Chef's Choice Slicer "Flap Killer"

thingiverse

This was originally a work in progress that has now reached completion. The original version of this project was only a small clip on the front and worked well for meat long enough to cover it, but to make it work on all sizes of meat, I needed to modify my design to run the entire length of the bed with clips on each end. I found that friction alone was not enough to keep the piece in place, so I added a 1mm "nib" on the rear clip that fits under the nylon runner. To install it, you now need to slide the clip that has the nib until it is under the nylon runner and then lower the other end into place. The Chef's Choice Model 615 slicer is one of the most popular affordable kitchen slicers on the market. It sells for a fraction of the price of commercial slicers yet does an excellent job for home use. However, it has some design flaws, and probably the biggest issue is that due to too large a gap between the blade and bed that moves food back and forth, foods like meat often develop a flap of uncut meat on the leading edge. This flap eventually interferes with the slicing process and must be trimmed off manually, interrupting the process. If you don't trim it off, the flap will push the meat sideways slightly, causing non-uniform slices. The thinner the slice, the bigger this problem becomes and when trying to create "deli slices," you can't get good results unless you constantly stop the process to either turn the meat over or put it on the counter and cut off the flap with a knife. This part clips onto the underside of the moveable bed and stops that flap from developing. My original prototype part only installed at the front of the bed, but still had a small flap on the trailing edge. The final part covers the entire length of the bed without this problem. The picture I show of meat with a flap on the trailing edge was taken after using my prototype part to prove the concept. This final part keeps any flap from forming. I kept the old picture just so everyone can understand what I mean by a "flap." I designed this part in Fusion 360 and it is a parametric design, so you can simply change the numbers to alter the various dimensions. The f3d file has been included for your reference.