Bamboo Skewers to 8mm Rod - subsitute for wooden dowels, aluminium/steel/carbon rods/tubes

I had an idea to combine multiple thin rods as a substitute for larger tubes, pipes & rods that are used in many existing projects. 

PROs

• Cheap
• Readily available
• Easy to cut
• Kid Friendly
• Able to flex
• Biodegradable
• Lightweight

CONs

• Not rigid (unsuitable for some applications)
• Each skewer varies in thickness
• Splinters & sharpened point
• Tedious build process

Design goals

1. To make something accessible for all ages
2. To not require glue which makes it easy for disassembly and recycling

Considerations

Skewers are not a uniform size, and printers/settings will vary. I would recommend printing a few different sizes to find the one that matches your skewers. You may have to sort your skewers or choose a larger hole size & resort to using glue.

Use your slicer to scale up the Z axis of the model, They have been modelled at 4mm, but I recommend 16mm. You could go taller especially if you wanted to join them to make an extra long rod. Sizing up the model will increase friction.

There is a 4 skewer version which is the one I recommend, it is the strongest and most visually appealing IMO. 

The 3 skewer version is quicker to build and uses less skewers but is weaker and requires a tighter fit. 

The end cap version is my attempt to make a universal one size fits all, there are little nubs half way down that narrow the hole. I didn't like it, as it needed a lot of force for some skewers, many could not be inserted the full length, which is important if you need an exact length. The endcaps would have better bed adhesion.

Bed adhesion was a major issue with my printer, I often just used brims.

Seam location, I use aligned seams. It looks better and has better fitment overall, but you will find 1 or 2 holes will be tighter than the others. Scattered/Random seams produce an overall tighter fit.

Compatible Projects

Tube Connectors (for freeform construction)

Filament Spool Holder

Designed in onshape with parameters if you would like to customise it.