One thing I've learned about married life is that art must be framed. However, the local framing shops want to charge me upwards of $50, especially for a large, custom-sized picture. So I've decided to take matters into my own hands and design this simple, printed solution that will hang any size picture.

The advantages of this framing method include:
- Minimal weight
- Minimal cost
- Unobtrusive
- High strength
- Ease of hanging and straightening
- Doesn't scratch wall

This simple chainmail is intended to be as quick and easy to print as possible, hence the square links and straight bridges. The one pictured here is striped because it was ditto-printed (an option in the Sailfish firmware to print simultaneously with both nozzles). This single print filled the whole Replicator build platform, but took just over an hour.

This chainmail is extensible because the links along two edges are open, which allows you to knit other pieces of chainmail onto them them. You can see in one photo where I turned the sheet into a tube this way.

My fiancé recommended an improvement on my previous design, which this incorporates. Now the band doesn't come apart, but instead the clasp resides where the iPod nano clips on. The clasp requires no flex; it's one-way, so the act of the band pulling around your wrist keeps it in place. Then clipping the iPod onto it secures it even more. This version is much more secure and is easier to take on and off.

Now that you have a planetary gearset that functions as its own bearing, what else can you do with it? How about a large reduction in a small package: This drive gives a 91:1 gear ratio. It's much more convenient to print than the last version, and the only assembly required is placing the output ring onto the upper planets of the input.

The trouble with 3D printing a ball bearing is that spheres don't adhere to the 45 degree rule, so they tend to print poorly, or if metal balls are used instead, then the bearing requires assembly. This is a new kind of bearing that can only be manufactured by 3D printing and comes preassembled.

It is a planetary gearset and functions like a cross between a needle bearing and a thrust bearing. No cage is required to keep the rollers in place, because their gearing keeps them perfectly spaced. The gears are all herringbone, which is why it cannot be disassembled and also why it can act as a thrust bearing. If you're wondering how well a 3D printed bearing could work under load, please check out my video: youtu.be/ZghwSBiM0sU

This design is fully parametric and made to be adjusted in the Customizer app to whatever you need. Thanks to aubenc for finding a problem in the first version.

I figured it was high time I updated my cube gears to use my newer pin library, and while I'm at it, why not make it customizable? The new pins fit in much easier than before, and if you have any trouble, you can change the tolerance and get new pins from the customizer app.

This cube gear has different numbers of teeth than my original, which means you have to turn it more to get back to a cube. The customizer also has the original gearing as an option, as well as one with fewer teeth (good for making it small).

I also put in the ability to put words on the faces of the large gears. This way you can make a personal gift, or maybe a silly game where different word pairs come together as you turn the cube. I'd like to see what you come up with.

This design is for my fiancé who likes to run while holding her iPod in her hand (leading to the inevitable falling and shattering that you may be able to see on the screen). I'm hoping this wristband will help avoid that. This one is printed all at once and snaps together. There is no single clasp: each joint is equally detachable, but they snap apart perpendicular to the band, so it's still secure on your wrist.

What I've noticed about snap-fit joints is that they always come out a little differently on different printers. Therefore this one is customizable to different tolerances, as well as different band width, thickness, etc. This one is also oriented differently than most, giving a more secure mount.

I really enjoyed Eric Young's design of his Secret Heart Box, but I didn't relish hunting down all the required parts to put it together. One thing I learned from designing the Blossoming Lamp is that it's entirely possible to 3D print complex, preassembled mechanisms without breaking the 45-degree rule. I took it as a challenge to show that it's possible even with something as seemingly complex as this locking heart box. See the video here: youtu.be/PPqLB-bv4gY

UPDATE: By popular demand, I've modified the customizer code so you can now add words to the top of the heart. Make sure your valentine knows it's just for them.

This is my monogram, which I'll use for signing my designs where it's too small to write my whole name (Emmett Lalish). Figured I would post it here so that you all know why this funny symbol started appearing on my designs.

For me, what makes 3D printing so awesome is not just that you can make things yourself that you would have otherwise bought, but that you can make things that couldn't be made any other way. For this reason, I've been captivated by captured joints, where moving parts are printed together such that no assembly is required.

This lampshade consists of 14 interlocking pieces printed at once. When you pull up on the top, the blossom opens, allowing more light out. See the video here: youtu.be/blEgWG9V9sA

This lamp is my entry into ProtoParadigm's Winter Wonderland Contest, since when I'm struggling through a long, dark, Northwest winter, what I need is light and a reminder that the blossoms of spring will eventually arrive. I was inspired by mgxbymaterialise.com/limited-editions/mgxmodel/detail/detail/71, but I wanted to make a simpler, more organic model that wouldn't require a powder printer.

