Every time I sit down and begin modeling a part in Fusion 360, I learn new things. I may be a feature of the software that I haven’t used yet, or it could be a new way to create a piece of geometry. There’s always something. For me, this learning process is just as valuable as the project itself. We all need to be open to learning new things all of the time. Its a crucial part to us being able to grow as makers and as people.

As I was making dinner one day, I realized that our spice organization was really non existent. I decided to take this as a learning opportunity and figure out a way to begin getting this organized. I took the drawer organizer idea as inspiration for this project and drew up a new set of brackets that I could 3D print, and use to build a spice shelf. While these brackets share some similarities to the drawer organizer brackets, there was a whole new set of challenges. I wanted this to be able to be assembled in several different directions. That way I could have different tiers for different things. After many many hours of drawing and making test prints I finally have a design that I’m happy with.

This project uses the same 1/4″ thick wood for the shelves, but they are 2 1/2″ wide. I took some measurements of the cabinet where this shelf would live and began cutting the wood to length. Once I got everything cut and test fit, I disassembled it, sanded the pieces, and gave them a coat of lacquer to protect the wood. Now I could reassemble the shelf and put it to work holding spices, and keeping things organized.

I know this project isn’t very complicated, but thats not the point. I want to show you some ways you might be able to integrate some aspects of digital manufacturing into your workshop. Whether through 3D Printing, or a CNC machine, or maybe another type of digital machine. Try to always be open to learning and trying new things. Even though I didn’t spend a lot of time on the woodworking side of this project, I did spend many hours at the computer designing and testing parts.

If you’d like to try out my brackets, you can DOWNLOAD THEM HERE. Try them out, make changes, have fun, and learn something new. Thanks for stopping by.

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