With the recent discussion on using 3D printers to print replacement parts, I figured I would share a jig I made with a 3D printer. Keep in mind, I am no expert and am using a fairly bottom of the line 3D printer--a Cubify Ekocycle
I wanted to create a checkerboard pen blank, so ~3/4" square by 5", so I needed to glue a series of 3/4" squares together that were perfectly square to each other so the squares would line up. Since I was using wood, I needed it to be non-stick for wood glue. Sure, this could be cut out of something like HDPE or something, but I had the printer and wanted to learn how to use it, so that's what I did. I'm not even sure what the filament is exactly, but I believe it's made from recycled plastic. I could be wrong.
It's perfectly square and non-stick, so it works perfectly. Somehow, though, the baseplate of the printer developed bumps, so the bottom is not perfectly flat, but the interior edges that need to be flat are.
I made two pieces to "cradle" the segments, then used rubber bands to "clamp" the two pieces of the jig together, if that makes any sense at all.
**Note I was testing with this blank and my walnut and maple were not equal thickness, so that's why the squares don't line up.
I wanted to create a checkerboard pen blank, so ~3/4" square by 5", so I needed to glue a series of 3/4" squares together that were perfectly square to each other so the squares would line up. Since I was using wood, I needed it to be non-stick for wood glue. Sure, this could be cut out of something like HDPE or something, but I had the printer and wanted to learn how to use it, so that's what I did. I'm not even sure what the filament is exactly, but I believe it's made from recycled plastic. I could be wrong.
It's perfectly square and non-stick, so it works perfectly. Somehow, though, the baseplate of the printer developed bumps, so the bottom is not perfectly flat, but the interior edges that need to be flat are.
I made two pieces to "cradle" the segments, then used rubber bands to "clamp" the two pieces of the jig together, if that makes any sense at all.
**Note I was testing with this blank and my walnut and maple were not equal thickness, so that's why the squares don't line up.
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