Interlocking Plate

thingiverse

Some time ago I made the 3D printed shelf bracket because why not? Well if you are going to have a 3D printed bracket, you are going to want a 3D printed shelf to go on it! So I set about designing a simple panel which incorporates dovetail and mortise/tenon joints. These panels can be joined together with staggered joints like brickwork, two sizes of end cap in both the male and female form are included so that the finish panel can have flat ends. The combination of the two joints and the staggering of the joins produce a surprisingly stiff end result! I found that a little lubrication and a tap with a hammer helps with assembly, you could try scaling the prints if it it is too tight for you but be careful as the joints need to be very tight in order to produce a solid end result. A 0.1mm tolerance is built into the design. The mortise is also 2mm deeper than the tenon so that you may print it with supports and not have to worry too much about cleaning it all out. At some point I plan to design further accessories such as a V way for holding pens/tools/screws (as I plan to install my shelf above a workbench). Other options are possible such as hooks, phone holders etc. As such I've also included the dimensions for the dovetails should you wish to make your own accessories. Please note that the fillet is only included in order to avoid a sharp angle at the base of the male dovetail as this would likely cause it to snap easily, having the fillet rounds out the transition and makes it much stronger, as such the same 1mm fillet is mirrored on the edge of the female dovetail so that they mesh nicely. The same applies to the fillet on the mortise/tenon, it is there as a stress relief feature. Armed with enough interlocking panels you can build pieces far bigger than you would be able to fit on your printer, I am even thinking about doing 90° end caps to enabled the building of larger structures.... 3D printed shed anyone? EDIT: I've added a couple of accessories and a photo of an assembled shelf, the brackets are here https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4188222