Category Archives: 3D Printers

Lagun Table Improvement

November 18, 2025 Gary 1 Comment

Our tiny 2020 T@B 320S Boondock Edge trailer came with a Lagun table. The table sits on an arm, which is about 13″ long, that swings around its fixed post. We have found that there are times that the Lagun table on the arm it comes with is just a bit large for the tiny trailer.

In a larger space, that would be a great feature. However, I found that the arm often extended the table too far in the small interior of the T@B 320S. I thought it would be better if the table was mounted directly onto the post, without the arm. But both the mounting post and the table have a post, and the arm has holes on each end. Therefore, the table cannot be placed directly onto the post.

The bottom of the mounting post has a hole in it, and I thought that if the post was inverted, that hole would accommodate the post from the table. So I designed an adapter that can be printed on a 3D printer to allow this.

The adapter slips into the inverted post and the table then can be inserted into the adapter.

I find the Lagun table mounted directly on the post using the adapter to be much more convenient.

You can download the files to 3D print this adapter at Printables.

Below is a short video showing use of the adapter.

How did I make it? I scanned the bottom end of the table post on a desktop (2D) scanner, then brought the image into Fusion 360, scaled it accurately, and traced it. Then I added the center hole and extruded it out to the appropriate length. Voila! Of course, there were a number of iterations to get the fit just right.

Please note: The Lagun website states that any modifications to their products voids the warranty. I consider this an adapter, not a modification, but I don’t know how Lagun would see it.

3D Printers, Photogrammetry

3D Printing from Photogrammetry

January 18, 2022 Gary 1 Comment

Blender

What Have I Gotten Myself Into Now?

This was going be be a blog about using Blender to create 3D scenes. Sort of. I’m just barely starting to learn Blender, so it wasn’t going to be anything fancy or in-depth.

But, I went down a rabbit hole. Imagine that! I started with the ASDM Rock I photographed a few months ago (see my post PHOTOGRAMMETRY: 3D Models from Photos), and was going to try to add some sunshine, and animate the sun moving across the rock, and maybe in the future create some somewhat realistic looking grass around the rock. But, I got sidetracked and decided to try to 3D Print the rock. Not at full scale(!). Just a little plastic rock I could put on my desk.

Blender

OK, so what is Blender? From Wikipedia, “Blender is a free and open-source 3D computer graphics software toolset used for creating animated films, visual effects, art, 3D printed models, motion graphics, interactive 3D applications, virtual reality, and computer games.” Did you read all of that? Free. Open Source. 3D computer graphics software. Animation.

Blender is used to create everything from 2D and 3D still pictures to full length animated movies. Wow!

I’ve known about Blender for several years (at least). I’ve looked at it a few times, but every time the learning curve scared me off. But it can do so much. And FREE, so no big investment (except my time) to play with it. After playing a bit with Open Drone Map, creating 3D models from “just a bunch of photos,” I thought maybe I should look at Blender again. So for the last 4-6 months I’ve been watching tutorials on YouTube and LinkedIn Learning, being awed by what others have done with Blender, and wondering if I could accomplish anything significant with it.

Very brief recap of my blog on Photogrammetry: I shot 40 photos with my cell phone of this cool looking rock that is located in front of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum outside of Tucson, AZ. I then used Open Drone Map to process these 40 photos to create a model of the rock, and used Blender to do some very minor editing to eliminate the extraneous parts of the model. I uploaded the model to Sketchfab, where you can view it in all of its 3D-ness.

Starting with this same model, I used Blender to create a base and export it to an STL file, which can be used to print a 3D model. That sounds rather mundane, but I spent many hours trying to get the initial model ready for 3D printing. Several YouTube videos later, I managed to create something that would print nicely. I also added a little sunshine to the scene, just because I could.

For comparison with the printed model, here is one of the photos in the sequence that was used to create the model.

Rock at Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Entrance

Here is the ASDM Rock, as rendered in Blender. I added a little sunshine to the scene, just because I could :-).

ASDM Rock, from Open Drone Map model, rendered in Blender

The final result? Here is my printed “rock.” I think it rather accurately represents the original rock!

3D Printers, T@B Trailer

A 3D Printed Thermometer Sensor Holder

July 25, 2021 Gary Leave a comment

When camping, I frequently would like to know the temperature outside our 2020 T@B 320S Boondock Edge trailer as well as inside. I purchased a “ThermoPro TP60S Digital Hygrometer Indoor Outdoor Thermometer” through Amazon (if you purchase from this link I’ll earn a small commission at no additional cost to you) and mounted the indoor module on the wall next to the Alde control panel using Velcro.

Now, where to locate the outside sensor? I placed it in the propane tank / battery box, just setting it on the bottom. This seemed to work fine. The outside temperature seems to be relatively accurate except when the sun is shining directly on the box. The only problem I could see was that the sensor picked up a lot of dirt, and occasionally some moisture from sitting on the bottom. I was also concerned about dropping something on it and damaging the unit.

I have finally gotten around to moving the sensor to a safer location. I figured I could mount it over the flange at the back of the propane tank / battery box and it would be safely out of the way. When the lid is closed, there is a small gap below the lid where the mount can sit without interfering with the lid closing. Using Fusion 360, I designed a holder for the sensor.

I first measured the width of the flange at the top of the box, and eyeballed how I thought I would like the mount to sit on that flange. I measured the sensor, and made a rough drawing of what I wanted. Then I created a test part in Fustion 360. I just made the end of the sensor mount and about 10mm of the body. That way I could print it in a reasonable amount of time without using too much plastic filament to test the fit. Here’s my first iteration:

I then tested this, and found that it didn’t hang the way I had hoped. It needed something to keep it from tilting.

So, on to iteration #2. I added a little leg to keep it from tilting.

This worked fine. Now that I had tested the hanger, and believed it to be correct, I added the rest of the structure in Fusion 360, and added holes in the bottom to improve air flow to the sensor, resulting in the completed sensor holder.

Available on Thingiverse at www.thingiverse.com/thing:4917124 or on Printables at www.printables.com/model/198224-thermometer-sensor-holder.

(Edited 11/12/2025 to add the Printables link.)