Hey folks, it’s Wade here at the Shoemaker’s Academy. It’s DIY Friday, and I’ve been getting a lot of questions about the stacked cardboard shoe last. Can I make one? The answer is yes, and I’m going to show you how I made this file.

Welcome to the Shoemaker’s Academy. If you’re new to us, we’re an online education platform for all things footwear design, development, production, and more. You can check out our website for more information. First, let me show you where you can find information on how to make this shoe last.

We’re going to the shoemaking blog, and I’m going to search for ‘how to make a shoe last.’ You can also buy one if you don’t want to make it yourself. Here’s the article called ‘How to Make a Shoe Last,’ which talks about carving wood. But today, we’re focusing on stacked cardboard. You can download the PDF file for a sneaker last, cut it out, and assemble it. Now, let me explain how we made that file.

We used Fusion 360, which you can download from the link below. Fusion 360 is an Autodesk program that allows you to create this file. You can import 3D print files (STL files) and adjust various settings to customize your shoe last. First, ensure your settings are correct, such as the material thickness. The thickness of your material will determine the length of your shoe last.

You can choose from various construction techniques, but for our purpose, we’re using stacked slices. Make sure the slicing direction is set correctly to go from toe to heel. Once you have the settings in place, you can get your assembly plans. You can view the assembly steps and select dowels if you want pins to hold your pieces together.

Then, go to ‘Get Plans’ and select PDF as the format. Export the file to your computer. That’s it! You have your stacked cardboard shoe last file ready to be printed and assembled. Remember that this software is no longer supported, but it still works on some systems.

If you don’t have a 3D printer and want to create a custom shoe last, this method is a viable option. If you find this project too challenging or time-consuming, you can always purchase a ready-made shoe last from Shoemaker’s Academy. Happy Friday, and we’ll talk to you soon!”