Every builder should own a 3D printer. Once you see what it does well, it quickly becomes indispensable. My usual rule is this: if I help out a friend, I don’t take money—I make them buy a 3D printer for their kids instead.
The design process is incredibly simple thanks to TinkerCad, and with millions of free or low-cost models available, the possibilities are endless. Beyond toys and trinkets, a 3D printer really shines for low-stress brackets, quick prototypes, and practical low stress tools. Recently, I’ve been using mine to make casting templates for nonferrous metals.
Sure, it’s not ideal for printing shoes—but if you need a phone holder, a motor stabilizer, or just about any small fix, a 3D printer is the way to go. Pair it with a 3D scanner, and you open up even more possibilities.
I’ve run several hundred prints by now, and in my house, my kids see the printer as just another everyday tool.
Some interesting prints, the phone holder has a piece of laser cut veneer glued to it, the file is linked at the button.
Oliver
My daughter names tools, she likes "Oliver" for the printer (lower right). It is my third printer so far, and I have to say the technology is vastly better than it was a decade ago. You can now print right out of the box, and there are infinite possibilities.Â
Pi 3b wifi streaming image
It is nice to not have to walk all the way down to the workshop to check on build progress. I set up a Raspberry Pi3b with camera to stream video over the internet.