A Few of My Experiments

3D Printing Gallery
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These are a few things I’ve done with my CR-M4.

This is a little machinist’s jack from an old technical drawing text book. Total height when the post is screwed down is about three inches.

The parts before assembly. Threads are just as they came off the printer.

This are some screws for a the U-joint shown in the next image.

This U-joint was modeled from details provided in a technical drawing textbook from about 1905

The screws are threaded into the yokes. They don’t show but there are 3D printed tapered pins to keep the shafts in the yokes. For me, those sorts of small diameter pins are the hardest to print well. On the other hand, it would probably be better to create the pins some other way.

Thanks for looking.

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Wow this is very cool! And very well printed, its very interesting to see such an old design produced with such a modern process.

Keep up the good work!
Matt

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Thank you Matt. I enjoy making digital models of old machines and machine parts and it seems kind of an easy transition to 3D printing them. And I told my wife I bought a 3D printed but I was only going to use it to model useful stuff. I had my fingers crossed behind my back when I said it. :wink:

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HI DaveR1

Thanks for sharing, those are some super clean prints. Nice design work as I am assuming the items you found were not in STL format.

Are you making them for a specific purpose or just for the enjoyment of the project?

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Thanks Jason.

Uou are correct They were not .stl files until I made them. I started from dimensioned drawings in ancient textbooks. I created the 3D models in SketchUp from which the .stl files were made.

Those aren’t intended to be part of a larger model but I have toyed with the idea of 3D printing a steam engine model I’ve made. I’ve modeled a steam whistle which I need to photograph yet. It doesn’t whistle, though.

Here’s a few other thingsI’ve done.

A connecting rod also from the early 19000s. The screws and nuts thread together.

Some more practical things.

Skids to go on the footplate hanger on a wheelchair. A pair of these clip onto the tube and get secured with zip ties. The footrest is very close to the ground and these prevent the aluminum from getting scuffed when going down ramps. Basically these are expendable.

Clips to attach the bag to the cross tube under the seat of the same chair that got the skids. The back was intended as a fanny pack-type camera bag but it got repurposed.

Hooks to modify a wheelchair lift so the chair is picked up by it’s larger axle tube instead of by the backrest. The white foam was a temporary thing and has since been replaced with better foam and the phillips-head screws screws have been replaced with proper hex-drive button head screws to match the others.

Seems like there’s a theme but it’s unintentional.

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those are awesome designs, always amazed by the power of SketchUp.

I like your steam engine idea though… Just a thought for it if you don’t mind me putting my 2 cents in there. I know you would not actually be able to use “steam” however if you used an air tank with a regulator on it you may be able to simulate steam and make it move as if you had a fire in the firebox.

I am thinking about it as I type it you may be cussing me about something rediculous right now as if your brain works like mine, I am already designing it…

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Thanks Jason.

I’ve already wondered about the option of running a 3D printed model with compressed air. It could probably be done. If you do it I’ll definitely be interested in your video of it. :wink:

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