Pocket-Sized Brass Caliper Carrying Case

myminifactory

So this is probably just one of those oddball designs that doesn't fit into any particular category. I have this little brass caliper that I stumbled upon in my toolbox. To keep it safe from getting damaged, I figured it needed a protective case. Unless you happen to own this exact same caliper (and if you do, you'll know exactly who you are!), then you probably won't need this design as is, but the tray could easily be modified to fit whatever object you'd like to use it for. This design is made so that the tray snaps into place once inserted into the case through two small notches at the bottom. It takes a bit of force to push it in and pull it back out, but once it's in, it won't just slide out on its own. I added a finger hole through the tray so you can easily push the caliper out. Since I've been playing around with FreeCAD, I decided this would be a great test of my skills (or lack thereof). Never one to start off with simple projects first, I jumped right in. Coming from almost a decade of experience with SketchUp, I'm used to importing an image into the program and tracing it out, then extruding that shape. If that can be done with FreeCAD, I missed it, so I took measurements of everything and drew the caliper shape manually into Sketcher. Straight lines are no problem for me... arcs are a different story altogether. The arcs don't line up perfectly, but they're close enough to serve their purpose here. If anyone wants the source file, I'd be happy to upload it for you, but I warn you now that my workflow and organizational skills with this program will probably leave you scratching your head wondering "what in the world?"