You might find a mini engraver/mill machine more interesting than a 3D printer. I have a small one with a working volume of about a ream of printer paper, it's really handy for cutting out complex flat components from wood and applying surface art for personalization. You can make the same sorts of functional toy gear trains and lever mechanisms with one as you can a 3D printer, just out of wood flats.
Also same idea as a larger machine like a ShopBot, so you gain some knowlege of CAD/CAM and CNC workflows along the way that are generally applicable.
Are those like the laser cutters? They're pretty neat, but tbh I've done next to no research into them nor 3d printers. Thanks for the tip, though, pede
They vary in scale from a dremel a computer can move around inside a working volume of less than a cubic foot to a 1HP router on a gantry that can cut 4x8 panels; I have the tiny one which is good for max of a 1/8" endmill.
You might find a mini engraver/mill machine more interesting than a 3D printer. I have a small one with a working volume of about a ream of printer paper, it's really handy for cutting out complex flat components from wood and applying surface art for personalization. You can make the same sorts of functional toy gear trains and lever mechanisms with one as you can a 3D printer, just out of wood flats.
Also same idea as a larger machine like a ShopBot, so you gain some knowlege of CAD/CAM and CNC workflows along the way that are generally applicable.
Are those like the laser cutters? They're pretty neat, but tbh I've done next to no research into them nor 3d printers. Thanks for the tip, though, pede
They vary in scale from a dremel a computer can move around inside a working volume of less than a cubic foot to a 1HP router on a gantry that can cut 4x8 panels; I have the tiny one which is good for max of a 1/8" endmill.