Faster LACK enclosure

IKEA LACK tables aren't tall enough to support many 3d printers, but printing taller supports takes ~50 hours in many cases. Instead, I used 61mm (~2") ABS pipe that cost me $6 and let me cut my printing time in half.

You can cut the pipe to any length you want allowing easy modification. Also, you're able to route low-voltage wires inside the pipes to manage cables for things like lights and external displays.

BOM and prints

Main print

• 2 LACK end tables
• 4 printed table extenders
• 2 upper left/lower right extender
• 2 upper right/lower left extender
• 16 screws to attach the extenders. I used some random 4.5mm x 20mm non-countersunk screws I had lying around
• Optionally 8 more of the above screws to firmly attach the tubing the the extenders. I didn't do this and it worked fine
• ABS pipe, cut to preferred length. Mine was at 600mm (~24") and it worked nicely
• 4 sheets of 3mm plexiglass. You'll have to measure your own dimensions but I recommend making the sheet for the door ~70mm taller and ~50mm wider than the others, but use your discretion

Door

• Print 2 hinge assemblies total: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4599107
• Print the handle from here: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1920010
• 2 disk magnets
• CA glue
• 2 countersunk screws for the magnets to grab on to
• 2 m3 30mm bolts + nuts (or brass inserts) for hinge pins
• 4 m3 10mm bolts + washers + nuts for hinge attachment to plexi
• 4 countersunk screws for hinge attachment to table
• 2 m4 16mm bolts for handle

Addons

• Printed this filament guide and it works great: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2114888
• In the files for this project there's a grommet for running a power cable. This fits in a 35mm (1 3/8") hole that you should drill in the rear-center of the unit

Instructions

My pipe had an OD of 60.5mm and I rounded up to 61 in the model. It's a great fit and I've included the SCAD file if you need to modify this diameter.

Once all the extender parts are printed, attach them to the topside of one table and the underside of another tabletop. The 4 pieces with multiple slots for plexi should go on the back and the upper left/lower right and upper right/lower left extenders should go in their appropriate place on the side that'll eventually have the door.

After attaching the extender brackets, cut your pipe to length and dry-fit the full table. From there, measure and purchase your required plexi sizes. Once you have your plexi, slot the 3 walls into the grooves and slip the top onto the table.

I chose to mount the door on the table tops themselves (see pics), but this comes with the side effect that you'll need to cut away a bit of the veneer on the table to let the door sit flush. I did end up really liking this approach so it's how I'd do it in future, but there are other options out there I'm sure. Be careful when drilling the plexi as it's easy to crack. I firmly clamped a board on the other side to give me something to drill into and it went fine.

Finally, I sunk 2 screws flush into the tabletops on the side opposite the hinges. This is to provide something for the door magnets to stick to. Once the screws are in place the magnets centred on the screws, apply a drop of CA glue to the backside of the magnets, and hold the door closed to attach the magnets to the door.

I chose to print a filament guide for the top table and a power cord grommet for the bottom. For the top I simply marked and drilled a channel, cleaning up the edges with a knife. For the bottom just use a 35mm/1 3/8th drill bit and drill as far back as you can without touching the plexi. If you're doing this I strongly recommend peeling the protective layer off the plexi until after you've cleaned up all the dust from this.

Print Settings

Printer Brand:

Creality

Printer:

Ender 3

Rafts:

No

Supports:

No

Resolution:

300

Infill:

15

Filament: Any Any

Any

Notes:

I shaved a ton of time off printing by reducing my tops/bottoms to 2 layers. You can see the infill through this, but I don't care. If you go this route I recommend you increase the infill to 20-30%

I could only fit 3 at a time on my ender 3 v2, but I think you may be able to fit 4 if you're crafty.