MakerBot Industries

Sweetener Holder v0

Some of my favorite things to print on my MakerBot are truly mundane.  My sweetener holder is nothing special – basically a open-top box with two curved cut-outs at the sides.  However, of all the things I’ve printed this is the one thing I use every single day.  I designed and printed it for less time and money than it would have taken me to get one from the nearest store.

I realize jrombousky‘s Strap Buckle Clip¹ has been around for a while, but it’s still one of my favorite things.  Years ago I sewed a carrier bag² and had to use store bought plastic buckles.  It’s these kinds of parts that are so normal and so mundane that it’s just easier, faster, and cheaper to design and print than it would be to go out and get.

I have to wonder though – is this me being lazier or is it actually more work?  Any time I may need to head out to pick up some small item I ask myself “Is there any way I can just design something and print a solution here?”  The other day I looked at the plastic drawstring cincher on my wife’s knitting bag.  This is the sort of thing you see on drawstring pouches, bags, shorts, etc.  It is spring loaded and pinches the cord so that the string stays taught.  After examining it for a moment, I realized that it was a super simple mechanism and I had everything I needed to print something similar.

I’ve uploaded it to Thingiverse, so I hope someone gets some use out of it.  The only catch is it makes use of a standard ball point pen spring. ³  Then again, I see reusing something previously useless as a huge bonus.

1. Be sure and check out the amazing derivatives of this Thing. [↩]
2. Read: Man-purse [↩]
3. I’ve been dying to find a legitimate MakerBot use for one of these! [↩]