Furniture leg caps: design & fit notes

These original TPU sleeves address a missing or worn cap when stock sizes do not match an actual leg. Measure one upright, flat-ended leg at the foot and at the chosen sleeve lip. Choose one, two or four identical caps per set; cart quantity counts complete sets. Different front and rear legs need separate configurations. Standard rubber caps, felt pads and furniture-maker replacements can cost less when they fit.

Measure the bare leg in millimeters after removing the old cap. Width and length keep the same directions at both heights. Engagement measures from the end of the leg to the lip, excluding the printed sole. The preview adds the sole below the leg. Match its thickness on every leg, including existing caps when replacing only one or two, to avoid wobble.

Choose a rounded rectangle and independently measure its two corner radii, or choose a true ellipse. An ellipse curves continuously; an obround has straight sides and semicircular ends and is excluded. Equal elliptical spans make a circle. Square corners below a 0.5 mm radius, irregular outlines, off-center tapers, splayed legs and inclined end faces are excluded. Legs must be solid or already capped with a sound, flat end; a bare hollow metal edge can cut through a flexible sole.

The two measured outlines must stay centered and widen toward the entry lip, including at every corner. The software rejects reverse tapers that would obstruct insertion and limits the actual outward movement of every corner to half the engagement height. Between measurements the tangent planes change linearly. This fits a straight centered taper; nonlinear or bulging legs need another design. For ellipses with unequal taper ratios, intermediate sections can have slightly more clearance.

The signed total fit allowance is applied once to each span, as a normal offset of half that value around the whole curve. Negative values make the cavity slightly smaller for a snug TPU fit; positive values leave clearance. Interference is limited to 0.4 mm total and 2% of the smallest measured span. The default is −0.2 mm total. Ninety-six tangent facets preserve that adjusted outline; wall thickness is a horizontal normal offset including around corners. Printed tolerances and TPU stiffness vary, so these checks do not guarantee retention. Choose a single cap to check an uncertain fit. Check unloaded without forcing before using the furniture. Test a hidden floor area for marking and grip, and inspect for wear. Physical print, fit, retention, wear and floor-finish testing are pending. No load, scratch-prevention or slip-resistance rating is claimed. These are replacement sleeves, not height extenders or repairs for damaged legs.

Print with the flat soles down and openings up, TPU at 100% infill with a 0.4 mm nozzle, direct spool feed on the Bambu A1 and no supports. The entire chosen set, including 4 mm gaps, must fit the store’s 245 mm usable envelope within the A1’s 256 mm bed. A four-cap set can be too large even when one cap fits; choose fewer caps per set if needed.

The default four-cap set costs $15 before shipping and tax. Pricing uses actual solid volume and surface area for every cap, including the sole, walls and removed cavity. Checkout validates all measurements and recalculates the set price. The live preview and exported STL use the same local browser solid.

Read the original CAD builder and shared fit and pricing geometry. No competitor mesh or proprietary foot design was copied.