Fern Lampshade by LAMcDonald

Last crawled date: 3 years ago

A basic but (IMO) quite attractive fern leaf/frond lampshade. The leaf is a single layer (0.25mm) thick so will require a well-adjusted printer! The centre part has slots for assembly with 5, 7 or 9 leaves - you choose how many you want!
I designed it with very thin leaves so they will move in a breeze and look more realistic; as a bonus they are quick to print (~12 mins for one, 22 mins for two) and very filament-frugal.
It also makes pretty shadows on the ceiling! Check out the photos to see the difference between a small clear LED and a large diffused LED.
I have included a file with one leaf, and another with two leaves for easier printing if your printer is big enough.
How to make it:
-Print one centre part, preferably using NO extra shells as the holes will be too small otherwise, and 15% fill (or whatever you prefer)
-Print 5, 7 or 9 leaves. 3 will work also, just use every 3rd hole of the top row
-Carefully fit the base of leaf stem into appropriate hole in centre part
-Attach to light fitting
-NOTE: SUITABLE FOR CFL OR LED LAMPS ONLY!
You may have issues getting the leaf stem bases to fit in the holes - either file/sand them slightly or file out the hole with a square needle file (3mm or smaller) Ideally the stems should press in snugly until the flange touches the base part.
Because the leaves are thin they will sag under their own weight. The amount of sag will depend on your specific filament. The prototype lampshade was made from aluminium-fill PLA with a black PLA centre part. The aluminium filament is a bit stiffer than ordinary PLA so your results may vary. I may update the design later depending on feedback.