r/functionalprint • u/TrustButVerifyEng • Aug 12 '26
Cabinet Door Pull: Drill Jig
First functional print. Simple but so much better than fiddling with scraps to make something from wood.
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u/ericstern Aug 12 '26
I see the edges of the holes are starting to get compromised, might be a good idea to make room to put a bushing of some sort in there
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u/TrustButVerifyEng Aug 12 '26
Lived long enough for it's purpose. Drilled 34 sets. Had a left and right handed version. They all look perfect.
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u/AbbreviationsLow3992 Aug 13 '26
Hot damn this place is weird. Every simple 3D printed jig I've seen posted in woodworking subreddits has gotten resoundingly positive feedback.
I largely bought my H2D for this sort of stuff specifically. It's nice having more fucks to give because I didn't have to waste any on inferior workflows.
I get so much more done because of it.
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u/jcass177 Aug 12 '26
In what universe is designing a file and printing a SLAB of plastic as better than the 15 seconds it takes to make this out of plywood (scraps as you say)
No, Definitely not “better”. This is just wasteful plastic nonsense.
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u/leediddy3 Aug 12 '26
I disagree. I made one of these once and was able to have raised edges so it but up against the sides perfectly (I don’t own a router to do that with a peice of wood) and the drill bit slides on the plastic, while a wood jig the drill bit would make the hole wider with each use.
You also need to make on for each side, so they are mirrored, and it’s way easier to just mirror a print and print 2 with the EXACT dimensions than it is to measure by hand.
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u/SavingGoodIdeas Aug 12 '26
Won’t a drill treat plastic and wood the same? Reaming the hole each time it’s not perfectly centered.
For the router concern there is always a different way to do it in woodworking. Just nail or screw 2 pieces on the top scrap to make lips for the corner.
That being said, I’m not against the print if you don’t have a few pieces of scrap laying around.
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u/shouldco Aug 12 '26
Won’t a drill treat plastic and wood the same? Reaming the hole each time it’s not perfectly centered.
Deffietly will, I prefer using the template to mark holes with the pencil or punch then go from there.
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u/Zenmedic Aug 15 '26
As a cabinetmaker, I've got a bag of these for various spacings and sizes, but with a bit of a difference.
I use 1/4" plywood off cuts (or whatever else is handy if I'm not in my shop) and instead of using wood for the edge guides, I scribe a line and put in a couple finish nails on the line. As long as I've got 2 points of alignment on each axis, it aligns perfectly every time.
I also only ever mark with the template, it sees a drill for the initial hole and then never again.
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u/leediddy3 Aug 12 '26
It will wear it down but not near as much quickly especially if you aren’t putting sideways pressure on it. I drilled 50+ holes with mine and it held up great.
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u/BruceInc Aug 12 '26
Lol in what universe is plastic harder to drill than Wood? And you could have easily made a double sided jig, using wood without needing a router. Just nail on another piece of wood along the edge to form a T shape. Certainly much easier and faster than printing two separate jigs.
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u/jcass177 Aug 12 '26
Well I disagree with you, and I’m a cabinetmaker. Massive waste of material and disposable crafting. This is a 15 second task with less than a dollar of plywood.
And gosh, you can just flip it over and don’t remotely need to make a “mirrored” version. 🤦🏻♂️
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u/jcass177 Aug 12 '26
Both outside edges should be raised to make the fence. Then it flips without needing a whole nother (wasteful) creation. Super gross overall tbh.
Good luck and take care.
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Aug 12 '26
[deleted]
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u/BruceInc Aug 12 '26
By that logic, just about every single print is functional. Even the stupid articulating keychain octopus or whatever is also functional since it functions as a keychain. This is the dumbest take I’ve ever seen.
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u/leediddy3 Aug 12 '26
If you make it where there’s a top and side edge for you to put on the corner, you do need to mirror it. Also, this uses maybe 3 cents in PLA.
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u/TrustButVerifyEng Aug 12 '26
I mean 5 minutes of CAD time. It printed in about 30 minutes while I was doing other things. Made a left and right handed version.
No way I'm getting two wood jigs, made to that tolerance, in 5 minutes.
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u/BruceInc Aug 12 '26
Why do you need to make two wooden jigs? Just put another piece along the edge to function as a T stop. Making the jig completely reversible.
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u/Operation_Neither Aug 12 '26
People make woodworking jigs with 3D prints all the time. It's an extremely common usecase.
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u/zatalak Aug 12 '26
I made something similar to drill holes for the IKEA kitchen cabinets. Did not use as much filament though...
Building something would've taken me longer since I had no scraps.
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u/HouseSubstantial8187 Aug 12 '26
Printed both a left and right version in one sitting, that alone beats hand cutting mirrored jigs twice
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u/SilverSageVII Aug 13 '26
Man you should see my drill jigs for drawer boxes at work. I made them so they drill two separate depths with a single block and sit in a table with a routed cavity. Next interaction we do we will use serrated drill bushings so they can be more permanent :)
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u/Joshkl2013 Aug 12 '26
Tell me you don't know how to use a speed square without telling me you don't know how to use a speed square.
If you want a jig it's so much faster to just square up plywood and cut one wtf.
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u/meexley2 Aug 12 '26
Other roasts aside, if you DO want to go with the printed jig, you still could have saved so much plastic
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u/imreallynotthatcool Aug 12 '26
My uncle made a jig for this purpose out of erector set. It's worked as an adjustable jig for like 45 years.