Carousel shadow box SVG
A carousel with its horses at the fair, with a striped big top and trees behind it, a lamp and a bunch of balloons beside it and a tricycle left by the fence at the front. 5 sheets of card, cut and stacked with a gap between each, make the picture. The files are free, and every part of the scene can be moved, swapped or resized below before you download.
5 sheets at 8 × 8 in, zipped, with a note on putting them together.
Free for personal and commercial use, no sign-up. What you can do with it.
The 5 sheets
Sheet 1 is the back and sheet 5 is the front. Each one is a single piece with the same frame round its edge, so they line up when stacked. The colours shown are the “Autumn” set; cut them in any card you like. Cut sheet 5, “Fence and tricycle”, the slowest: at 0.7 mm it has the thinnest part in the scene, and sheet 5, “Fence and tricycle”, fills the most of the view, 28% of it.
| Sheet | What is on it | Narrowest part | Seen from the front |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Sun | A whole sheet with holes for: Plain disc | over 2 mm | 29% |
| 2. Big top and trees | Rolling ground, with: Circus tent big top, Round tree silhouette and Oak tree with a broad crown | over 2 mm | 13% |
| 3. Carousel | Flat ground, with: Carousel with three horses | over 2 mm | 18% |
| 4. Lamp and balloons | Rolling ground, with: Three balloons and Lantern on a lamp post | 1.5 mm | 9% |
| 5. Fence and tricycle | A gentle slope, with: 2 × Picket fence with pointed tops, Tricycle with handlebar streamers and Bunch of grass | 0.7 mm | 28% |
Measured from the files at 8 × 8 in. The narrowest part is the thinnest neck of card that holds anything on; sharp tips are not counted. “Seen from the front” is the share of the picture that sheet fills once the sheets in front of it are in place.
Will it cut at your size?
The download is 8 × 8 in. The scene maker above makes the same scene at any of these sizes; the thinnest part scales with it.
| Frame opening | Each sheet | Narrowest part | Depth needed | Fits a 12 × 12 in mat | Rule of thumb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 × 6 in | 152.4 × 152.4 mm | 0.5 mm | 17 mm | Yes | Too fine: choose a larger size |
| 20 × 20 cm | 200 × 200 mm | 0.7 mm | 17 mm | Yes | Fine detail: sharp blade, slow speed |
| 8 × 8 in | 203.2 × 203.2 mm | 0.7 mm | 17 mm | Yes | Fine detail: sharp blade, slow speed |
| 23 × 23 cm | 230 × 230 mm | 0.8 mm | 17 mm | Yes | Fine detail: sharp blade, slow speed |
| 25 × 25 cm | 250 × 250 mm | 0.9 mm | 17 mm | Yes | Fine detail: sharp blade, slow speed |
Depth needed allows 3 mm of foam between sheets and 5 mm for the card itself and the backing.
Making this one
The carousel looks intricate, but at 8 inches nothing on its sheet is under 2 mm, so it cuts cleanly. The front sheet, with the fence and the tricycle, has the finest parts, at about 0.7 mm. In warm colours with a light behind, the gaps between the horses glow like fairground lights.
- Cut all 5 sheets from 160 to 220 gsm card at the same size.
- Lay them out in order, sheet 1 at the back.
- Put strips of 3 mm foam tape round the border of sheet 1 and press sheet 2 onto it with the edges level. Carry on to sheet 5.
- Fit the stack into a deep frame with the front sheet against the glass. For a light box, run a strip of warm white LEDs round the inside of the frame behind the stack.
The zip includes these steps as a text file, each sheet as its own SVG and all 5 side by side in one SVG. More on paper, frames and lights is on the shadow box page.
The parts, on their own
Everything in the scene comes from the free SVG library, where each has its own page and file:
Questions
Can I make it smaller than 8 inches?
The carousel would still cut at 6 inches, but the finest part of the front sheet would be about 0.5 mm, which is too thin to lift cleanly. Stay at 8 inches or larger, or make the parts of the front sheet bigger in the maker first.
How are the balloons held?
Their strings run down to the ground of their sheet, so the bunch is one piece with it and needs no thread.
Can I sell boxes I make with it?
Yes. Finished pieces are yours to sell. The files themselves may not be sold or shared; send people to this page. See the licence.
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