Lathe

What is Lathe?

Lathe makes round and rounded-square objects for printing: fluted vases, twisted lamp shades, ribbed pencil cups, desk bins and bowls. What sets it apart from other vase generators is that you shape the model directly in the 3D view: you drag the profile points, the height, the radius and a twist ring on the model itself, and the points snap to each other so the outline stays clean.

You start from ten shapes (fluted vase, twist lamp, desk bin, square twist, swirl vase, torso, bottle, bowl, pencil cup, faceted) or press Surprise me for a random design kept within printable ranges. Pattern swatches add fine ribs, reeds, flutes, waves, a soft twist, segments or facets, and a squareness slider moves the cross-section from a circle to a rounded square. You choose a walled shell with its own bottom and top thickness, or a solid for vase mode, and the readme describes a hole for a lamp socket. The preview can show the model in matte PLA, wood or translucent material, next to a mug for scale, with undo and redo.

The download is a binary STL. It is free with no account, and a design lives in the link, so sharing it means copying the URL. The code is MIT licensed, which covers the software and says nothing about selling prints. It suits anyone who wants a vase, lamp shade or desk organizer and prefers pulling the shape into place over typing numbers.

What you can make

• Fluted and twisted vases
• Twist lamp shades
• Ribbed desk bins and pencil cups
• Bowls and bottles

How to use Lathe

1. Pick a starting shape or press Surprise me
2. Drag the profile and twist ring, then choose a rib pattern
3. Set a wall or solid for vase mode
4. Export the STL and print