of our piece, followed by the thickness of the fence
post, and the width of the gap. We measured our
pot just below the top rim, where it is a little thicker,
to find it is 95 mm wide, the fence posts are 21 mm
thick, and the gap is 21 mm wide. With these three
dimensions, we can jump right in and start designing
on Fusion 360.
As the shape we are trying to create is pretty
basic, we’re going to start by simply drawing a
2D representation of the shape and then extrude
it into a 3D object. In Fusion 360 this 2D image is
called a sketch, and in our case, it’ll be made up of
a few different pieces – a couple of circles and two
rectangles. Easy!
Once Fusion 360 is set up, and you’ve selected
a new project, click on the Create Sketch button in
the top left of your UI. You’ll be prompted to select
a plane – select the XZ plane (the bottom surface).
From here we’re going to draw a circle by clicking
on the circle tool in the top left of the UI, and then
clicking on the origin (the small circle in the centre
of your screen). After you’ve clicked on the origin,
you can move your mouse around to make the circle
bigger or smaller. Because we’re being more precise
here, we’ll want to input the dimensions manually.
Use the measurement from the diameter of the pot
we’re going to be putting in here – in our case, it
was 95 mm. To complete the ring, we’re going to
draw another circle using constraints to make sure
the two circles will always be concentric.PLEASE, CONSTRAIN YOURSELF
While absolute precision for the diameter ring isn’t
vital for this particular project, it’s good practice to
define our dimensions and to use constraints (see
Constraints box overleaf for details). To really get a
good idea of what’s happening here, we’re going to
draw a second circle, but this time don’t start on the
origin. Draw it anywhere on the screen and give it
a diameter around 20 mm larger than the previous
circle. To make this into a ring, we’re going to add
the Concentric constraint. Click on the Concentric
icon from the Constraints menu in the top of your
UI toolbar (a red circle with a black circle inside it).
Finally, we’re going to click on our two circles one
after the other. The second circle should snap on top
of the first circle. We’re going to finish the ring by
adding a dimension between the two circles.TOOLS FOR THE JOB
If you are planning on doing a lot of 3D modelling, a
set of digital callipers are essential. They are also
useful when it comes to calibrating your printer, as
you can find out the true dimensions of those
calibration cubes you’ve been printing and even
check the diameter of your filament to make sure it
really is 1.75 mm thick, as advertised. With a little bit
of shopping around, you can pick up a set of digital
callipers for as little as £7, but the quality and
accuracy won’t be great. A nice sweet spot can be
found at the £15 mark for a good bump in quality
and accuracy (0.01 mm rather than 0.1 mm for the
cheaper sets).WHY A FLOATING
There’s a real satisfaction in looking at something
around the house/office/workshop that you want to
fix and then coming up with a solution from design
to physical object. In the author’s case, he had an
ever-increasing number of plastic pots left over
from lunches, and wanted to find a novel way to
recycle them. Being fond of a bit of cooking, herb
planters seemed like a good idea, and the thought
of having an extensive herb garden to choose from
was too good to pass up. By having the plants off
the ground, they’re safe from creepy crawlies (and
his dog Floki), and they will get sunlight for more
hours in the day.YOU’LL NEED
Fusion 360
3D printer
Digital callipers
(though a ruler
will do)The completed
project can be
found here:
hsmag.cc/
Xce2wMQUICK TIP
Figure 1
Note the small
doughnut symbol in
the centre, beside
the origin. This is
the symbol for the
Concentric constraint
that we’ve added to
these two circlesFORGEWe’re going to start by simply
drawing a 2D representation
of the shape and then
extrude it into a 3D object”
”
HERB GARDEN?