Greetings from Canada! I’ll try to post my new homemade printer again! I’m very satisfied with how it has turned out. It all began 5 years ago after building a Prusa Mendel and using it for a year. I drew up a square framed setup almost exactly like the current i3 but didn’t have time to do anything with the design until last fall. When looking on ebay for goodies I discovered the i3!!! Mine even had similar tab and slot design work similar to the laser cut models out there. Mine differs just by the lead paths into some cuts to reduce the wear and tear on my plasma system caused by too many pierces! The Mendels were getting pretty old so the design went into high gear and I’ve made 8 of them from my home shop. I’ve gone through 1 1/2 sheets of 4x8 ft 3/16 plate steel! They’re strong enough. Plasma systems, even when tuned and dialed-in, can’t provide the accuracy to place components that are meant to be jigged by their cut-in locations. What I did was allow for this by adding in slots for the machine screws and bolts rather than holes. Everything can be fine tuned and perfectly aligned. Also, as my diy plasma setup is a water table, surface hardening occurs and I had to allow for this in my design as fine grinding afterwards is a real pain! I bought everything off of ebay with free shipping and have spent $535 Canadian (terrible exchange rates, now) total, for each of 8 printers. My 3/16 plate steel frame uses 8mm smooth rod and 3/8" threaded rod for Y. An inductive sensor for Z mounts to an aluminium x-carraige I drew up and plasma cut and mig spool welded together. I used Chinese 8x8 leadscrews and their tops are floating (not retained in any way) and Geetek all-metal X ends. Marlin firmware and a Pi 2 running Octopi. @foosel has done an amazing job- thank you Gina! The printer runs sooo smoothly and quietly. i can’t believe how quiet it is. Just last week, I added 4 x Nema 17 Steel & Rubber Dampers to my motor mounts and now you can’t hear X or Y move, and Z just hums… sshhh… listen!
Very nice build! Gotta be one of the sharpest looking little 3DBenchy I’ve seen posted. What’s your printing speed?
@Alex_Wiebe Thank you. I’ ran this at 30mm/sec. The Hatchbox filament really helps sharpen it up. I have 3 enormous XXL rolls of Makerbot PLA and they don’t print as nicely as this.
Awesome work man. I’ll tell you my address if you wanna send one 
@Casey_Hoke Going from your cover pic I could trade you for a week’s vacation stay at your lighthouse! Haha! Your’re into 4x4? Checkout my Jeep build!
http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f8/jim-s-new-hybrid-scrambler-build-tons-questions-coming-976744/
@Jim_Christiansen Haha the lighthouse is in Australia, was there for work a few months ago. And I’m selling my jeep if you’re interested and before you ask- no your printer isn’t a fair trade haha
Casey Hoke I would take that printer over a Jeep any day :), That looks so solid, no chance of vibrations, I bet it weights 15kg +.
@Jeff_Dewe not smart, you should take the jeep, sell it and buy an army of printers!
@Jim_Christiansen wow that is quite a build Jim. You sure find some awesome projects you get into.
Yes I like them too, Wish they were better on fuel :), Oh did you know they are bring out a Jeep truck next year I think. Not like the 90’s jeep truck, but like a wrangler truck. http://blog.caranddriver.com/its-official-jeep-wrangler-pickup-is-coming-in-2017/
@Jeff_Dewe @Jim_Christiansen Haha no rust on her at all. It’s a 2007 wrangler unlimited Sahara edition. I did see the trucks, I’m not a big fan but I’m curious to see the general reaction to them. There’s been some posts on it in the jeep community but it seems pretty split in terms of likes to dislikes.
@Casey_Hoke I think it looks pretty good, But it needs the full 8x4 full bed, I had a shortbox 4dr holden truck in Australia, It was a reliable truck, but the box I always found small for a general use truck, I think it was 5.5ft long bed.
@Jeff_Dewe I’ve been to Australia twice (my profile pic is of a lighthouse in Port Macquarie) and everytime I see the little cars with the bed and it cracks me up. We don’t really have them here in the states, I believe you guys call them utes or something similar?
Yes they call them utes, I’m a Canadian but lived in Australia for 14yrs , just moved back to Canada last July. We used to have them in north America Until 1988 I think was the last year, things like the El Camino and Ford Ranchero also check this out http://newtrucks2016.com/2015-ford-ranchero/
@Jeff_Dewe ahh I see. Canada is a great place too, I’ve spent some time in Vancouver working and a bit of time in Manitoba fishing. Hope Jim doesn’t mind his sidetracked and stolen post haha
@Casey_Hoke and @Jeff_Dewe I’m back. Nils H, a moderator brought me back to the living. I had accidentally posted a share on Arduino here rather than to my son… My bad. I’m a teacher and my day job extends into every evening and weekend! 6 of the 8 printers were cut for my students. We’re all so into Arduino and 3d printing that I just had too many tabs open… What a wonderful crossover of electronics, programming, designing, mechanics, math and… it just goes on and on!!
I’ve just ordered up a genuine E3D 1.75 Bowden from the UK. I’ll be printing nylon shift knobs for my twin-sticked NP-205 transfercase and other Jeep parts.
You did a great job on that printer Jim, glad you got back on 