Is it a small table or is it a counter stool? I asked myself this as I printed the parts to what started out as a small table. I thought by adding a connecting bar near the bottom, it would make the table functional as a counter stool. It would be a test of printed, glued legs.

After the last part printed, I eagerly rushed (something one should never do when gluing) to put all the parts together. I couldn’t wait to sit on it to see if my thoughts were correct. When everything was hot glued together, I waited about a half hour before testing. I put the chair/table on the floor and gingerly lowered myself while holding it in place. It felt extremely wobbly and I felt I had about 20 seconds before it would break. No, it is not a chair. Iteration 1 failure.

As I thought about what was wrong with this design as a chair, I realized I was treating printed PLA as if it was wood. It does not have all the properties that wood has. The glued legs were relatively strong. I think the legs could support a sedentary weight of up to 50 pounds. I won’t be testing that now; however, I will proceed with other projects and possibly come back to this challenge. The print is now serving as a table by the entry door.