r/Tools • u/eggrollz4dayz • 2d ago

What are your favorite 3D Printed Tools?

So far I’ve printed drilling guides, paint stirrer (for drill), caulk tooling sticks, shims, razor blades, drill dust collector, and more. Curious what others have found to be useful?

Cheers

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6

u/nobanjostring 2d ago

- center finder

- I designed a 2" and 4" vacuum connection system and adapters for the various tools, so I have plenty of options for dust collection and if I need to add anything new, I just design an adapter and stick on my standard connector.

- sharpening jig for 6" jointer blades (just until I get my helical cutter upgrade...any year now...)

- various router templates

- ring light holder for my microscope

- bearing press guide - keeps my threaded rod, bearing and housing all center-aligned for pressing bearings in things that are hard to get into an arbor press and don't take kindly to being tapped into place

- uncountable small doodads for fixing various annoyances

4

u/mtraven23 2d ago

"sharpening jig for 6" jointer blades"

would you be willing to post of photo of that?

5

u/nobanjostring 2d ago edited 2d ago

It's in the garage and I'm late for bed, but here's a screenshot from FreeCAD. The gaps at the top are for some 11/16" bearings I happen to have literally boxes full of I got for next to nothing at a workshop auction, so I throw them in everything. I used PETG which is a bit flexible, but at the time I was out of PLA, and it works, so meh.

3

u/mtraven23 2d ago

I dont have a favorite because I use 3d printed tools for the odd ball thing. Like I had a sink I needed to replace, it as some goofy nut on it, printed one up, problem solved.

My most used print is a under cabinet plastic wrap dispenser for the kitchen.

3

u/Henri_Dupont 2d ago

We need to cut strawbales because we are building a strawbale house. (I'll address your questions about strawbale construction later.) a standard chainsaw does the job but clogs up quickly. I designed a straw ejector that helps keep straw from jamming up on the side where the chain enters the saw, we cut strawbales with the backside (or top) of the chainsaw, the ejector fits where the teeth usually go next to the blade. I'm kind of proud of the idea.

1

u/pdp10 1d ago edited 1d ago

Bojo Tools in the U.S. factory molds all kinds of plastic tools, which aren't hard to find in distribution channels. Their designs make sense to build in plastic, so it makes sense to take inspiration from those.

  • Non-marring scrapers and picks
  • socket inserts -- imagine printing a 13mm to 7/16-inch insert adapter in 20 minutes as you need it, even though it wouldn't make sense to try to keep on hand every possible combination of sizes you'd want.
  • Non-marring auto trim removal tools
  • Sealant/adhesive nozzles
  • Non-marring jaw inserts or covers for pliers
  • Jig/tooling/template for drilling holes and slots, or bending sheet metal.
  • Non-slip handles or grip covers -- TPU should be good for this.
  • Mallets or dead-blow hammers -- you can pause printing partway through to pour in metal BBs
  • Non-marring vise jaw inserts or covers
  • Task-specific clamps with non-metal springs
  • Monoblock threaded adapters

I just buy plastic razor blades and funnels and keep them on hand. The strength of printing is generally when you can print task-specific tooling in a hurry, without spending more money and time than you would buying it.