Fully Printed Hand Tool set

thingiverse

I'm starting a mission to create 3D printed versions of as many tools as possible. My goal isn't to make anything particularly useful, but to improve my skills at CAD, design, and printing. So far, I just have a mallet, but I'll keep adding them as I make them. Update: April 11, 2016 I reworked the mallet, making the handle much more handle-like. I added a slot and wedge to the top of the mallet to keep the head on the handle. I'll get real pictures up soon. Now, I'm working on my second design, a modular pocket-hole jig. It may take me a couple days to finish. Update: April 12, 2016 I got the rough version of the Pocket Hole Jig completed. It has removable inserts that allow you to use it with different sized drill bits. I can make any size you want, if you have any special requests, just comment below. The jig has two sets of "Wings." The front set will center you on a 2x4 or a 1x4. If you line up the left side, then the right side of the back wings, then you'll make two evenly spaced holes on the 1/3rd line and the 2/3rd lines. You'll destroy the inserts, so you may just want to print two or three at a time. I haven't tested this print, or the mallet yet. My printer is down for a couple days, once I have it back up I will adjust the pocket-hole-jig and the mallet as needed, and I will also get real pictures up. If you have any feedback just comment below and I'll try to accommodate any changes I can. I've decided that my next project will be an angle-finder (or something close). Update: April 20, 2016 I got my printer up and running, tested the mallet, unfortunately I found a few issues. I had a really bad allowance issue with the hole in the hammer, and the handle-head proportions were way off. I fixed these issues and uploaded a new version. I'll re-print tonight and then hopefully get real pictures up. When I was printing, I found that PLA felt better than ABS since PLA is about 25% more dense than ABS. I also found that the handle prints best standing up on end, rather than on its side. Update: September 15, 2016 I re-did the mallet to be quite a bit more practical. Print it with as few supports as possible but a heavy infill. The head is hollow, if there are too many supports inside the head, use something like a long nail to knock out as many as you can through the hole, then fill the head with sand or BBs. Once the head is full, you can fill the hole with hot glue, or a 3/8ths bolt.