both layers and click into the lower one, so the block holds the two layers together. Then slide the plate for day 1 into the slot of the short walls, it simply lies on the mantel. Plates marked as cut go in with the tab on the left, plates marked half turn go in turned around flat, with the tab on the right. Always keep the engraved number face up. The walls carry no numbers: blocks of the same height are identical, and blocks can change places if you like; turn a block round if its tab side is wrong. Short walls: the wide slot goes on the tab side, the narrow slot on the other side; the plate stops against it. The next blocks click onto the one below (pegs into notches, or the clips).
- Fill each block with its treat before the next block goes on. The last block is filled from the top and closed with the lid.
- Santa: push the tab of his legs into the slot in the middle of the lid. No glue; the shoulders of the piece rest on the lid. Switch him off in Advanced settings if you want a plain lid.
- To open a day, pull the lowest tab that is still in. The treat drops through the empty blocks into the fireplace.
FAQ
Can I sell calendars made from these files?
Yes. Files from this generator are free for personal and commercial use. You can sell the calendars you make.
How does the chimney work?
The calendar is a stack of rectangular blocks with one open channel through all of them. The floor of each block is a plate that lies in a slot in the short walls, with a numbered tab sticking out. When you pull the lowest plate that is still in, the treat of that block falls through the blocks below, which are already empty, into the fireplace at the bottom and slides out through the arched opening in its front wall onto the floor steps.
How are the block sizes chosen?
Each block is as tall as its treat plus the plate, with a millimetre of room. The channel is one size for the whole tower: the biggest treat plus the room you set on each side, so every treat can fall through every block below it. A long treat such as a lollipop makes every block long, so the page warns you.
Do I need glue?
Almost none. At every corner the long wall has a slot from the bottom to the middle and the short wall a slot from the top to the middle, so the walls push into each other. The blocks sit on each other and the pegs with a small snap bump click into the notches above them. The tower stays in one piece, and you can take it apart after the season. The mantel layers are not glued either: the long pegs under block 1 pass through both of them.
Which plywood thickness should I use?
Choose 3 mm, 4 mm or 6 mm (1/8, 3/16 or 1/4 inch). Everything, the plates included, is cut from the same sheet. The plates only carry the treat of their own block; the weight of the tower goes through the walls.
Are the treat sizes exact?
No, they are typical sizes lying flat. Wrappers differ by country and brand, so measure your treat and choose Custom size when it matters. Use only treats in their wrapper: plywood and the cut edges are not food safe.
Should I turn on kerf offset in my laser software?
No. Kerf is already built into the file. Leave kerf offset off in LightBurn, xTool Creative Space or the Glowforge app, or the slots will come out too wide. If you untick "Compensate kerf" in Advanced settings, set the offset in your laser software instead.
The blocks are too tight or too loose. What do I change?
Too tight at the corners: raise the corner play by 0.05 mm. Too loose: lower it. A plate that sticks needs more plate play per side, a plate that rattles needs less. Cut the fireplace and one block first; the kerf test on this site finds your real kerf.
What if the parts do not fit on one sheet?
The generator adds more sheets. You then get a ZIP with one file per sheet, so each file matches one piece of material. A calendar for 24 days usually needs several sheets.
Do I need an account?
The preview is free and needs no account. Downloading files needs a CutCat Pro pass. The 3D view runs in your browser, but the exact parts are calculated by our file service: your calendar settings (treats, number of days, plywood thickness, sheet size) are sent to it for the preview and when you press a download button, and it sends the result back. When you are signed in with a pass, a signed pass token goes with the download, with no name or email. The settings are not stored there. A Cloudflare security check (Turnstile) runs on the page to stop bots. Your settings are remembered only in your own browser, on this device. If you allow statistics cookies, we count downloads (the number of days, the thickness, the format and the number of sheets) to see which tools help. Never your treats or your files.
Which format should I choose?
SVG for LightBurn, xTool and Glowforge. DXF for CAD programs and older laser software.