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Searched a lot here and did not find anything about getting started in 3D printing. For those in it as a hobby has it been worth the investment of time and money? Have you found enough files to print to keep it interesting? Any major watch outs?
The big question is do you know any CAD, or are you willing to learn? I think I'd get pretty bored of it if I was just searching out things to print. Eventually the novelty wears off of being able to create mini owls and tug boats in your living room. Where it shines and can be worth it's weight in gold is being able to design up a custom part you need, and have it magically appear in a couple hours. Did you break a weird little plastic part in something that hasn't been made since 1993? Draw it up with improvements to the design, print it and you are back in business. Do you want a cup holder right here in your shanty, but no one makes a mount for it? Think about it, draw it up and presto, there is a cup holder. I have made a cup holder that sits in-between the poles in my otter, I have made battery boxes, mounts for various things, an extra transducer arm, and other random stuff. My brother made his own version of the innovative tip down, and made some cool cup holder/shell holder/tiny table contraptions for the duck boat. Being 6'7", I was able to make some custom stock spacers for my waterfowl shotgun, and make some motion decoys the way I wanted them to work. Custom is king here. It's is usually more cost effective to buy something if it is already out there than print it, especially with time added to the equation. Even then with my cup holder, I bought a boat cup holder and just printed the mount for it instead of printing the whole thing. Being able to make something that is not produced anywhere else though, can be priceless. It's best to think of it as a tool to let you bring creative ideas to fruition than a hobby all by itself (though it can be if you let it). As far as printers go, anything larger than 8"x8" is probably not a good idea unless you have a specific use case for something that big. The larger the printer, the slower and less accurate it will be. You can always print in multiple pieces and glue/fasten together. For functional prints, something that is enclosed with a heated build plate and can do ABS is probably the single biggest thing on the wish list. For anything you need to perform more than a basic box function, ABS will give you the toughness, strength and high and low temp resistance to make something that actually works. Sorry for the ramble, I'm a mechanical engineer in the plastics manufacturing industry that has been 3D printing for the better part of a decade. I enjoy the topic. :-)If you have any specific questions I'd be happy to share knowledge and opinions.
Far from a ramble Stretch! That's exactly the type of information I was looking for. Since posting I was starting to think along the replacement part line. I am retired so I have the time to learn some CAD. I have an ex-BIL that is a CAD guy. I will see if he's interested in being a tutor. Thanks again Stretch, well written post with great detail.Nofish
Have you tried any of the Scanners that will scan a part and then you can print it? I now the high detailed ones are high….but simple stuff without much detail it might work.
Already from my limited exposure to 3d printing I've seen a few files with bizarre dimensions after the print. I'm trying to spend a few extra minutes before hitting print to ensure it is at least close to the actually size i need. With Cura, I've just used the grid pattern on the plate to estimate the correct size since the scale shown in is 1mm. Just started playing with Fusion360 the other night. They have a free license for just home personal use. But I haven't tried to modify existing stl files yet, but soon. Only used Cura, and not Prusa slicer yet, but I keep hearing its the one to be using.
I've seen some DIY Jaw Jacker STL's available on Thingiverse. You print the moving parts and use PVC tubes for most of the frame. Looks like it would work pretty well.
It turned out okay but I need to get cleaner support surfaces on the print. Not sure if more heat, slower speed, or bring the z high on support material closer??Nothing a file and some baking soda super glue won't fix.