3D Printed Expandable Flute Wall Rack

This is a expandable flute wall rack suitable for Native American style flutes, transverse flutes, etc. Each pair of wall rack pieces will accommodate 2 flutes, including large bass flute sizes. There are 2 sizes of wall mounts, use the smaller size if you live in a mobile or manufactured home with thin walls, use the larger size for most other cases. There is a raised Kokopelli on the outside edge of each wall rack piece.

I've added a picture of the design for larger flutes, along with a ruler so you can be sure it will work before you print it. If anyone needs something larger, let me know and I'll see what I can do.

If you have 4 flutes, you would need to print 2 sets of R and L wall rack pieces and 2 wall mounts of either size. If you haven't printed any rack pieces before, I recommend printing the files for the larger flutes, they will work fine for smaller flutes. I've included gcode for PLA setup for a Prusa MK2.5s, this gcode may suffice for all other similar printers with similar build sizes. Gcode is included for printing both the R and L wall rack pieces at the same time. The gcode for the wall rack RL pieces is colorprint gcode, so the printer will pause at 13mm before printing the raised Kokopelli and prep for a filament change. I recommend starting with brown for the main part, changing to white for the raised Kokopelli when the machine prompts you.

Mounting:

You will need 2 3/4 hardwood dowels for each pair of flute rack pieces. I recommend evenly distributing the weight on the top dowel, as it supports all the weight. My top 2 dowels are 18 inches, and I make them shorter as I go down the line for shorter flutes. You can make them all 18" if you want, but you'll find you'll waste wood on the shorter flutes.

Place the 2 wall mount pieces on the top dowel, dividing into 3rds, to do so. Use mounting hardware appropriate for your wall types. When you need more space, just print another pair of brackets, and add them at the bottom with another 3/4 dowel through the bottom holes to stabilize. I recommend you use no more than 6 sets of brackets per wall mount point, this will accommodate 12 flutes.

See pictures for mounting hints.

Update 5 NOV 2022: I recently adopted a Contrabass G flute and had to make the flute rack sections bigger. I've uploaded the bigger versions of the Right and Left rack pieces along with the corresponding colorprint GCODE. These new pieces should pair just fine with the other design, so there is no need to print all new pieces. If you are just starting out, I recommend using the sections for larger flutes for all of your prints. There is a picture of the larger flute design with a ruler, that way you can be sure it will fit your larger flutes.

This is provided free for non-commercial use.

Print Settings

Printer Brand:

Prusa

Printer: 

Mk2.5s

Rafts:

No

Supports: 

No

Infill:

30%

Filament:

Solutech PLA 

Brown and White

Notes:

The included GCODE files for the wall rack R L pieces are colorprint files, they will stop and ask for a filament change for the raised Kokopelli image. The color change occurs at a height of 13mm. I suggest brown filament for the 1st color, changing to white for the Kokopelli image when the machine prompts you.

If you create your own gcode, I recommend using at least 30% infill, .2 layer and 3 perimeters for increased strength. I've found that a triangle infill pattern offers the best strength for the amount of filament used.

Post-Printing

Knock down any sharp edges that may scratch your flutes with either a small file or deburring tool, once smoothed the plastic will not harm your flutes. I use this deburring tool: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004T828/

If you wish, you can add a thin strip of felt to each surface that contacts the flute, but this is not required.

Finish the hardwood dowels using your choice of wood finishing methods. Personally, I prefer to sand and then a few coats of a Tung Oil Finish.

Category: Music