I’m wildly amazed by the usefulness of a 3D printer for home workshop related tasks. Here are a few super useful shop-related things I’ve printed recently.
Better Bench Dogs
Bench dogs for the 20mm Festool MFT table (or MFSlab in my case) are expensive. I bought the $40 Veritas set of 4, then I designed and printed these red ones that have a ridge to pull them out and a 1/4″ hole for mounting 1/4″ bolts. I use these over my Veritas set any day.
Here’s a modification to hold my articulating boom arm (20mm dog to 3/8″ hole)
Then various other dogs as necessary…
Custom Grommets
I needed a few grommets for a particular hole size, so I designed and printed them.
Router Corner Radius Templates
There’s a great set on Thingiverse here. It has a hole for gripping with opposite hand (if not holding camera).
Drill Bit Holders
My newest Makita drills did not come with bit holders, so I downloaded a bit holder from Thingiverse and printed it. [Thingiverse Makita bit holder]
Fan Baffle for Custom HEPA Filter Box
Custom design for a particular need.
Grizzly G0513 Bandsaw Insert
The old one got chewed up, so I downloaded a new one from Thingiverse here and printed it.
Knurled Knobs for 1/4″ Nuts and Bolts
Downloaded these from Thingiverse here.
Dremel Bit Holder
Downloaded from Thingiverse here.
Lathe Sander Mount
I use the lathe as a sander far more than I use it for woodturning. Here’s a plate I designed (and uploaded to Thingiverse here.)
Plywood + Velcro makes a great backing for used orbital sanding discs.
Yes, the 3D printer printed the threads.
Then I changed it a bit to fit on the 5/8″ keyed shaft of an old 30 RPM motor.
Replacement Router Knob
My router knob broke. So I designed a replacement that solves a major pet peeve: This router’s adjustment mechanism is precise (aka slow). My new design has a square hole to accommodate a 1/2″ square socket bit to allow it to be raised and lowered with a drill.
The video is only a few seconds:
How To Get Started
For about $300 you can get started with a printer, some accessories, and a whole bunch of filament. Click here for my recommendations about where to start.