Mini Shelf (created With Tinkercad)

Have you ever wanted to display tiny treasures on a shelf, but couldn't find a shelf small enough? In this Instructable, you can learn how to make a printable custom mini shelf with Tinkercad.

• A Tinkercad account
• A 3D printer (I use the MakerBot Replicator)
• PLA filament
• Acrylic paint
• Sandpaper

(*Note: The imperial system is used for all dimensions.)

Select the box (or cube) shape from the Basics Shapes category, and make it 1/8 inches tall, 4 inches wide, and 5 inches long.

Next, take another cube, make it 2 inches tall, 1/8 inches wide, and 4.25 inches long, and place it within the edge of the back wall. Then, duplicate it by pressing Ctrl + D, and put the copy on the other side of the back wall.

(Here the shelves are equally spaced, but can be adjusted to your preference.)

Select another cube, make it 2 inches tall, 4 inches wide, and 1/8 inches long, and place it at the top of the side walls. Next, duplicate it (Ctrl + D), and move it 1.625 inches below the first shelf. While keeping the new shelf selected, duplicate it, and the third shelf will appear below it.

Select the wedge shape from Basic Shapes, make it 1.875 inches tall, 1/8 inches wide, and 3/4 inches long, place it on top of the back wall, and against the top of the first shelf. Duplicate it, and put the new wedge on the opposite edge.

Decorate the walls with the scribble tool from Basic Shapes to create swirls.

Once you've finished decorating the walls, group the entire shelf together by dragging the cursor across the design and pressing Ctrl + G.

Now the shelf is all ready to be printed! Make sure to print it on its back to minimize the amount of supports used in the printing process. With this size, it took about 6.5 hours to print.

For a more polished look and easier painting job, I used sandpaper to smooth out the rough surfaces.

Finally, it is time to paint! You can use any color you prefer. I've found that acrylic paint works best.

Now you can display your tiny treasures for your family and friends. Enjoy!