Cryptic title aside, I'm referring to the fact that once you get a 3D Printer, every solution in your hacking and building arsenal becomes a new 3D model which needs to be printed on your 3D printer. [sarcasm ahead] Don't buy a cheap off-the-shelf solution when you can spend hours finding, fixing and printing your own solution that will not come cheap! Why use tried and true laser cutting or (gasp!) hand-cutting and finishing? That's so old school of you! [/sarcasm]
I do not have a 3D printer (yet!), but between my BFF Christian, my local nerd pal Panik, and the newly discovered r/3dprintmything on Reddit, I've begun feeling the pull of this bad habit, and have started collecting my own assorted 3D models in STL Format for printing again (I prefer to host my own files and not rely on any third party service to host/distribute my work). Big thanks to Tinkercad, which is my current favorite web-based 3D modeling app, although some of these designs started in Adobe Illustrator. Special mad thanks to View STL for managing the simple process of embedded STL previews of my models below. I also found and liked how 3D Less did a bang-up job of dropping vertices and making smaller files. I will update this page as I release new designs that have passed my approval process.
Keyboard Lip Clip [2021/04/20]
This odd piece is usually printed in pairs, and clips to the 19mm shelf I have on my desk, so I can temporarily store my skinny keyboard leaning away from me and off the desk. Went through a few revisions, where I undersized the opening, and made them too thin in profile. This design has a small hole drilled in the top for a pushpin to permanently mount it to the soft pine wood.
Desktop Pen Caddy [2021/07/29]
Scroll down for the updated version of this design. This boring square box is my hold-everything for my desk. Places for pens, pencils, xactos, rulers, post its, scales, scissors, hand files, and more. It's got a thick filled bottom, but should be printed with light infill. A big step up in storage compared to my last version which is merely a block of wood with assorted sized holes drilled in it. Here's it printed in black in use on my desk (July 2022).
'Darth' Fader Rotary Potentiometer Cap [2021/04/23]
For an upcoming short run re-release of our classic 2006-era TheXFader handheld stereo audio mixer. I used an open source design of the classic Darth Vader mask (sorry unlinked) to start, resizing it much smaller than intended for printing, then filled in the eyes, flattened the neck and put a post hole in the head. Should be printed in black plastic, the finished height of this is exactly 1.34 inch, and probably needs to be printed upside down with supports due to the expanding brim of his helmet.
Double Pinch Spice Bowl for Kitchen [2022/08/09]
First pass at a kitchen bowl that will hold salt & pepper for hand-spicing. I have metal lids I'm reusing for the lid already.
Desktop Pen Caddy v.2 [2022/08/10]
Version two of my desktop organizer, this time I rightly made my post-it note areas more accessible. I also made it slightly taller, beveled a bunch of edges, made the holes deeper (or shallower) for their intended use, and added a slot to hold a NFC ePaper Device I use to maintain postage rates. I also engraved my logo onto the front of the caddy. Fun!
Stamp Dispenser [2022/08/10]
Version 3 of my Stamp Dispenser. Should be applied using double-sided tape to the inside of a drawer, with the 'open' side still accessible to replace the roll when you run out. Has a outfeed for the backing, and a toothed tear strip to remove excess. Still leaves room on the top to label what type of stamps are inside - as there are several types that come on a roll, thankfully, all stamp denominations are 1" wide, and will fit our dispenser.
Sonos Connect (Generation One) Wall Mount [2022/08/16]
I have a Sonos Connect (Generation 1), an internet audio hub long discontinued by the manufacturer and wanted to wall mount it. Unlike the rest of the Sonos line, this has no speakers, but rather stereo audio out and in, as well as a 2-port ethernet hub making it a perfect brain for a house PA system. Since it has an audio input, I'm not stuck with always internet streaming, either. My own searches for similar wall mounts found no options on eBay, Etsy or Amazon that wasn't an expensive import or for a more recent Sonos model (which are shorter and wider).