I did this because I am trying to sell some shit I co-invented with people who already made it 10+ years ago but aren't selling it right.
Anyhow, if you've never seen a modern 3D printer they are amazing. First test print I did I kept saying wow over and over again.
While I'm primarily using it for my device I'm finding that it has a million and a half household uses as well. Once you get good enough at autodesk (which btw is not all that hard) you can just whip things up very quickly.
Well, to be fair, right now I'm printing a laptop case for my tablet computer that lost its keyboard. On the top half I just mount the computer and on the bottom half I put in a wireless keyboard and mouse. It has room for a usb hub, strain relief on the power cord, a couple gizmos, etc. And this one did take me a very frustrating 6-7 hours to design but I myself am very new and this allowed me to keep using my old computer instead of having to buy a new one. Now it's basically a laptop again and in a lot of ways better than new.
Of course you can 3D print guns but that's dumb, just buy a normal gun or a pipe gun or something. But to each his own.
Anyways, I just wanted to share this. If you do stuff like woodworking you definitely should add 3D printing to your repertoire.
this is the one i got (to my knowledge that is not an affiliate link or anything, i'm not getting paid by amazon. you can search for it yourself if you'd like, FlashForge Adventurer 5M Pro)
[ + ] o0shad0o
[ - ] o0shad0o 7 points 2 monthsFeb 26, 2025 21:03:19 ago (+7/-0)
[ + ] albatrosv15
[ - ] albatrosv15 4 points 2 monthsFeb 27, 2025 01:03:56 ago (+4/-0)*
[ + ] germ22
[ - ] germ22 5 points 2 monthsFeb 26, 2025 20:52:44 ago (+5/-0)
[ + ] JustALover
[ - ] JustALover 4 points 2 monthsFeb 27, 2025 02:01:40 ago (+4/-0)
Sure they have a "free" tier, but the data is not yours and it's only to get you hooked to their shit so you can pay for it later.
I use Blender. It's free, powerful and there are tons of videos showing how to do things. Blender v4 can open and save STLs, while v3 can import and export. I have to use v3 because my graphics card is old.
The best way to start designing shit is to take someone else's design, figure out what needs to be changed, and then search for info on how to modify it.
[ + ] titstitstits
[ - ] titstitstits [op] 1 point 2 monthsFeb 27, 2025 02:45:52 ago (+1/-0)
[ + ] mikenigger
[ - ] mikenigger -1 points 2 monthsFeb 27, 2025 08:22:49 ago (+0/-1)
[ + ] KosherHiveKicker
[ - ] KosherHiveKicker 4 points 2 monthsFeb 26, 2025 21:13:18 ago (+4/-0)
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddIHfS_27pE
You can use their website to get an amazingly close template for exact guns, and items. I've been making my own version of these on my own, and printing them in modular builds.
[ + ] Kozel
[ - ] Kozel 4 points 2 monthsFeb 26, 2025 21:01:40 ago (+5/-1)
/ref=sr_1_6_sspa
the actual link where OP can't see everything you buy for the next 15 days
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CH4RG161/
[ + ] ModernGuilt
[ - ] ModernGuilt 3 points 2 monthsFeb 26, 2025 22:12:20 ago (+3/-0)
[ + ] Stonkmar
[ - ] Stonkmar 2 points 2 monthsFeb 26, 2025 20:52:36 ago (+2/-0)
[ + ] o0shad0o
[ - ] o0shad0o 2 points 2 monthsFeb 26, 2025 21:04:24 ago (+2/-0)
[ + ] KosherHiveKicker
[ - ] KosherHiveKicker 2 points 2 monthsFeb 26, 2025 21:18:53 ago (+2/-0)
You just tweak it a bit, and print.
[ + ] lolxd
[ - ] lolxd 1 point 2 monthsFeb 27, 2025 02:07:37 ago (+1/-0)
[ + ] titstitstits
[ - ] titstitstits [op] 2 points 2 monthsFeb 27, 2025 02:48:11 ago (+2/-0)
2. once youre good at it you start to see a lot of uses for cheap plastic parts
3. take a look around you. see anything plastic?
btw i used to think exactly the same way as you. i thought they were stupid. but i didn't buy it as a toy to print out anime figurines. i bought it as a tool, like an air compressor or impact driver.
[ + ] lolxd
[ - ] lolxd 1 point 2 monthsFeb 27, 2025 10:49:59 ago (+1/-0)
Anything I need made from plastic is injection molded because it's cheaper to produce with economies of scale.
Anything creative and unique I need, I have access to real cnc machines for. Prototyping is nice and all, but I don't need to prototype anything around my house either. I'll make whatever I need out of wood with my own hand tools, or if I need something made out of metal, I'll just borrow an empty machine at my employer or someone I know that owns their own lathe/mill at home.
[ + ] rectangle
[ - ] rectangle 2 points 2 monthsFeb 27, 2025 04:12:33 ago (+2/-0)
Instead you should treat it as another tool in your toolbox. You can design and print some very functional items.
[ + ] lolxd
[ - ] lolxd 1 point 2 monthsFeb 27, 2025 11:13:08 ago (+1/-0)
[ + ] registereduser
[ - ] registereduser 1 point 2 monthsFeb 26, 2025 21:50:45 ago (+2/-1)
[ + ] BushChuck5002
[ - ] BushChuck5002 -1 points 2 monthsFeb 27, 2025 09:13:03 ago (+1/-2)
[ + ] BushChuck5002
[ - ] BushChuck5002 -1 points 2 monthsFeb 26, 2025 21:28:54 ago (+1/-2)
Get yourself a CO2 laser as well https://www.xtool.com/?ref=5jlBYnFoEpyThA
[ + ] JustALover
[ - ] JustALover 2 points 2 monthsFeb 27, 2025 03:38:04 ago (+2/-0)
[ + ] mikenigger
[ - ] mikenigger 1 point 2 monthsFeb 27, 2025 05:53:53 ago (+2/-1)
[ + ] BushChuck5002
[ - ] BushChuck5002 -2 points 2 monthsFeb 27, 2025 09:10:13 ago (+0/-2)