The saving on the knob alone would pay a reasonable chunk of a basic but useful printer. Use it for a few more things and you’ll be in the black even ignoring the more fun things you might do. The time it takes to learn a CAD system can also be fun if you enjoy that sort of thing.
Here in Canada every major library I’ve been to has a 3D printer you can use, either for free if you bring your own filament, or for a very small fee to use theirs. I live in a small town of 70,000 people and our public library has a 3D printer.
Not really, no. If you’re learning something not only that you like, but that it’s also useful and that you will you use many times in the future, I wouldn’t consider that to be part of the “cost”.
Someone else I know got a printer and got bored printing with it after a bit and said I can print on it whenever if I toss them a roll of material every now and then.
I ended up finding all kinds of useful things to print. I made a connection piece for a sink that had a garbage disposal removed when I couldn’t find the fitting anywhere and after 3 years it’s holding up fine. I made a set of cams for a washer that randomly stopped spinning one day and those have been working nicely. Just a bunch of times it ended up coming in handy.
You can save so much money with CAD if you neither factor in your time to actually learn it or the cost of the printer itself.
Makes crime even better in comparison.
The saving on the knob alone would pay a reasonable chunk of a basic but useful printer. Use it for a few more things and you’ll be in the black even ignoring the more fun things you might do. The time it takes to learn a CAD system can also be fun if you enjoy that sort of thing.
Here in Canada every major library I’ve been to has a 3D printer you can use, either for free if you bring your own filament, or for a very small fee to use theirs. I live in a small town of 70,000 people and our public library has a 3D printer.
I have wasted a bunch of time making things, but like woodworking or similar trades, it’s fun and rewarding.
Hence, why it’s not “wasted” time.
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My printer has saved me more than its cost in useful stuff I have printed.
Learning a new and useful skill is not “wasting” time at all.
You can’t put that in quotation marks like I ever said something about wasting time. You just have to include all that time in your cost calculation.
Not really, no. If you’re learning something not only that you like, but that it’s also useful and that you will you use many times in the future, I wouldn’t consider that to be part of the “cost”.
Someone else I know got a printer and got bored printing with it after a bit and said I can print on it whenever if I toss them a roll of material every now and then.
I ended up finding all kinds of useful things to print. I made a connection piece for a sink that had a garbage disposal removed when I couldn’t find the fitting anywhere and after 3 years it’s holding up fine. I made a set of cams for a washer that randomly stopped spinning one day and those have been working nicely. Just a bunch of times it ended up coming in handy.