Have you ever wondered how an automatic transmission works? I did, so I looked it up and then designed this desktop model. It has six forward speeds and one reverse. Real automatic transmissions have a hydraulic or electrical system that engages different clutches and brakes to shift gears depending on the driving situation. With this model you control those simplified brakes and clutches yourself.

The clutch is actuated by sliding the drive shaft through to different positions (which each have two gear markings), while three separate brakes each also have two gear markings. You select a gear by engaging the brake and clutch position associated with your desired gear. See demonstration video: youtube.com/watch?v=-FyC3dn3HJY

I tried to design the gear ratios to be fairly close to what some real cars use, and this is the result, where the input is the crank and the output is the annulus:
1st gear: 1 : 4.29
2nd gear: 1 : 2.5, 71% increase
3rd gear: 1 : 1.67, 50% increase
4th gear: 1 : 1.3, 28% increase
5th gear: 1 : 1, 30% increase
6th gear: 1 : 0.8, 25% increase
Reverse: 1 : -3.93

The OpenSCAD file is included and is highly parametric in case you'd like to play with different gear ratios. If you select a different number of teeth, it will print out the resulting gear ratios at the beginning of the output. I also used Matlab to investigate more thoroughly how the gear sizes affected the various ratios. I used transmission.m as an aid in optimizing the ratios to be somewhat evenly spaced.

This was all printed in PLA at 120 mm/s on a Replicator 1 with Sailfish firmware, default layer height (0.27mm). Everything came out perfectly on the first print. I swear, complex models don't have to be difficult, and who needs glue when you can print snap-fits?

The sound of the engines at the Reno Air Races is truly incredible, but this year one in particular caught my attention. A Sea Fury flew past with its original Bristol Centaurus engine, and the sound was notably different than the other radials, very low and smooth. It turns out this is a sleeve valve engine, which explains the different sound. I figured it'd be a cool thing to make a model of.

Well, it turns out the Bristol Centaurus is not a simple engine (seriously, that's an understatement). However, during the search I came upon an alternate sleeve valve design used in radio control airplanes. This design is not only simpler than the Bristol Centaurus, but is actually simpler than any other 4-stroke piston engine I've seen: rcvengines.com/how-it-works.htm.

So, here is a fully printable, snap-together model of a 4-stroke engine that clearly demonstrates the four strokes: intake, compression, expansion and exhaust. What I'm most pleased with is that the tolerances allow it to spin easily, yet you can still feel the difference in torque between the compression and exhaust strokes.

This is an update for tbuser's awesome pin library. I've been making enough use of these that I found a few changes that I think improve them significantly, though this should still function as a drop-in replacement for the V2 library. For all the people who've had trouble cramming the pins into my heart gears, this may help you make easier pins.

The primary changes are:

1) Wider gap keeps the pin nubs from getting jammed in a tight hole
2) Tolerance parameter on the pin side (instead of the hole side) because it's easier to reprint new pins if the fit is wrong
3) Extra tolerance parameter on holes (only for loose fit)
4) A fixed hole option that completely prevents rotation
5) Pinshaft module for making solid pin sections for longer pinpegs
6) Different pin sizes now have a more consistent shape
7) Minor changes to hole shape

This chain of 40 interlocking rhombic dodecahedra forms a loop that covers nearly the whole Replicator build platform. It's not quite big enough to be a necklace, but it can work as a crown or other decoration. It's quite fun to play with.

The OpenSCAD file is parametric, so if you have a different size build platform, you can adjust the dimensions of the loop by changing the number of modules in the straight section and scaling the whole.

These rhombic dodecahedra are unconnected, yet inseparable. They have been specifically sized for the Dual Replicator, in such a way that both extruders can be used at once (using JoeyC's script), to print different color interlocking polyhedra.

This thing turns out to be pretty fun to play with; it makes a decent rattle and I enjoy the game of hanging onto one end and trying to swing it to make all six modules stack upright.

Now you can sharpen your knives on the bottom of any old kitchen mug. The unglazed rim is highly abrasive, and this device allows you to make use of it without cutting your fingers off.

I really liked the concept of benchapman's design, but figured I could make it more printer-friendly and adjustable. Here is an OpenSCAD version that is printed upright in order to avoid any need for support.

The Minimalistic Mk7 replacement works so nicely, I wanted to put them on my Replicator as well. It required a slight redesign in order to fit under the piece that holds the guide tubes. I use 693 bearings on this, but you should also be able to use 623 bearings like on whosawhatsis' original.

