The O'Cello - a 3D-printable cello

thingiverse

The Cellosphere is a 3D-printable cello developed by Connor O'Brien, which is free to download and print for personal use. All the components for a Cellosphere can be printed on a 20cm print bed. Inspired by the design of the F-F-Fiddle, the Cellosphere incorporates a 12mm diameter steel rod running through all six major parts to provide rigidity. Parts List The following parts are needed to build a Cellosphere: M5x45mm socket head cap screws: 7 M5x30mm socket head cap screws: 2 M5 nuts: 9 M5 washers: 12 12mm diameter steel rod, 1m length: 1 10mm diameter aluminium tube, 45cm length: 1 Aluminium L-bar, 20x20x2mm, 30cm length: 1 Cello strings: 4 – (1 of each C, G, D and A strings) Bass guitar tuning keys: 4 – (2 left and 2 right) 25mm screw plugs About half of a 1Kg spool of 3D printer filament. The Cellosphere pictured here is made with PLA, but ABS should work fine. Recommended sources for many of these parts can be found in the complete Assembly Instructions PDF. The Cellosphere does not need sanding or painting after printing. It is ready-to-play once printed and assembled. Thanks to Dean Mitchell for his invaluable input on the design of the knee and chest rest parts. You can find his original design for these accessories here: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1833270 Check out his performance on the Cellosphere here... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSVwg5sikZ4 The Cellosphere is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License which means you are free to share and modify it for non-commercial use. Update: November 23rd, 2016 - New version - This updated version now includes chest and knee rests for supporting the Cellosphere while playing, and an adjustable end-pin. This is no longer a prototype, it is now ready for anyone to print and play. Update: July 10th, 2017 - Improvement to part 6 - Some people have found it difficult to get the tuning keys to attach because the walls of part 6 were too thick. I've narrowed these walls slightly to make it easier to screw in the tuning keys. Update: May 8th, 2018 - Original files - To make remixing the Cellosphere easier I'm releasing the STL files for the major parts in their original orientations and positions. The STL files included in the download above are rotated so that they have a flat edge on the build plate, which is perfect for 3D printing but this makes them harder to modify. Download this zip file to get the parts in their original orientations and positions if you're interested in making your own remixes. Remix Highlights Half-inch bar and folding parts by Max Taylor Can't find metric measurement bars? This remix uses a half-inch bar and includes folding back and knee rests for compact storage. https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2759753 Traditional scroll top by Lucas Brown Try this top if you want a more traditional looking Cellosphere. https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2672095 Printed O' by David Lee Print an O' for the front cover in any color your like using this clever remix. https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2427716 Print Settings Printer Brand: Monoprice Printer: Monoprice Select Mini V2 Rafts: No Supports: Yes Resolution: 0.2mm Infill: 15% Notes: Print settings vary with the individual parts. See the Assembly Guide PDF for full printing instructions. Post-Printing Painting the fingerboard The cello doesn't need to be painted, but it does look nice with a black fingerboard. I spray painted the front of the fingerboard with semi-gloss black acrylic. Use masking tape to prevent the spray paint from hitting the sides of the part, and touch up any over-spray with white acrylic applied with a paint brush.