Branch Clamp for Bird Feeder Pole

prusaprinters

Are you a bird lover who wants to capture stunning photos of your feathered friends at the feeder? This clamp will let you mount a branch to a standard 7/8" bird feeder pole to create a natural looking perch for bird photography. It uses a hirth joint to allow the angle of the branch to be adjusted. Branches can be changed quickly and easily for different setups.PrintingPrint one of each part.Use PETG. PLA will deform under load.Optional: I designed a handle for carriage bolts that you can get here.Recommended settings: 0.2mm layer height, 3 - 4 perimeters, 30% infill, grid infill pattern (You can get by with the standard PrusaSlicer 0.2mm settings if you're not concerned with durability.)AssemblyTo assemble you will need a 2" x ¼" bolt, a 1 ½"  x ¼" bolt, and 2 jam nuts to go with them. The bolts, especially the shorter one, should be threaded along the full length. Standard hex bolts in these sizes are only partially threaded. I used carriage bolts, which are fully threaded. The bolts can be longer than specified. This is designed to use jam nuts which are thinner than standard nuts. It should be possible to use standard nuts, but everything won't fit together as nicely.Insert a nut in to the center hole of the branch holder and then screw the nut holder in to secure it. Use a coin to tighten it.Put the three main pieces together as shown in the pictures.Use the longer bolt to secure the pieces to each other and clamp them to the pole.Insert the second nut in to the space for it that is in area where branches are inserted and use the shorter bolt to hold it in place.