Toolmakers Clamp

prusaprinters

This is a typical Toolmakers Clamp. I made this using the printed parts plus 2x 8mm threads and a 3mm screw (6mm long) to hold the retaining plate. The 8mm threads I used came from cutting the heads off of bolts 85mm long, but two pieces of threaded rod would work too.I ran an 8mm tap through the threads on clamp1.stl after printing to ensure good clearance. I also ran the tap into the knurled nuts, but in hind sight I should have warmed them up before winding the rods in. I fixed the nuts to the thread with a few drops of CA glue.The Toolmakers Clamp is a really effective clamp - tighten or loosen the clamp by turning it like a crank, then tighten around the parts with the thread in the middle. Finally, tighten the thread at the end for extra leverage and a very tight grip.Print parts with a lot of infill, up to 100%, to avoid any flex in the clamping parts. I printed in black and silver silk PLAPrinted in PLA, this clamp is a good hobby clamp, but made out of metal this design is excellent, and a project many machining apprentices will undertake to add a valuable tool to their toolkit.