Make them work for their Thanksgiving treats!

This Acorn Mini-Maze is a fun, festive puzzle box perfect for Thanksgiving table settings or Fall decorations. Whether you are hiding cash, small candies, or a special note, the recipient has to navigate the hidden internal maze to unlock the acorn and reveal the prize.

This model is designed to be 100% Support Free. Just slice and print!

🍂 Features

Themed Design: Styled like a realistic oak acorn, perfect for Autumn.

Hidden Maze: The locking mechanism is completely internal, keeping the puzzle mysterious.

No Hardware: No screws, glue, or extra parts needed.

Support Free: Optimized geometry means no messy removal or scarred surfaces.

📏 Capacity

The internal storage area is approximately 15mm diameter x 30mm high. It fits:

• Folded bills/cash
• Small candies
• Jewelry
• written notes

🖨 Printing Instructions

This model prints in thee parts: the Cap (Top), the Nut (Bottom), and Maze. 
The maze should snap into the cap with a little force. Glue should not be needed.

Supports: None. (Seriously, turn them off!)

Orientation: Print all parts in their default orientation with their flat, open faces down on the build plate.

Nozzle: 0.4mm is standard, 0.6mm might print faster but overhangs may not print as well.

Layer Height: 0.2mm works great. For smoother sloped top surfaces, you can drop to 0.16mm or use variable layer height. Greater than 0.2mm is not recommended.

Infill: 0%

Perimeter Walls: 2 is enough in most areas, 3 or 4 on the acorn cap stem will improve it's strength.

Brim: Recommended for parts with small contact area on the build plate.

🎨 Material & Color Suggestions

For the best "Acorn" look, I recommend swapping filaments between the two parts:

Cap: Dark Brown or Wood-fill PLA.

Nut: Light Brown, Gold, or Beige PLA.

🛠 Assembly & Tolerance

Some parts snap together. Because every printer is tuned differently, the fit might too loose or tight right off the bed. If it's loose, use glue to attach the maze to the cap, if it's too tight, scraping and sanding might help or try re-printing the maze scaled down 1% in the x and y axis.

Tip: If the maze feels hard to move or tight, run the maze back and forth a few times rapidly. The friction will smooth out any tiny imperfections in the plastic layers.

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Printing!

If you print this, please upload a make—I’d love to see what colors you chose!