My first shapeways creation!

[nachoman]

I'm really starting to get the hang of this!

Here is a tender frame I made for HOn2 2-8-0 tenders.....

Nice if you can afford it, I suppose, but a sheet of Evergreen scribed siding (and perhaps a similar-sized sheet of thicker styrene onto which it could be cemented for increased thickness) would be cheaper and likely give you enough material to build similar frames for a number of locomotives. The cutting and assembly would likely take less time for all of the required frames than what was spent doing the drawing for the one shown.

I do see applications where 3-D printing could be useful, but I wouldn't have chosen it for such a simple shape.

Wayne

Agreed on all points But...consider:

1) The best way to learn how to make more complex shapes is to start with simpler ones.
2) If I was making a few just for myself, an assembly line and some styrene would definitely be quicker and cheaper. But if others want to build one, too, they may not want to go through the trouble. The tender tank comes next. Combine the tank with the frame and a pair of trucks and one then has a complete tender.
3) I don't have as much time to spend in my workshop these days. I've got infant twins at home :mrgreen: and it's much easier to mess around on a laptop while the kids nap than it is to get all messy in a workshop .

You are right. Building a flat car, or a tender frame, or even a tender tank isn't that difficult. But for some reason, most people would rather not do it these days...

Kevin