Poor man's rubber band compass

thingiverse

Recently I had to cut a methacrylate circle with a specific diameter and found myself without a compass or any comparable tool to draw the circle. After searching here, I couldn't find a design that met my requirements. As someone who appreciates simple and functional things, I remembered a tool my drawing teacher used when I was a kid - it came back to mind. Not a joke! This works better for me than any toy. My hands handle this well, not like some toys that always break in my hands. I needed something that could hold various tools, allowing me to draw, mark, pinch, and more. Don't make the mistake of thinking there are no awesome compass designs out there; however, as usual, I wanted a design that I could easily modify. I believe in open-source hardware, which is why I'm sharing the FreeCAD sources. With this in mind, I began a small project to design a manual drafting compass. I call it the poor man's compass because it's simple to print, easy to assemble, and straightforward to use, yet sturdy and durable. Printing requires no supports. To join the two parts, use an M4 hex bolt, a washer or two, and an M4 wingnut. Secure your preferred tools to the wings of the compass with rubber bands - done. Once again, a simple design for a simple thing. UPDATE (16-JUN-2016): I've increased the tolerances for the M4 nut & bolt to make it easier to insert without filing or pressing or heating.