For all those that have a 3d Printer, I have an idea for a Simple tool that I think would be great for both new growers and even for more expirenced growers too. Let me know what yall think. Ideally it would be a pretty small thin blade maybe 2in long with a small nub that will make about 1/8 to 1/4 in divot for the seed to set in and a thin slice down into the soil for the tap root to sit in. and a lil handle.
A simple lil tool to help with seed planting. It would have a flat blade with a round nub at the base that is just big enough for the perfect planting depth. The blade makes a slit for the tap root to slide down in while the nub would be the perfect size and depth for the seed. I have a lil MS paint drawing to give a visualtion of the idea. Its not a great Ms Paint drawing so dont be too brutal lol.
Well, because I know I have a habit of planting too deep(im sure im not the only one lol), and this would just make life easier. I am all about things that make life easier and make things work easier.
The pointy bit is 2mmx3mm, the nub is 6.2mm, the handle is 10mm around (for 3d printing it’s usually designed in mm, sorry). Any of that can be changed.
I put the flat bit so it’s easy to know when to stop without having to watch or get your knuckle in the dirt. I dunno, creative license.
Actually, I’m going to change it basically so it could print way easier. (this is my normal process, design “oh wait, I could do that differently”, redesign)
It won’t let me reply with a new one, so here we go with an edit:
This one will print way faster. I can put the design up on here if it looks sufficient for what you were wanting @Ace71975, then you (or anyone else interested in having one) could get it printed at your local library or something.
This one has the nub still 6.2mm, the blade on this is 2mm wide, and the whole thing is 6mm tall. The finger cutouts are 20mm, but again could be modified.
It blows me away to see the brilliant minds of some of you folks that are affiliated with this forum. This is really interesting to me and I think this is genuinely fascinating. Both of you have some great minds and the 3-D printing people here are incredibly talented.
Alright, OG won’t let me upload an STL file, so rather than try to get around that by messing with the file extension: open invitation to anyone who wants the file to message me for it.
This is so OG!!! Awesome as hell guys. I better try to learn cad again. So cool seeing someone’s idea come to life. OG plus 3d printing is the way!!!
I’ve been using Fusion 360 for a few years now. The free tier keeps getting more constrained to convince people to buy, but it’s a place to start.
Next to tackle (for me) is Rhino, because I think it’ll serve me better for some future projects. If you ever have questions, hit me up! I enjoy looking at projects and helping people. (also an open offer to whoever)
Sprinkled in my grow diary are some prints I’ve designed for my system, including a mold to make a silicone gasket for my drains. They’ve been invaluable. Highly recommend as a skill to combine with growing.
Im decent at 3d modeling I just haven’t taken enough time with the cad programs to get comfortable. I love the idea of being able to think of something and just make it. Seeing you guys do this was a def inspiration boost. Good to know there’s someone to call on when I hit a snag. Thanks. Oh I just saw your other post before I finish this one. I am def interested in learned about silicone mold making too. I need to check out your thread. Things just get better and better around here. 3d printing and growing are 2 things that got a hold on me right now.
I really like this design the best, this is pretty much exactly what i saw in my head! Only thing I would do, IF it can be done without ruining stablitiy would be to make the blade between 1 and 1.5mm instead of two. Other than that, it looks perfect!
Thinking about how this could be made easier to print and also ship, because tall is slower than flat, and vertical is basically the worst orientation to print the skinny blade in (separate layers vs a continuous flow of plastic if it’s horizontal). Hence the second flatter idea.
But! I have two possible routes to that: 1. removable blade bit, need to think about best way to do that, 2. just completely split in half and then a way to connect them (simpler than it sounds, but again need to think on it a bit.)
Alright, as much as I enjoy designing things and 3d printing things, I will be the first to admit there are often easier answers. As I was looking at it to see how I could make it easier to ship/print and to still have a similar form factor, I realized I had something on my desk that could do a very similar job:
basically so it could print way easier. (this is my normal process, design “oh wait, I could do that differently”, redesign)
