Our wooden laundry basket has served us well over the years, but recently the rim cover broke off completely.
What's left behind isn't pretty. Exposed rough wood edges and even a few staples that occasionally snag clothing as we're loading or unloading. Not ideal.
We're getting a built-in laundry solution in our utility room soon, so buying a replacement basket doesn't make sense right now. Besides, this is exactly the kind of minor repair that makes 3D printing so satisfying. Extending the life of a perfectly good product with a custom solution.
Let's have some fun!
My approach was straightforward: design a new rim that slides over the existing basket edge, covering all the rough bits while providing a clean surface for the lid to sit on.
I started with some basic measurements and sketched out what I had in mind. Nothing fancy, just a simple rim that would cap the damaged edge.
From there, it was time for some basic modeling. But knowing how these projects usually go, I wasn't about to print a full rim straight away.
I printed a small cross-section to test the fit and made a classic mistake - deducting a radius when I should have deducted a diameter. The result? The section was way too small. The test piece wouldn't even come close to fitting over the basket edge.
Fixed the measurement error and printed another test section. Much better! This one actually fit over the rim, but it was a bit loose. Close enough to know I was on the right track, but not tight enough for a secure fit. Not yet, anyways.
Here's where things got interesting. The full rim was too large for my print bed, so I needed to split it into multiple parts. I decided on a 4-piece design that would connect together like a jigsaw puzzle.
My first attempt at the jigsaw connection was so dreadful, it was hilarious. I made the thickness of the cut way too large, and the pieces barely connected at all. The connection was so loose it couldn't even hold together.
The next attempt was much better. I refined the jigsaw connection geometry, and this time got a nice tight fit between the pieces.
With the jigsaw connection sorted, I now wanted to focus on an idea to make the fit really secure.
I added ridges on the inside of the design to make the fit tighter and help it hold itself in place without any additional fasteners:
With the tests looking good, I printed the first full quarter-section with the internal ribs.
The fit was very tight, enough to grip the wood securely, and the jigsaw connection worked perfectly with the other parts.
But I did notice I could still see a little of the wood under the rim. It wasn't thick enough. I should have caught this with the test pieces, but I was perhaps too focused on the fit and grip.
Back to tweaking the model...
Another section printed, and things were looking great. I was confident enough to continue printing the remaining pieces...
Oh no. The final piece didn't fit at all!
I was confident the measurements where fine, but I tripple-checked them (again) anyways. It took me a moment to figure out the problem was the internal ribs.
Once fully assembled, the ribs were pushing outwards, offsetting the pieces enough to prevent the final connection from fitting.
Back to tweaking the model...
I almost completely removed the ribs and instead added small bubbles on the inside surface.
These create just enough tension to grip the wood without the same amount of outward pressure that caused the misalignment.
The revised pieces printed perfectly and the assembly went smoothly. Each section clicked into place with satisfying precision, and the whole rim sat securely on the basket edge.
The bubbles provided just the right amount of grip and tension to keep the rim in place, while the smooth outer surface gives the lid a proper seat. No more snagged clothing, and the basket gets a new lease on life:
Working on this was another reminder that my 3D printing projects rarely work perfectly on the first try - which is part of the fun!
The iterative process of testing, failing, and refining is exactly what I find rewarding about these small household fixes.