I think one of the aspects I like most about 3D printing is the ability for anyone to generate what I like to call a Very Specific Object, which is an item with a purpose so niche it’s a near certainty no one but the author would ever have a use for it. Ergo, it’s an item that by definition doesn’t exist, or rather didn’t until it was created for its bespoke purpose. And the point is that it does have a functional purpose, but the more obscure the better. The beauty is that we can create such things as we see fit.
I think I achieved nirvana with this, then, given that this model has garnered precisely zero downloads on Printables. Despite the fact that at least one or two punters inevitably download any damn fool thing I post there. Not even the scraper bots want this one.
This is a clip-on end stop for the Ikea Nordkisa nightstand, in and of itself a specific enough object. It prevents the drawer from being pushed out the back, which is an aspect that while highly annoying has probably only had the chance to personally annoy a very, very small portion of the world’s population.
My first VSO was a clip for this garnish/trim for some blinds my mom had. Due to the way the blinds fit in this specific window, my mom couldn’t use the factory hardware to fix the garnish to the blinds, so for the longest time she was using adhesives which would fail over time. One day (shortly before my printer arrived) the garnish fell again and almost hit my cat, my mom expressed frustration over it, and over how she would have to go by more adhesives. I reminded her that I’m getting a printer, I could just make something that would mount it permanently.
My second one was two mounts for my IKEA lack enclosure. I wanted to make a Nevermore filter, so I needed a power supply. Thanks to working at an electronics lab, I managed to score the power supply from a server rack PC. It’s absolute overkill for this, but it came out looking pretty clean, even modeled in a mounting hole for a simple toggle switch so I can activate the power supply without having to plug/unplug the unit.
You are not logged in. However you can subscribe from another Fediverse account, for example Lemmy or Mastodon. To do this, paste the following into the search field of your instance: !3dprinting@lemmy.world
3DPrinting is a place where makers of all skill levels and walks of life can learn about and discuss 3D printing and development of 3D printed parts and devices.
The r/functionalprint community is now located at:
!functionalprint@kbin.social
or !functionalprint@fedia.io
There are CAD communities available at:
!cad@lemmy.world or !freecad@lemmy.ml
Rules
No bigotry - including racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, or xenophobia. Code of Conduct.
Be respectful, especially when disagreeing. Everyone should feel welcome here.
No porn (NSFW prints are acceptable but must be marked NSFW)
No Ads / Spamming / Guerrilla Marketing
Do not create links to reddit
If you see an issue please flag it
No guns
No injury gore posts
If you need an easy way to host pictures, https://catbox.moe may be an option. Be ethical about what you post and donate if you are able or use this a lot. It is just an individual hosting content, not a company. The image embedding syntax for Lemmy is 
What is VSO?
Very Specific Object.
I used 3d printing to make custom screw covers. Looks like that IKEA piece could use some, too!
My first VSO was a clip for this garnish/trim for some blinds my mom had. Due to the way the blinds fit in this specific window, my mom couldn’t use the factory hardware to fix the garnish to the blinds, so for the longest time she was using adhesives which would fail over time. One day (shortly before my printer arrived) the garnish fell again and almost hit my cat, my mom expressed frustration over it, and over how she would have to go by more adhesives. I reminded her that I’m getting a printer, I could just make something that would mount it permanently.
My second one was two mounts for my IKEA lack enclosure. I wanted to make a Nevermore filter, so I needed a power supply. Thanks to working at an electronics lab, I managed to score the power supply from a server rack PC. It’s absolute overkill for this, but it came out looking pretty clean, even modeled in a mounting hole for a simple toggle switch so I can activate the power supply without having to plug/unplug the unit.