I took shop class, I made a chess board that I remain proud of to this day, and I used a metal lathe CNC to make chess pieces- also, a really lovely decorative shelf.<p>And I just can&#x27;t <i>disagree with you strongly enough</i>.<p>Just recently, using the MakerBot2 at my university library, I was able to replace this: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;i.ytimg.com&#x2F;vi&#x2F;1nePU5mz8Z4&#x2F;maxresdefault.jpg" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;i.ytimg.com&#x2F;vi&#x2F;1nePU5mz8Z4&#x2F;maxresdefault.jpg</a>. (The large, central gear that overlaps the metal framework close to the screwdriver).  (I got this Jumping Sumo Drone for free in a broken state, and 3D printed the central gear for less than 4 dollars, and that&#x27;s with a 300% markup on materials to use the school&#x27;s 3D printer)<p>Now, I know that it&#x27;d be hard to merely repair the damage, or remake that gear from scratch <i>because I spent several weeks and a lot of spare time trying</i>.  The 3D printed gear has stood up repeatedly to the same behavior the originally broke the central gear (attempting a jump on a soft surface), and is still going strong despite my having let my nieces and nephews run the battery down half a dozen times over Thanksgiving break (I want them to be excited to robotics, programming, etc.- I figured if they broke the free Sumo I had fixed, it would be a worthy sacrifice- incidentally, I didn&#x27;t actually <i>mean</i> to test the jump on a soft surface again and specifically warned them against it, but- ah- well- they average age 9 right now, I knew shenanigans would ensue when I set out! :) )<p>Some parts are really hard to make, 3D printers help a lot.  Don&#x27;t you cheapen that, jdietrich, 3D printing is a fantastic stride for makers everywhere, and the materials science is an obstacle made of tissue paper- as in, we&#x27;re already blowing through it handily. I don&#x27;t know what you&#x27;re printing with, but I&#x27;m already making more than tchotchkies, and I am dang glad I didn&#x27;t encounter your sentiment before I tried it myself.