Coaster Caddy

The Coaster Caddy is a low barrel, 109 mm across and 30 mm high, that holds six coasters of 95 mm. The question was how much of a real barrel you can tell with filament alone: wood that looks like wood, hoops that look like metal, and not a drop of paint.

The design. Around the floor stand 24 staves, separated by joints of 0.8 mm. Halfway up, the barrel bulges 2.2 mm more than at its edges. Two hoops 5 mm wide run around the staves and stand 0.6 mm proud. On two opposite sides there is a slot 26 mm wide, so a thumb and a finger can take hold of a coaster. The staves rise 1.8 mm above a full stack. There are two variants: every stave in Black Walnut, or Black Walnut and Rosewood in turn.

What makes it hard. The caddy is one part in four filaments, which is exactly what the printer can handle: two wood-filled, one silk and one matte. The hoops stick out, and whatever sticks out hangs in mid-air. So the underside of each hoop is chamfered by the same 0.6 mm and prints without supports. The coasters get 2.2 mm of clearance on the diameter, because their grainy rim needs some air. The outside of the caddy gets that grainy texture too; the inside, where the coasters slide past, stays smooth. Then there is the bill. Staves in two woods side by side mean a colour change in every layer, and that costs filament and hours. The single-wood variant only changes colour in the layers of the floor and the hoops. Looks have a price, in barrels too.

Where it stands. The print files for both variants are ready. No print report exists yet, so the clearance is drawn, not measured. The images are renders.

It shows what you can ask for: an object in a recognisable shape, with different finishes in one piece. If you would like something similar, ask for a quote.