I get much better prints with these than the stock Mk8s because they grip much better on a variety of filaments due to the compliance and there is much less friction thanks to the bearing. I was using Protoparadigm's PLA and having all kinds of problems with missing filament after reversals, but not anymore. No more lost steps or stripping on the extruders, and an added bonus is you can now clean the drive gear without disassembling the unit. Also, switching colors is quicker since you can just squeeze and pull instead of going through all that unload/reload filament business.

Can you stack these gyroid modules into a pyramid? It can be a little tricky to get them to all line up properly, but you'll know you have it because the larger gyroid you create is highly symmetric, as evidenced by the gridwork of holes that run through it in many different directions.

Each module is a rhombic dodecahedron intersected with the gyroid, and hence this puzzle involves forming a face-centered cubic packing. Due to the way the module is oriented, it prints beautifully without support (better than the cubic original).

You can make this puzzle as large as you like; the more you print, the more you can stack.

I designed this pen out of Sublime/mraiser's propeller and was pleased to find that it resembles the quill pens of old, so I designed an upright base to stand it in. I find it is quite a natural shape to hold in the hand.

I've included both left and right versions, though you may need to try both to see which you like better. My left-handed girlfriend likes the left version, but so do I, even though I'm right-handed. That's probably just because I hold my pens weird (see pix). In any case, it makes a nice desk ornament.

The Gyroid is a periodic minimal surface discovered in the '70s. Everyone seems to love showing off their powder printers by making these, so I decided to see if it was possible to make one on a Makerbot. Turns out as long as the scale is small enough, these overhangs and bridges print quite well with no support.

I was printing these dualstrusion gyroids at the Seattle Mini Makerfaire on my new Replicator (they only take about 30 minutes). There's also a couple of single color versions included. You can stack these in all three dimensions to form a continuous surface.

Like many Thing-O-Matic owners, I ran into many problems with the automated build platform and eventually replaced it with the simple heated build platform. I printed that way for most of a year, but I finally decided to revisit the ABP and see if its problems were fixable. Thanks to many Thingiverse users' contributions, I have finally found a combination of fixes that works!

With the modifications described here, I now have the ability to quickly switch the ABP and HBP on my TOM, with no need to change any home offsets or Gcode. The belt is now evenly tensioned, free of wrinkles and holds down to the build platform well. Also, since both platforms are removable, maintaining them is much easier.

Most of the design work here is due to others, but one key fix I discovered involves modifying the rollers. Read on for the details.

Here is a handy handle for your razorblade to make it easier to scrape or pry stubborn prints off your build platform.

The Thing-O-Matic is a good machine, but it has one quirk that really irks me: the Z-height calibration never stays quite right. Since it goes all the way to the top to hit the endstop, then counts down 120 or so mm to find the build platform, if there is any change in temperature or humidity, the wood sides of the bot will expand or contract, easily making the nozzle move +/-0.1mm with respect to the platform. That may not sound like a lot, but when you're printing raftless, that's the difference between a first layer that doesn't stick down, and one that's so smashed the bottom of the print is wider than the rest.

This little block fixes all that. By making the Z-endstop contact the platform directly, the nozzle will always find the correct height, regardless of whatever thermal expansion the bot may be experiencing.

For this Valentine's Day: a DNA playset. This'll probably only go over well if your significant other is a biologist. But, hey, reproduction is sexy, right?

Thanks to Wikipedia and the hard work of many scientists to measure tiny molecules, this is an accurate 35,000,000:1 scale model of DNA. It's a playset because you print out copies of the four nucleotides (A, T, G, and C) and snap them together into whatever sequence you like.

My girlfriend challenged me to make a hand soap dispenser that is cooler than anything we could buy at Crate & Barrel (or similar stores). The result, after a number of design iterations, is this bottle which now inhabits our bathroom.

This dispenser is designed to reduce waste in a number of ways. First, it is easily refillable, and so can be used for many years. Second, as the pump is turned, liquid soap spills from the spout back into a hole in the bottle, thus recycling any drips. Third, this design makes it easy to get as much or as little soap as you want, while commercial soap pumps often dispense more soap than necessary with a single squeeze.

Here is a radio tower you can populate with the inlcuded antenna dishes to broadcast TV, radio, etc to the world of minature figurines. They need entertainment too, after all.

While playing with my Moon Rover tread, I found it zipped into itself pretty well. This is an adjusted version that can zip into both sides. It's flexible in several dimensions and easily layered. It's quite fun, and I'm curious what uses or interesting shapes you all can come up with for it.

The Penrose tiles by pleppik got me thinking and I decided they would be cooler if they held together on their own. The snap shapes enforce the matching rules (as long as all the pieces are right-side up), which means any pattern you make out of them will be aperiodic.

I liked jetty's new buttons, but I thought the X's looked too much like H's, and I like symbols better anyway, so this is the result.

Here is a model optical telescope for all your miniatures to stargaze with.