MakerBot Industries

Gate Latch String Guide by 3dprinterbot

What did Scott Pierce aka 3dprinterbot do when his gate latch string kept breaking?  What any 3D printer owner would do!  He designed, printed, and installed a fix!

The string on my gate was breaking because it rubbed against the wooden post of the fence. This string guide gives the string a smooth surface to rub against and hopefully will prevent it from breaking so often. I put one on each side of the fence.

I like this hack because it makes use of a plastic part for a physical property other than strength.  Since a well-printed plastic part will be much smoother than just a hole drilled into wood, it won’t wear away at the cord nearly as quickly.

There are also some very interesting directions to take this idea.  Since this type of latch isn’t really about security as much as it is about ensuring a gate is actually closed, there’s no special need for the parts to be metal.  The entire latching mechanism could be printed, except for the screws.  Additionally, since the cord still needs to be fed through a hole in the wood panel, a small plastic tube could be fashioned to further reduce wear-and-tear on the cord as it travels through the panel.

String Guide by 3dprinterbot

The string on my gate was breaking because it rubbed against the wooden post of the fence. This string guide gives the string a smooth surface to rub against and hopefully will prevent it from breaking so often. I put one on each side of the fence.

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Our friends (and British Thing-O-Matic distributors) RoboSavvy are planning to start live-streaming the assembly of a Thing-O-Matic starting at 10 AM GMT tomorrow morning.  (That’s 5 AM for those of us in New York.)

If you’d like to have a look, point your browser to: http://makerbotassembly.dyndns.org/

It looks like they’re in the process of getting that all set up right now, but come 10 AM GMT, it should be up and streaming.  So if you’re interested in watching, point your browser over there tomorrow morning.  Set your alarm for early, North Americans!

Bre had a chance to show Chris Hardwick around the Botcave. Check out the video!

Another brilliant design from the user with the best name on Thingiverse, MiseryBot.  If you have a furry friend living in your house, you may have noticed the hair-bunnies increasing in size as the heat has been approaching.  Here’s something to help fight it at the source — a cleverly-designed brush.

If your household is anything like mine, it’s always hardest to find the pet brush when it’s most needed; this 3d-printable design should take care of that problem admirably.  I might just print out a few of them and leave them in cat-lounging-prone areas around the house…at least until Pixie goes in for her summer shave.

Pet Brush, for dog or cat by MiseryBot

I had a commercial brush kind of like this once. The base is thin, so it is flexible. It is good for short haired animals, especially if they are shedding.

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