In edit mode, raise the now very small top polygon to create the blunted tip.Use the subdivide tool to subdivide the flat top.Use the chamfer tool to create a pyramid on one half of the cube with the top still flat.The modeling process was more straightforward than I imagined now that I was used to Blender's UI: For this reason, I broke my model into two pieces, a base and the pyramid itself.

The idea was simple: a blunted pyramid on top of a hollow cylinder which can clip on top of a bench donut.įrom the start, I wanted to minimize the need for support material in the final print. Thanks to my previous projects, I now had the skills to model something sufficient from scratch. I opened Blender and started to model an initial version. Still, I wanted one I could print myself, was open source, and would work with the donuts I had already printed. Commercial versions of this also come with the option of painter's pyramids. I couldn't help but think, I can do better.Ĭombining the pyramid and the donut isn't a new idea. When I had the opportunity to pull out the donuts to cut plywood for my on-going CNC machine project, I found the painter's pyramids right next to them. The points were also very, very sharp, and clumsily stepping on one was not an experience I want to repeat. They were so small they would often move and skitter around the floor. The one's I printed worked, but I was ultimately unhappy with them. I needed them quickly, so I found the fastest to print design and went with that. There's a lot of painter's pyramids - also called painter's triangles - on Thingiverse. These little tools are like the bench donut in that they elevate the work off of any flat surface, Unlike the donut, they also come to a point so as to minimize surface effects on material where finish is drying such as paint. As a bonus, they're so small you can shove them all into a backpack with ease.Īnother tool I also printed over the last year was a set of 'painter's pyramids'. The few times I've needed to do this sort of operation, the donuts were invaluable. By placing the donuts on the floor, and then a sheet of material to cut on top, you can create sufficient clearance to use the saw anywhere there's a flat and level surface. I printed 8 of these donuts after receiving a gift of a circular saw. Combined with the grippy surface, this results in a handy workholding solution. While 3D printed, the bench donuts are heavy as they are filled with sand. To add more flexibility to the donut, an integrated threaded insert is at the axial center, suitable for an M6 bolt. I didn't have any rubber at the time, so my version used anti-slip cloth which was left in a drawer when I moved into my house. It resembles a hockey puck, with the top and bottom flat surfaces covered in a grippy material such as rubber.

The Bench Donut is a kind of multi-purpose workholding tool.

Blender donut extrude problem