@ColRay I had issues with my wrists and hands a few months ago which badly affected what I could do so fully understand. Apart from enjoying working with timber (and even ply!) I do need to get some parts printed when I'm near to finishing my models. But for what I need it's not really worth buying my own printer but the big issue is a lack of space. My wife often mentions I have too much stuff and I'm struggling to argue against that now! Especially when she says I have models in most rooms now! Managed to get away with "they make nice ornaments"!

Nearly asked how much the Bambu is that you are talking about but won't!

Chris for myself because of a heath issue my 3D printer let's me keep on making things. I would love a laser cutter but the way things are .. better not! Col

Ian I have been thinking about the Bambu the enclosed one the only thing at the moment that's stopping me is the way Bambu needs the internet . Col

@Fishercat Hi. I to bought a 3D printer to make parts for my Venice water taxi and bought a Bambu A1 and Iits absolutely perfect. I have have used it quite a bit since completion of the water taxi and it performs well. Its the old story, you pay for quality and I could see the quality as soon as I started assembling it. Cheers Ian

@PeterN Exactly, that's why I'm trying to ignore this thread!

@ChrisF 😄You might get hooked

@JockScott with FDM printers, the ONLY machine I would EVER consider used - and that reluctantly - is something with automatic calibration (basically a Bambu) a year or two old or less that has been lightly used and is being sold because the person needed a bigger print bed. Anything else, I wouldn't touch with a 10 foot pole.

These are lightly built consumer machines, and there's a LOT that can go wrong with them. There are a lot of things to calibrate, not just bed height and leveling, but belt tension. The extruder, hot end and nozzle can also be faulty or worn out. Certain kinds of filament will destroy certain kinds of extruders and nozzles. And, if everything isn't right, you don't get a print. Until just 2-3 years ago, all of these calibrations had to be made manually. And, often it was difficult to figure out which of a large number of issues was causing print failure. It could be absolutely infuriating for a beginner.

However, the most recent machines do all the calibration automatically. And, because very competent machines (the Bambu A1 mini) start at $229 (it's a small bed, but it does great work - my friend has one) brand new. I simply could not recommend a used machine. The next step up, the Bambu A1 is a little over $400 brand new. There are other machines that I am not personally familiar with that are less money and are also full featured.

As to resin printers, again the state of the art has been advancing VERY rapidly. But, especially for small and detailed parts, a used machine can be OK if it's fairly new. Mechanically, they're a lot simpler and more robust than FDM printers. The big thing to know about resin printers is that the screen - this is actually a computer tablet display without the backlight - that sits under the resin vat is a wear part. The strong UV bulb beneath it will eventually kill it. So, a heavily used machine is ripe for a repair. Other than that, it's pretty much all about the rigidity of the vertical column that runs the build plate up and down. If the hardware and firmware is working right, the machine should work. I've had luck with my Elegoo machine. That said, there are PLENTY of new machines that are very reasonable in price - just go for a major manufacturer.

@ColRay Nor those! I've built most of the models I want to and have three, maybe four others planned so will stick with the laborious cutting and shaping by hand!

Chris that's easy look at laser cutters Col

Peter looks like it could be a worthwhile project Col

I'm ignoring this thread as I might get drawn into wanting to do my own 3D printing!

@ColRay Working on this one of and on as I usually print RC aircraft but hey this is also fun see : https://www.printables.com/model/1348500-rc-dutch-canal-tug-boat-ship-amsterdammertje-lisa/comments/3405527

@PeterN Sorry forgot to mention, printed on Creality Ender 5 plus at 0.2 layer hight scale 1/87 . Try that in 1/150 is not going to work unfortunately that's why I would use a laserprinter for that small a scale.

Peter nice print Col

Peter I have used my cheap printer for making parts that are more as a starting form for scratch building Col

@LewZ For that scale I would use a resin printer as FDM is way to crude for details needed on 1/150 scale. Attached pictures of a little cruiser I printed for a friend of mine in scale 1/87 (HO). It's just too rough

I would strongly suggest not to get a used 3D printer (unless you are buying it from someone you know and trust and can vouch for the printer's capability. Newer ones have improved over ones made only three years ago, better quality, faster, etc. The reason why used ones are on the market is because either they don't work well, need repair, slow, or poor quality, or the owner can no longer use it (deceased, aged).

