Cork End Cutter Slicer Jigs

thingiverse

We've utilized cork halves for several projects over time, and I created a quick little push jig for the bandsaw a couple years ago. It worked significantly better than previous wood and clamp jig contraptions I always came up with. When cleaning up after the last project, my vacuum consumed my printed push jig. Ok... FF... thinking about another half cork project and I stumbled upon the Cork Guillotine https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2101021 by duwke. I discovered a long time ago that a razor blade makes an excellent cork end cutting tool, so I printed the Guillotine in green PETG that I had loaded. Hand sanding proved too much effort; power tools helped speed things up getting to a smooth plunger action. Luckily, I used three parameters for some sanding depth and now it works perfectly. I now had a bunch of end cuts to do in three end-cut sizes: 2-3mm slices, about 8mm filler, and 11mm half height. So I created a quick little cutting jig for each depth. They made end cuts easy and quick. Not perfect, however; because I had to put my finger on the blade ends to keep them in place when twisting a cork against the blade for a clean cut. The only way to really fix that is to make a little pocket for the blade end to set in. While improvements would be a typical next step, I now have the only set of cutters I'll probably ever need. So, I call first sketch print close enough to done and have no plans to make the files better or safer. I printed flared ends on bed (vertical) without supports or raft. CAUTION: this is not a safety device! Print at your own risk! If you have no experience working with a razor blade, don't go discovering cut fingers for the first time using these simple jig files. I print in PETG and rarely have bonding or part separation/strength issues; however, pay attention to your resulting strength of print and stresses imposed during use. Keep your fingers away from the blade and think about what would happen if something did break/separate!