Tabletop Easel / Light Table

thingiverse

My girlfriend was looking for something like a light table that she could put a light behind and trace through paper with, so I decided to take this 11"x13" piece of glass that we had picked up at the hardware store for $8 (Ace hardware, but all the hardware stores will sell glass to-cut), and print some legs so that it works like an easel. I'm more satisfied and picturing more uses for it than I intended. You could use it to just comfortably read a book, hold a laptop, or hold paper for drawing. With glass or acrylic, it's easy to backlight for use with sketching/tracing. My glass was 3mm thick, so I designed the model to print as if it were 2.8mm thick, so that it would be a nice press-fit. I'm really surprised about how well it holds onto the glass. I nudged it on with a hammer, and now it holds really snug. I've included the cad file so you can adjust the thickness if you need, for different types of materials. The legs curled up a bit while printing, but they still fit on the glass snug enough that it's sturdy. Also, the plastic is super slick on the table, so I glued some rubber sheet to the bottom of the feet so it wouldn't slide. Addition: I added a STEP cad file so that you can adjust the width of the slot for the material that you're using. The width of the slot on the uploaded STLs is 2.8mm, a perfect snug fit for 3mm glass. If you're working with a different material, you can adjust the width. If a different cad format would be better, let me know and I can upload. If you're struggling to adjust the width, send me a message or leave a comment and I can upload STLs for the desired width. The way Onshape is set up, it would literally take a minute to go back and change the number and download the new STL. Also, if you're using Onshape (free account up to 5GB storage), I have it saved as a public file, so if you search "Glass Plate Easel Holder," you should be able to find it. Print Settings Printer Brand: RepRap Printer: Folger Tech 2020 i3 Rafts: Doesn't Matter Supports: No Resolution: 0.3mm height Infill: 30 How I Designed This I used Onshape for the Cad design. It's free, and great!