“Impossible Tables” are those tables which appear to defy gravity. When you first look at one you may start to scratch you head wondering, “how is that thing staying upright?”. Recently an impossible table design caught our attention, “Impossible Table Hex” by zxsix posted on Thingiverse.com.
If you are not familiar with Thingiverse.com check them out. They are a terrific site with a ton of content.
Here is a list of things you will need to build your Impossible Table Hex:
- Zxsix’s Impossible Table Hex download from Thingiverse.com
- PLA filament (We recommend black, such as Solutech Real Black or Solutech See thru red )
3. Some method of support, such as Stren monofilament line (we found fishing line works best to make the table appear to float)
4. Our jig template that you can download here.
Download: Impossible Hex Table Jig blocks
Adapted Design Suggestions:
Zxsix’s design really stands out! In keeping with our “Adapted Design” philosophy, we make the following suggestions to “plus” an already great design, not with a change or addition to the design itself but rather its assembly……
The Impossible Table’s only “problem”:
Most impossible tables consist of two pieces, one suspended from the other. However, getting that suspension correct so everything lines up is the challenging bit. You either end up with a great illusion or a not so great one. Many a person have given up on their own impossible table because it seemed, well, sort of impossible to get all the strings or fishing line lengths right. You seem to be constantly “tweaking” the lines trying to get them all the same length. That is where our jig template comes in!
The Jig Template:
The Jig template is our fancy name for three blocks like this one:
The purpose of these blocks is to hold both pieces of your impossible table in place, so that you can easily install the support wires. Each block will not take long to print and does not require high infill. Our recommendation is to use a 10% infill setting.
Printing the Impossible Hex Table:
When we printed the table, we only used 20% infill. You may want to increase this depending on the weight of the objects your planning on using the table for. We added printing supports for the printing process like this:
Getting Your Impossible Table Ready for Assembly:
Once you have printed Zxsix’s Impossible Hex Table, you want to line things up with our jig blocks. Start with installing one block first like this:
Slide one of the hex table pieces back and forth in the jig block slot until the center post of each piece is directly in line. If you are not sure that it is exactly right, we will show you a way to check this alignment later.
Next place the other two jig blocks on the other two sides of the table as shown below. This will help you start to finalize alignment of the center posts. The notches in each jig blocks are offset. So you need to make sure that you are placing each block the same way. When you are done installing the other two blocks your table will look like this:
Installing the Support Lines:
Now that the jig blocks are in place its time to install the support lines. First you need to start with the center line. This is when you can ensure that your table’s center posts are perfectly lined up.
First, remove one of the three jig blocks. This will give you easy access to the center post.
Next secure one end of the center support line to one of the tables, stringing the other end through the second post. You should now be able to easily see if your posts are lined up, by looking at the center support line.
If things are all lined up it will look like this:
If its not lined up, just move one of the tables slightly by sliding it in any of the jig blocks. Once you are satisfied with the position, secure the other end of the line and trim both ends.
Put the third jig piece back in place and now go ahead and add your three outer lines.
Securing them is easy now because the jig blocks are holding everything in place. If you are not sure you have enough tension on each line, do not cut off the extra support line so you can tighten things if you need to. When you are done, go ahead and remove the blocks. Your table will start to float!
We hope our jig blocks helped you build Zxsix’s Impossible Hex Table and we would love to see your versions. If you do build one, please send a photo of it to makers@imagination-3d.com and we will proudly display it for you!
If you have enjoyed this design, be sure to check out the other adapted designs such as the bird feeder.