You need to make some decisions on whether you want a FDM (filament) or resin printer. Resin printers produce very good quality parts, better that FDM. However, FDM printers are much cleaner, no liquid resins to handle and messy clean-ups. You need to think about what kid of parts you want to make, material, quality, etc. You can do a lot of research on your own - so much info on the internet!

I'll give you an example of what I use: QIDI X-Smart-3 FDM printer (now two years old). It is very fast and makes pretty good parts. Because it is enclosed, several months ago I added a heating device to warm up the chamber which helps strengthen the parts by keeping the temperature high (65C) and that helps the layers fuse together. I use ABS on just about everything. It weld-cements parts together, even to styrene material. Superglue works well when fastening to other materials. The printer was about $400 (US) and the heater about $50 (US).

Operation: Make design, open slicer and convert file to g-code, turn on printer and heater, send g-code to printer, start the printing. When done remove the part(s) from the printing plate, post process the parts (sanding, etc.). I left out the many small steps such as settings, but this is the overall process. Again, check YouTube and you can see how other do it.

The photo shows a machine gun, ammo box and tray, ammo belt, rack, all ABS 3D printed. The pedestal is brass/copper material. (I need to clean up the top of the ammo box, noticed it in the photo.)

Recommendation, check local resources (library, schools, or friends) that can get you going on how the process works. There are so many resources out there for already 3D modeled parts, some free, some at a reasonable price, and then the money grabbers.

S0me of the new printers are not much extra cash a than a used one Col
The Ender 3 go for a very good price

Thankyou Fishercat. What would I have to look for (quality/features etc) if I search the second hand market?

Fishercat "There's just too much to go wrong" yes that's what I'm finding out with 'my hand me down' printer Col

There are 2 kinds of 3D printing. Filament printing, which is what you have in mind, and resin printing (SLA printing).

Filament printing isn't all that well suited to really small parts or small details, but it's a great choice for slightly larger ones. The newest generation of printers cuts about 90% out of the learning curve with resin profiles, auto bed leveling etc. The Bambu A1 and A1 Mini are great for dipping one's toes in the water without costing too much. I don't recommend older or used filament printers. There's just too much to go wrong and older ones were just way too fussy. If you stick to PLA-HT (high temperature tolerant - regular PLA will sag in direct sunlight) filament, you don't even have to dry the filament so long as your ambient humidity is at about 50% or less - so there are very little ancillary costs.

If you use a .2mm nozzle, it can do a surprisingly good job on shapes, though truly small details still aren't good. And, the slow print times with the small nozzle are very much worth it for an amateur like me. I just set the thing to go overnight. I don't have pics of small parts done with my filament printer - I don't use it for small details. I use it for things like motor mounts. It can produce perfect surfaces - if you are willing to sand and fill if necessary. The pic is of the kind of thing I do with filament - it's a 1:8 model of the anchor currently carried by the Pinnace Virginia (museum ship Bath, Maine) - roughly 150mm long.

Resin printing is better suited for fine details and small parts - that's the type of printing they make the tabletop gaming figurines out of. While some resins are reasonably strong (I use Ameralabs TGM-7 - GOOD stuff), most others are brittle. The printers also start at a very reasonable price, though the one I use (Elegoo Saturn 16k) is more money. This is a fairly messy process and uses some nasty chemicals - prints come out dripping in gooey resin and have to be washed off in isopropyl alcohol and then cured with UV light. It's worth it for me. The fine details in the other images - hatch dogs, lifebelt and holder, deck lights, ladder, axe and ports - are all resin printed here (the deck lights are 2 pieces - clear light and white painted guards). The boat itself is wood - only the details are printed.

Of everything in these images, only the axe is a file I downloaded. Everything else I did from scratch in Autodesk Fusion.

The third image is the rudder angle indicator from the helm on this tug - that's as small a part as is practical to print with a resin printer.