3D Printed Chess Set
3D-printed chess set with a giant rook carrying case!
Intro
A $10,000 wooden rook chess set? No thanks. This fully 3D-printable version is travel-ready, fun to build, and doubles as a giant rook because why not?
Concept Origin
This project started after I stumbled across a $10,000 wooden rook-shaped chess set online. It looked amazing, but the price tag was absurd. With 3D printers becoming more common at the time, I decided to recreate the idea as a fully 3D-printable version that anyone could make at home. The goal was to keep it fun, functional, and take advantage of features only 3D printing could achieve.
Design & Development
The design is entirely 3D printed—no extra hardware, just prints, glue, and a little force. The chess board is made of interlocking tiles that snap together into columns and articulate to wrap into a curve, forming the outer wall of the rook-shaped carrying case. The case doubles as a travel container, with a robust base, a central shaft to hold the trays for the pieces, and a handle for easy transport. The chess pieces themselves are straightforward but fully functional.
Prototype & Build
Printing the set takes about 3 rolls of filament: 2 for the rook and 1 for the opposite color. Assembly is simple, though snapping the tiles together requires a bit of “percussive persuasion.” For my build, I went with black filament, and the final result looks sleek and striking.
Final Result
I’m thrilled with how this turned out—it’s a fun, travel-ready chess set that exists purely to bring joy. It was featured on MyMiniFactory shortly after its release and even popped up in a filament maker’s marketing materials (though without proper attribution, which was… awkward). Despite that, the project remains one of my favorites, combining creativity, functionality, and a touch of silliness.
