Cat Hammock Posts

These are posts designed to hold up a cat hammock. I didn't want to spend the money on a commercial solution when I have a thing maker in my home, and I wasn't satisfied with the solution(s) currently on Printables. Therefore, I designed these over-engineered posts.

There's a split in the post so that you can slip the hammock loops on. The alternative was sewing zippers into the hammock loops, but I'm more confident in my CAD skills than my sewing skills.

For the hammock: I would recommend buying a yard of cheap fabric that matches your decor at Walmart or Michael's or wherever, cutting it to the appropriate size for the hammock you're making (obviously you want some slack) and then sewing loops in either end. Maybe you could buy a hammock but I think you'd be overpaying and unlikely to find the exact right size.

Holy moly I just finished crafting the hammock and it was way more sewing than I thought it would be. If you're used to sewing, you wouldn't consider it a lot, but I don't normally sew. I just so happened to have a Goodwill Singer 242 that I fixed the timing(?) on, but had no use for until now. But dang was it satisfying.

Like I said, I don't normally sew, so please excuse my poor skills. I have a feeling Pimento will not judge me. Be like Pimento.

Printing Notes:

• Supports

  • Everywhere

  • Support Blockers on hexagons (sorry. At least it's not that much clicking) unless you want to spend an hour removing them all just to avoid a little stringing.

    

  • Overhang threshold: <35°, otherwise you'll get supports on the backplate, which you don't want or need.

  • Style: Organic. Snug might work, but I used organic.

• Infill

  • >25% density recommended

  • Pattern: Cubic. Just not grid. All my homies hate grid

• ≥4 perimeter walls recommended for strength

• Material: PETG at the very least. I used ABS for a balance of strength and cost. Note if you use ABS: part shrinkage will make the nut fit pretty snug, but it will still fit. I highly recommend not using PLA. I'm pretty confident that the design is robust enough to hold up in PLA, but PLA creeps. All my homies hate PLA

• I also had some minor warping on one of my first prints, so I upped the build plate temperate to 120°C

The part is already oriented how it's intended to be printed. I wouldn't recommend rotating it on the x or y axes. If the orientation confounds you, see this CNC Kitchen video: 

Installation: 

• The posts are designed to be mounted to the wall at a 45° angle. That is why there is a "left" and a "right." The upper screw holes are canted so that when tilted, they're vertical and line up with wall studs. That is how I installed mine and how I would recommend you do the same. And use drywall anchors for the lower holes.

• It's probably overkill to mount them to studs, given that they'll experience like 30lbs of force max. But I like overkill.

• The reason why they're designed to be mounted at 45° is because it means the posts are more parallel with the directions of forces applied. If they were mounted vertically, they'd be nearly perpendicular, which isn't ideal, and if they were horizontal, they'd get in the way of the hammock itself. so 45° it is.

  

• Put hammock on posts, screw nuts over posts, and enjoy. Or rather, let the cat enjoy.

• LEGAL DISCLAIMER: I am not responsible for anything that happens if a human tries to use the hammock. Lookin' at you, Greg.

Further Notes:

• I wish the posts were longer to accommodate a wider hammock, but it barely fits on my Core One's build plate as-is. Actually it didn't fit until I chamfered (why is that not a word) the corners of the bottom of the backplate.

• I washed and dried my hammock, which was a mistake because it shrank in the drier after all of my careful measuring. Bear in mind the care instructions for whichever fabric you choose.

Thank you for looking at my creation and reading this all. Unless you didn't. Which is fine. I wouldn't mind. It's all good. We're cool... cool cool cool.

Anyways please leave a comment or even a remix if you feel so inclined! I'm open to constructive criticism.