A little bit of downtime over the holidays, and a new 3D printer that I got late last year meant that a new project was in order. I’ve been dabbling with some Jade Bonsai for the last 12 months, learning a lot from YouTube along the way. These Jade grew really quickly (compared to other bonsai) which means I can make plenty of mistakes and it doesn’t take too long to recover 🙂 Bonsai pots aren’t particularly cheap, and there really isn’t much range at the budget level, so I decided to design and print one myself!

My Blender skills are basic at best, but I was able to model up this pot, having taking some inspiration for Google. I had a roll of black PLA material that never really gets used, and while I know it probably won’t last the hot Queensland summer, there is no harm in trying. If it does warp, I might redo it in PETG. The feet and base were printed separately and then glued together so that I wouldn’t have to worry about supports. I also modeled in drainge holes as well so I didn’t have to drill any afterwards. 2 coats of cheap spray paint from Bunnings and it was good to go!

What I love about these tools is that anyone (kids included) who have ideas, can make those ideas a reality. Yes you need access to a 3D printer and a computer capable of running the free software, but the barriers to entry are diminishing quickly. There are plenty of free tutorials to give you the skills to be able to do this. Digital Technologies and Digital Literacy within the Australian Curriculum are desgined to give students the confidence to use these types of tools, so that they too can make whatever crazy thing they can think of.