END TABLE (PRINT-TABLE #2)

OVERVIEW

This is the second of a series of furniture pieces developed around a “construction kit” philosophy, in which printer-sized components can be simply assembled with minimal experience to create customised furniture pieces.   All it takes to make a real piece of furniture, is some print time and a couple of hours of “Lego”-style fun!

This version  has fewer components and is a little more straight forward to assemble than the BEDSIDE PRINT-TABLE NIGHTSTAND version, and perhaps slightly more complicated than  my BOOKSHELVES.  The black filament makes it look a lot more slender than the white version - but they share the same primary structure.

I think this is close to the maximum volume that can be reliably created using this system and still result in a reasonably sturdy, usable piece of furniture but I'm sure others will prove me wrong in the future. 

Over the coming weeks I will publish a couple of other designs incorporating variations on the “kit” parts, and subject to interest will then work on a range of parametric versions of each component so that they can be mixed and matched to create different custom furniture pieces.

I use an Ikea “Aptitlig” 48 x 28cm bamboo chopping boards for the top.  They are great value and provide a reliable flat working surface.  I have trimmed it of course to suit my own particular requirements, but if you don't have basic skills or tools, there's no reason why the top couldn't hang over the edges.  

Assembled with care, the structure is quite rigid, more than enough for day to day use.  Even though it will almost certainly hold your weight without complaint, please remember it's not intended as a stool, and as with any furniture piece - using it beyond the limits of its designed intent may not end well!
 

BEFORE YOU START

May I recommend you print a test piece to check the fit?   Two parts of a HUB_30, two parts of a CONNECTOR and possibly a BOTTOM BRACE_125 will be more than enough to get you hooked!

UPDATES
This document is a work in progress at the time of publishing, and will be updated over the coming few weeks, so if you have a question, please ask and it will be addressed. (On completion of final checks this note will be deleted!)

28 April - Added BOTTOM-BRACE_125  to the Printed parts schedule.

DIMENSIONS

Top - 280 x 370mm

Frame - 340 x 260 x 400mm  high (13.5 x 10.5 x 19 inches)

TOOLS REQUIRED

3D Printer
Saw (if required to trim the top to size)
Drill/Screwdriver

MATERIALS REQUIRED.

Approximately 0.85 kg of PLA filament of your choice printed with a 0.6mm nozzle and 15% infill.

1 x Ikea Aptitlig chopping board - or the table top material of your choice.  

10 x grams or so of Cyanoacrilate (Superglue) - I've used both expensive and generic brands and have had no problems with using the cheap “hobby” tubes in this application.

12 x Panhead Screws about 15mm to fix the Top(It's obvious but make sure they are not so long that they go through the table top).

PRINT SETTINGS 
I’ve printed with a 0.6 nozzle 3.0mm QUALITY mode in Prusa Slicer but if you only have a 0.4mm nozzle 3.0mm DRAFT mode worked well in my test pieces.
 

More infill might add to the rigidity of the structure - I've been happy with the 0.6mm nozzle wall thickness - with the standard number of top and bottom layers and while the finished table is by no means a rigid box, it's certainly more so than a number of production Poly stools I've inspected.   In use if you remember it's not a stool or a car jackstand, I'm sure it will serve you well.

PRINTED PARTS

The HUBS, POSTS and Rails are made of two identical halves which snap together and are held permanently with a little SuperGlue.

HUB_30 - 12 required - print 24 parts

POST_200 - 4 required - print 8 parts 

TOPBRACE_200 - 2 required (has flange for corner brace and joining to top)

TOPBRACE_120 - 4 required (join two with a HUB)

BOTTOMBRACE_200 - 2 required

BOTTOM-BRACE_125 -4 required (join two with a HUB)

LEGS_120 - 4 required 

CONNECTORS - 12 required - print 24 parts (to join during assembly)

ASSEMBLY
Now that you have your bench loaded up with a zillion parts, it's time to make a table!

These parts are designed with minimal tolerances mostly 0mm, depending on your printer they will push firmly into place, or may require some very slight processing with a sharp blade to remove any elephant's foot (unlikely) or other little printing artefacts. An emery board or light sandpaper will help if you are really stuck.  

My parts at worst need a gentle bump with the palm of my hand to fit - if you need more than that stop and work out what's wrong.   (Maybe a tap with a tiny hammer probably won't hurt if you are SURE everything is in place and really need to use a bit of persuasion - but try to avoid that.)

Use a small amount of CA glue (Super Glue) on each mating surface.   I prefer not to use any accelerator to allow a little working time if necessary.

Hold or clamp the parts for a few minutes until the glue sets to ensure a nice tight connection, you don't need anything fancy here, but if you have spring clamps or rubber bands it will save a bit of “holding” time.
 

All of the hubs, posts and rails comprise two identical pieces - a drop of glue on each INNER face of the mounting sockets is all that's required.

Once you have all of the parts joined, lay them out on a bench so you can easily keep track of where you are in the process - make sure the LEG is lying on one of it's flat (not tapered) sides to make it easier to keep the connections in line.

I think it's better to glue the two pieces of the connector together at the same time as assembly - that will ensure no misalignment.    Place a drop of glue on the connecting faces of one half and slip it into place then repeat for the second.  Work quickly though as it's easy to glue the meeting faces in exactly the wrong spot if the glue goes off too quickly.

You don't need any special tools, but I use the square edge of the chopping board to check for square as I go along.  The locating pins on the connectors do their job pretty well, but it's good to keep an eye on it.

When it's completed you'll have a nice shadow recess at each joint which makes the assembly process very forgiving.  Don't sweat if you have small discrepancies, the lines of the finished piece are broken up to make them disappear as if by magic.

Remember it's a 3D printed furniture piece you are making, not a piece of jewellery - if you are worried about the quality of your print or assembly - don't be.  It will look fine from a metre or two away.

In the  photo below you can see the top is nice and square ready to be joined to the other leg.

It's obvious but make sure that when gluing the sides that the tapered bottoms are in opposite orientation.   I've done this many times making furniture and almost always get confused at some point in the middle of gluing and you only get one try with superglue.  Use a bit of masking tape to remind you of the orientation as you go.

NOTE - The flanges on the TOP BRACES face the INSIDE of the frame. Check the photos below for how the top mounts to them.

Once you have two sides assembled as shown, things get a bit hectic.  Glue ALL of the cross pieces in and as quickly as you can fit the other side together.  This all needs to be done as quickly as possible to get it all done before the glue sets - you have a couple of minutes working time in reality, but it feels like fractions of a second.   It's certainly not enough time to take photos when you are working by yourself!

Cut the top to the finished size you require - in my example it's 352 x 272 mm which is enough to give a few millimetres of overhang, in this case I like the angled edges of the board, so I've cut it to give the same angled face all round.

Fixing is simple: lie the board on a bench and screw through some or all of the mounting holes in the top cleats!   There are more mounting points than are strictly necessary as a function of trying to minimise the number of printed parts, but I like to put a screw in each just to make it look a bit more finished.

If you have got this far, I hope all has gone well and you have a piece of furniture of which you can be justly proud.   I am certainly very happy with mine!

There is a lot of documentation here, and I'd really appreciate any feedback on anything that's not clear or in need of correction.