Catan Magnetic Resource Trays

thingiverse

You've printed: - [3D Catan board](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2525047). <font color="green" size=+2>✔</font> - Two nifty replacement robbers: [Stack o' Sheep Thief](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2854748) and [Sandstorm](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2854759). <font color="green" size=+2>✔</font> - Number tokens: [4](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2884108) and [6](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2884126) player sets. <font color="green" size=+2>✔</font> - [Number token storage tubes](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2927739). <font color="green" size=+2>✔</font> - [Longest Road](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2349876) and [Largest Army](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2349867) trophies. <font color="green" size=+2>✔</font> - [Catan Player Pieces Hex Storage Boxes](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2927788). <font color="green" size=+2>✔</font> That means you're ready to print something to keep your resource cards sorted and stored. I always hate how messy the resource card stacks get after the first few rounds of play. _Ugh_, how _very_ uncivilized! _Lo_, there is a solution! Several, in fact. To be frank, there are a lot of ways to organize your cards to be found 'round these parts, this is just the one that tickles the right parts of my brain (if you have glanced at any of my other creations, you'll likely see the "Goldilocks" theme running strong and true). This is a remix of **[rustybaker22](https://www.thingiverse.com/rustybaker22/about)**'s sweet **[Magnetic Catan Card Trays](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1471610)**. Where his trays use spherical magnets, I used [6mm x 2 mm](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075RZ82HP/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1) cylindrical magnets (in reality 6mm x 1.8mm, but who's counting... oh, yeah, me!) conveniently left over from another project, which also have the added bonus of being available from Amazon in a few days and not a 4-6 week wait as they ship from China. By boat. A small one. Like [this](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sampan). Using the smaller, more slender magnets, I was able to shave some of the bulk off the trays themselves as they didn't need the space for the original BB shape. These trays are narrower, shallower and shorter by a non-negligible amount as a result, saving a little material and print time. I added magnets to the back so the trays could be used not only in the original 1 x 6 arrangement, but in a 2 x 3 arrangement as well. I also designed the magnets to be inserted from the bottom, and as a result making them relatively unseen. Lastly, I migrated and updated the Catan logo from the sides to the back. **<font color="red" size=+2>WARNING:</font>** Be _**extremely**_ careful with your magnet pole orientation! You need to make sure the poles for the sides are correctly aligned to attract the next tray in line, and the two in the back are one pole in each direction. I've put an annotated photo with the pictures above as an example. I also found it very useful to get one tray set up correctly, and then use it as a baseline for the rest, sticking the six magnets for another tray to it, and aligning the new tray alongside it and carefully moving the magnets over. Also, printers and print settings will vary, and the magnets may be nice and snug in the slot, or they may go in fairly easily... I used a sparse drop of CA glue in each slot and pressed each magnet in to hedge my bet. I'm providing three variants of the card trays: completely blank, Catan logo only, or a full set of stylized resource logos (ore, wood, wool, brick, wheat, and development cards). Mix and match as you see fit. The final item I wanted was a way to store these trays, preferably with the cards still in them. I designed a box that would, with the addition of another handful of magnets, keep the trays secure inside without the need for a bulky lid of some sort. The trays should slip in with a tiny bit of snugness, but be removable via the finger slots without any difficulty - this ensures there's no gap for a card to slip out. As before, magnet pole orientation is critical, but that is easily managed by putting the card trays in the storage box, adding a bare little dab of 5-minute epoxy (or CA glue if you prefer, but I like the extra working time) in the magnet well, then letting the magnet snap into place. I suggest dry-fitting the magnets first to ensure they sit flush in the hole without need for a little adjusting before bringing the glue into play. Leave the trays in until the glue is set, or you'll get a nasty surprise. The magnets are strong enough to keep the trays floating without support. Another benefit of slimming down the trays was that I was _just_ able to print this box on my postage stamp sized MonoPrice Select Mini. I would not have been able to do that with the original tray size. I'm providing two variants of the storage box: completely blank, or with the Catan logo on the back. Choose your favorite.