XL universal knife block (vase mode)

I have a knife problem. That problem is that I definitely have the correct number of knives but I just don’t have enough space to store them. Until now!

This is my universal knife block. You can buy similar products at the store, but none are quite this big. It prints in around 20 hours in vases mode, uses about $10 of PLA, and consists of 2 pieces so you can do 2 different colors if you‘d like. I printed mine in red and black, since that matches a lot of other items in my kitchen.

This block will hold about 10 to 15 knives comfortably, maybe more if you store them really densely. The maximum blade length is 9 inches, though you might be able to get a bit more if you scale it up in the Z direction. There is also a dedicated space for a pair of kitchen sheers and a sharpening stick (yes, that’s right, I said sharpening… throw away that knife steel and get yourself a ceramic sharpening stick… but let’s not get political here).

Base print instructions 

 The base is quite easy to print. Here are my recommended settings:

• Spiral vase mode / Spiralize outer contour: turn this on, this is how the whole magic works
• Line Width: 0.8mm (we want this to be sturdy)
• Layer Height: 0.3mm
• Bottom Thickness / Bottom Layers: 1.5mm or 5 layers at 0.3mm
• Wall speed: 30mm/s (you are pushing a lot of plastic, so a slower speed is best, though if you are confident in your hot end you can go faster)
• Printing Temperature: 10 to 15 degrees hotter than your usual temperature
• Flow: 110%

Special note for Prusa Slicer: Under Print Settings > Advanced, there is a "Slice gap closing radius" setting. You need to set this to 0. This is very important.

Top print instructions

The top is quite a bit more difficult to print (but more on that later). Here are my recommended settings:

• Spiral vase mode / Spiralize outer contour: turn this on, this is how the whole magic works
• Line Width: 0.5mm (this one is important)
• Layer Height: 0.3mm
• Bottom Thickness / Bottom Layers: 1.2mm or 4 layers at 0.3mm
• Wall speed: 30mm/s (you can bump this up a bit if you are confident in your printer)
• Printing Temperature: 5 to 10 degrees hotter than your usual temperature
• Flow: 120%

I printed this in PLA, but if you have TPU, you could also use that. Definitely not required though.

Special note for Prusa Slicer: Under Print Settings > Advanced, there is a "Slice gap closing radius" setting. You need to set this to 0. This is very important.

Notes

The piece in the photos was printed on an Elegoo Neptune 2 with a 0.4mm nozzle in Polymater PolyTerra watermelon red and charcoal black.

Remarks about the Print Tables contest

So yes. I am entering this model into the contest. It is not a table or a shelf or a bench or a lamp, but it is loosely a storage solution and you do generally buy one at Home Goods, everyone’s favorite furniture store. I was originally discouraged from entering this contest, but seeing all the other great storage solutions, I thought I’d give it a try. I hope everyone enjoys it!