DIY Wood Filament for 3D Printing (How to Make & Print with Wood-Like Filament)

DIY Wood 3D Printing Filament at Home

Most people buy wood filament for 3D printing directly from Amazon or filament shops, but did you know you can actually make your own DIY wood filament at home? In this experiment, I used ABS pellets, some metallic paint, and my Filastruder extruder to create a filament that unexpectedly looked and printed like wood. This guide covers the full process, common questions like what is wood filament made of, and how to 3D print with wood filament using an FDM printer.

What is Wood Filament?

Commercial wood filament for 3D printers is usually made by mixing PLA with very fine wood particles. This creates a material that looks, feels, and even smells like wood when printing. It is often called wood-filled filament. Print settings are similar to PLA, but usually with higher nozzle sizes to avoid clogging.

My DIY Approach

Experimenting with my Filastruder, I tried to create a metallic filament at home. The first idea is usually to mix metal powder with PLA or ABS, feed it into the extruder, and see what comes out. Instead, I tried something different: painting ABS pellets with metallic paint before extrusion.

I used ABS chunks (grayish white filament used for cleaning my extruder barrel), painted them with gold metallic paint, cut them into pellets, and fed them into the extruder.

ABS Filament Chunks Painted with Gold Metallic Paint

Filament Pellitized Manually

The Extrusion Process

The extrusion went well, but instead of gold, the filament came out brown, with metallic particles shining under the light. Surprisingly, the filament resembled a wood-like material more than a metallic one, it was a little bit brittle and rough feeling like wood already. 

Wood Filament Extrusion

Wood Filament Extrusion

Extruded Wood Filament

Extruded Wood Filament

3D Printing with Wood Filament

To test the homemade filament, I printed a model using my FDM printer. The filament printed just like ABS with 0 clogging: great adhesion, stable layers, and no issues with supports. But instead of a metallic look, the result was a part that looked exactly like wood filament 3D prints.

The texture was grainy and the finish had a wood-like appearance. This is why many people call it woodfill or wood-filled filament. Here is the Makerbot Tractor test print I made using this homemade filament.

3D Prints Using Home Extruded Wood Filament

Is this Woody enough ?

Wood Filament Print Settings

If you try making or using wood filament, here are some recommended settings:

• Nozzle size: 0.5 mm or larger to avoid clogging, although I printed mine with 0.3 mm one.
  
• Temperature: 190°C – 220°C (depending on PLA/ABS base).
• Bed temperature: 50°C – 60°C for PLA wood fill, 90°C – 100°C for ABS-based mixes.
• Speed: Print slower (40–60 mm/s) for better layer bonding.

Why DIY Wood Filament?

Commercial wood filament can be expensive. Making your own DIY wood filament at home with ABS or PLA and additives (like wood dust or even paints) allows you to experiment and save money. This homemade method won’t be perfect, but it proves that creating wood-like filament is possible with simple tools.

Conclusion

This experiment started as an attempt to create metallic filament, but instead resulted in a surprising discovery: homemade wood filament that prints like commercial wood-filled materials. Whether you call it DIY wood filament, woodfill, or woody ABS, the result is convincing enough for hobby projects. In my next experiment, I plan to try other metallic paints such as silver and see what new textures appear.

If you’ve tried printing with wood filament (commercial or DIY), or if you have ideas on how to improve this process, share your thoughts in the comments.