3D printing gives you the ability to create what you desire and imagine. When I was unable to find a hamper that suited my needs after searching in stores and online for over a year, I designed one. The design went through a few iterations before I settled on making one using Mahogany edge bands and plywood that was leftover from a business venture. This was the second hamper I have made with 3D printed elements. The first was a hamper stool that served its purpose but did not have enough storage space for my current needs.

3-inch casters, 24-inch x 3/4-inch square aluminum tubes, M4-0.7 x 8mm screws and nylon nuts, and silk silver filament were required to put the hamper together. The cost for these items was $111, excluding the plywood, edge banding, and nylon bag. Upon seeing the total, as I was writing this post, I wondered if there were hampers available now that are comparable in quality and storage volume.

It is important for me to have a large, closeable nylon bag that I can wash every week with the laundry. Wheels are essential. I found a Deluxe Mahogany Hamper selling for $875. It is all wood and has more volume, but no casters. Wayfair has an all-wood birch hamper with a lid at $243. It’s about the same size as my hamper. I’m not in love with the color of the wood, so I would not have paid the asking price. The container store has a wire hamper listed for $79.99 that is a little larger than mine, but the aesthetics aren’t there. The wire hamper is close in utility, but far away in appearance. I feel my decision to make my own hamper has been reinforced.

Besides printing parts for my hamper, two cuts of Mahogany edge banding were glued together and sealed with Ecos Varnish. I printed all parts on Prusa MK3s+ with Kyuubi silk filament.