Lego Compatible Cypress Tree

thingiverse

Back again with another Lego compatible tree! This is a Cypress Tree, not as common as the pine or fruit tree....but just as good looking! This tree is similar in construction to my other 2 trees but with a few changes and things to be aware of. The Cypress is made of two different parts - the base and branch discs. The base has a trunk that stands vertically throughout the entire tree and is keyed. All the branch discs (which are also keyed) are then printed and placed in order from C1 to C18. We are still using the same concept of layering the branch discs, however there are NO defined edges where the discs lay on (unlike my other trees). The height of this tree is just too tall and each layer on the base gets smaller as reaches the top. If I did use lips/ledges, the top would be too skinny to even print. Take a look at my other trees and their bases...you will see what I mean. https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3782071 and https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4053008 In order to solve this issue I've included a spacer. It will create the proper gap between branches while they are pressed/glued into place. I used a drop of CA glue at the top of each layer where the disc and base meet. The spacer can then be removed and the procedure repeated until you reach the top. A few things to note about the spacer and it's use. It has a large center opening and a key built into it. The key will fit in the center notch of each branch disc. Starting from the first layer, place the spacer key down and work your way up. The large opening of the spacer will not touch the CA glue from the previously installed disc. See the pictures for a better idea of how this works. Some issues you may run into: With my settings, machine, temps, material, etc....I only needed slight effort to get each disc into place. Some I used a deep socket (or 2) over the base and tapped into place. I made the tolerances on the snug side because some people may not want to use CA glue (which I HIGHLY recommend using). It wasn't until the last 3 discs C16, C17, and C18 which gave me some problems installing. Not sure if it was due to a slicer setting, accuracy issue or just an anomaly . I'm still investigating. If you also have problems you can scale those discs up around 2 or 3 percent to get a larger opening. Also, before the last disc gets glued in place, check the spacing! Because we are doing the spacing by hand the last gap may be slightly off. Just use your cutters to nip the top of the base off slightly and glue in place. Sorry for the long winded instructional about how to put a tree together. I want to give you all the tips, tricks and things to watch out for so you can have a good tree building experience. Please leave comments or ask questions. Enjoy!