From the Loftsmith Workshop

Advent spiral for 24 LED tea lights, 180 mm bed segments

A candle spiral for counting down to Christmas, one LED tea light a day. Small numbered cups wind out from a bigger one in the middle, and it comes in segments so it prints on a modest bed. Change the cup size to match your own tea lights.

7 parts · 195 g · 344 × 335 × 17 mm

by Loftsmith Workshop

Spiral of green and white ring cups with numbers, around a larger green cup in the centre
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No adjustable sizes

Ask for the sizes you want to tweak, e.g. “make the width adjustable”.

Change it in the Studio

Parts

  • centre-cup · PLA · Upright, flat base on the bed, as modelled

    Fluted cup for the Christmas Eve light (59 mm bore for a 58 mm light at the default), with the curled tail and the first dovetail key. About 20 g, 32 min. Dark colour (green #2f5d46).

  • segment-1 · PLA · Upright, flat base on the bed; the export turns it about Z to its best angle to fit the bed

    Days 21-24. About 29 g, 43 min. Light colour (cream #efe6d2).

  • segment-2 · PLA · Upright, flat base on the bed, turned about Z to fit

    Days 17-20. About 29 g, 43 min. Dark colour.

  • segment-3 · PLA · Upright, flat base on the bed, turned about Z to fit

    Days 13-16. About 29 g, 43 min. Light colour.

  • segment-4 · PLA · Upright, flat base on the bed, turned about Z to fit

    Days 9-12. About 29 g, 43 min. Dark colour.

  • segment-5 · PLA · Upright, flat base on the bed, turned about Z to fit

    Days 5-8. About 29 g, 43 min. Light colour.

  • segment-6 · PLA · Upright, flat base on the bed, turned about Z to fit

    Days 1-4, the outer end of the spiral. About 28 g, 42 min. Dark colour.

Print settings

Layer height
0.2 mm
Walls
2
Infill
15%
Supports
None
Notes
At the defaults (2 walls, 15% infill), the build report gives about 195 g of PLA and about 4 h 50 min for all 7 parts: the centre cup is about 20 g / 32 min and each segment about 28-29 g / 42-43 min. PLA suits an indoor decoration that only holds LED lights, and it is stiff enough to keep the 0.15

Hardware

  • 24 × LED tea light, 36-42 mm diameter, about 16 mm tall · Set the Tea light diameter slider to yours. LED only, never real flames.
  • Centre LED light, 36-62 mm diameter (default set for a 58 mm maxi-size LED tea light) · Measure yours and set the Centre light diameter slider. A standard 38 mm LED tea light works if you set it to 38.

Assembly

  1. Put the centre cup down where the spiral will sit. Its dovetail key points along the spiral.
  2. Lower segment-1 (days 21-24) straight down so its socket drops over the centre cup's key. The keys slide in vertically and lock the pieces side to side.
  3. Lower segment-2 onto segment-1's key the same way, then segments 3 to 6 in order, working outward. The 0.2 mm seam at each joint is intentional.
  4. Drop an LED tea light into each cup and the centre light into the centre cup. Each light sits 10 mm deep and stands 6 mm proud, so you can pinch it out to reach its switch.
  5. From 1 December, light the outermost cup (day 1) and add one more each day toward the centre. On the 24th, light the centre cup too.
  6. To store it, take it apart from the outside in: lift segment-6 first, then 5, 4 and so on. Each socket runs under the next cup's wall, so an inner segment cannot come up while its outer neighbour is still keyed on. The segments are flat-bottomed, 12 mm tall pieces that stack.

Good to know

  • LED tea lights only. PLA softens at about 55 °C, and this is not a holder for real candles or any open flame.
  • The keys only lock the segments side to side. The assembled spiral cannot be lifted as one piece; move it segment by segment.
  • Cup fit is checked in the engine (0.5 mm clearance all round), not on a printed part. If your lights are loose or tight, adjust the Tea light diameter slider in 0.5 mm steps.
  • The dovetail clearance (0.15 mm per side by default) depends on your printer. If the keys bind or rattle, adjust Key clearance (0.1-0.3 mm) and reprint one joint as a test.
  • At the defaults it takes about 344 x 335 mm of table. Larger lights or a wider gap make it bigger; the Check tab shows the size and segment count for your slider settings.
  • Tea light height is assumed to be 16 mm. Much taller lights stand further proud of the cups but still fit.
I printed this Remix

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