A Simple Chemex Drying Stand

We use a Chemex six-cup or ten-cup maker every day. To help it dry, we created a portable rack. It turns out that it can help dry a whole lot more. 

Occasionally, you create something; the longer you have it, the more uses you find. Here's the backstory for this project: The project started because water spots formed in a Chemex. We don't like to put the Chemex in the dish drying rack; it is a little fragile. (We have lost a couple over the years.) Inverting the Chemex over a towel traps the moisture inside, leading to water spots, so we created a drying rack.

The design criteria

1. Take up as little counter space as possible
2. Be made from food-safe material.
3. Look nice

So we have a requirement for a drying stand that is colapsabe and made out of food-safe material.

This is a perfect project for laser-cut acrylic. (Okay, this was an excuse to play with the laser cutter. )

Before we started laser cutting, we wanted to make a prototype first. The laser cutter we have access to is a half-hour drive away. The practical way to test the prototype was to 3D print the prototypes. (Spoiler: The laser cutter is out of service, so we never got to cut the acrylic version. )

The drying stand prototype is made of two pieces and can be disassembled for transportation. We had the prototypes in the kitchen for a couple of weeks, which led to several versions as we refined the design. On the weekend, we took a couple of the old prototypes camping with us and found many new uses for them. 

Uses found to date.

1. Chemex drying rack
2. Aeropress drying rack
3. Water bottle drying rack
4. Coffee pot drying rack
5. iPhone stand
6. iPad Stand

The drying stand is made of two pieces and can be disassembled for transportation. We took it camping with us and found several more uses for it. 

Access to a 3d printer.

The STL files for the stand can be found on Printables or Thingiverse.

DXF files for laser cutting on 5mm material.

The design was created by measuring the Chemex classic six, eight, and ten-cup coffeemakers. The measurements were used to establish the arc on the top of the stand so that the chemicals would be self-centering. The tower in the center was originally intended as a guide for the throat of the Cemex, but we found that it had a number of other uses.

The stand is printed in two pieces. We used PLA to print all the parts.

The DFX files for laser cutting are available in the supplies section. They were intended to be cut on a 4.5mm acrylic sheet.

Before assembling the stand for the first time, deburr the parts using a deburr tool or sandpaper. The assembly is simple: one side slots into the other. It might be tight the first couple of times it is assembled, but it will loosen up over time.

As we mentioned in the introduction, the stand has several uses. It does a good job of drying the Chemex and other coffee paraphernalia. It has also turned out to be a good stand for an iPad and iPhone. It works well when drying water bottles. It can also be used as a clipboard stand. We have used it at home and camping and keep finding new uses for it.

It also is easy to disassemble for transport.