3D Printed Kant Twist Clamp

thingiverse

I am a big fan of this clamp! As a fabricator or machinist, you'll be familiar with it, and although I'm sure it has its purpose for woodworking as well. With a Kant Twist, the load is distributed over two parallel jaws versus one jaw as with a c-clamp. This keeps your workpiece from walking. Additionally, the handle positioned perpendicular to the clamp load which keeps the clamp from twisting hence the name “Kant Twist”. I also like this because you can remove the clamp with one hand as well. You can find the designs for the Kant Twist all over the internet but they are designed to be made out of steel. If you try to print the original design out of plastic, it's not going to work very well. My goal was to create a 3D printed Kant Twist that actually works, only uses 3D printed parts (no glue or fasteners), and doesn't require any supports. The thread on the original version was too small and wasn't strong enough when printed so I changed the tread from a 5/16” UNF to a 1/2” trapezoidal thread. I integrated the spacers into the legs and made them larger to reduce the number of parts and increase strength. I also changed their design so they snap together, with a locking pin holding them in place. They are riveted on with the steel version, but I could have easily accomplished the same thing with glue - that would be cheating! I also made the legs thicker to increase the strength among some other changes to make it printable without supports. In case you're interested, below is my Amazon affiliate link for the Solutech silver filament that I used for the clamp shown in the picture. I love this silver! https://amzn.to/2DY85BD See the video below for assembly Instructions: https://youtu.be/6HK3FoZJUqs Assembly note: The arms don't come apart very easily, so I wouldn't recommend putting them together unless you have all the parts in place. If you do have to take them apart, make sure to pull them apart evenly - if they get cocked while you're pulling them apart, the pins could break.