# 3d printed box for gear cutters



## awake (Jun 20, 2020)

I have recently acquired two full sets of gear cutters, M1 and M0.8 ... and I needed a better way to store them. A bit of work in OpenSCAD, and voila:
















The M1 cutters are 50mm diameter and 4.2mm thick; the M0.8 cutters are 40mm diameter and 4mm thick. In case anyone else would like to make these, I have attached the .stl files to produce boxes for each of these sizes.


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## stevehuckss396 (Jun 20, 2020)

Deluxe!


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## Cogsy (Jun 20, 2020)

Great job and thanks for the files - they've jumped to the front of my 'to print' queue.


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## RonW (Jun 21, 2020)

Now I just wish I knew someone with a 3d printer. I've a set somewhere "on the water" so I could do with one. Any offers. I'll pay for material and postage preferably in Canada.
RonW


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## awake (Jun 21, 2020)

Thanks, all. I am happy to be able to give back to this community!

I generated these files using OpenSCAD. If anyone uses OpenSCAD and would like the files, let me know. The program is set up so that it is easy to change any parameters - OD and thickness of the cutters, number of cutters, wall size, separation between cutters, etc.

And if you don't have/use OpenSCAD but need a different arrangement, let me know - it is trivial to generate a new .stl file using different parameters. In particular, I don't know whether inch-based cutter sizes may differ in terms of OD and thickness - all I have is these two sets of metric gear cutters. But if you need something different, just let me know the parameters and I'll generate new .stl files.


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## minh-thanh (Jun 21, 2020)

*awake !*



awake said:


> I generated these files using OpenSCAD. If anyone uses OpenSCAD and would like the files, let me know. The program is set up so that it is easy to change any parameters - OD and thickness of the cutters, number of cutters, wall size, separation between cutters, etc.
> 
> And if you don't have/use OpenSCAD but need a different arrangement, let me know - it is trivial to generate a new .stl file using different parameters. In particular, I don't know whether inch-based cutter sizes may differ in terms of OD and thickness - all I have is these two sets of metric gear cutters. But if you need something different, just let me know the parameters and I'll generate new .stl files.




Although I don't have a 3D printer, I like the way you share .


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## awake (Jun 21, 2020)

As I said, happy to have a chance to give back.

I have nothing but respect for those who charge for plans that they have developed - they have invested dozens, more like hundreds, of hours to create something. It certainly makes sense to recoup some of that time and effort (though I suspect no one ever actually breaks even on that!), and it is one way to prevent people taking inappropriate advantage of the good will.

My own approach is different, _not _better, but just what works best for me. I came to the conclusion a long time ago that I was not good at keeping a clear separation between hobbies and work, and accepting any payment for hobby-related efforts would lead me to start approaching my hobbies like work.  Thus, for selfish reasons, I refuse to accept payment for anything related to my hobbies. If I choose to take on a project for someone, and sometimes I do, it is because I will enjoy the process. If I have developed a design or program, I'd rather give it away than deal with the effort of accepting payment. Again, I stress, this is simply what works for me, and I fully understand and respect that the equation works differently for others!


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## wthomas (Jun 21, 2020)

Hi Awake:
     Would you mind telling us your source for the gear cutters and do they have them in the pitch type?
Thanks for the design.  I may use it if I get a cutter or set to machine special gears for my lathe.
                                                                                    Bill Thomas


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## awake (Jun 21, 2020)

Hi Bill,

I bought the M1 cutter set via eBay and the M0.8 set via Aliexpress - no particular reason for which was which other than what I found at the time. Either source seems to have a large selection of metric (module) cutters with 20° PA, ranging from around $50 - $100 for a set, depending on the size and on the vendor. (Actually, if you go over M2 or so the prices start climbing up a good bit higher than $100.) I would assume Banggood and other similar sources would have a similar selection. I don't recall ever seeing a metric/module gear cutter advertised with anything other than 20° PA, but of course I may just not have searched hard enough.

Both also have a smaller selection of diametric pitch gear cutter sets; these invariably seem to be 14.5° PA - again, it may be that DP / 20° PA are available and I just haven't searched enough, but let's just say they don't seem to come anywhere near the top of the list. The DP cutter sets seem to run a bit more expensive - the cheapest I've seen them is around $70 / set. Individual cutters are also available, running around $10-$22 apiece; I decided it wouldn't take long to justify buying a full set.

I hope this is helpful!

Interestingly, using these sources I've seen DP cutters as large as DP4, but the smallest I've seen is DP24; meanwhile, in addition to a much larger selection, the metric/module cutters available through these sources have a much wider range, from as small as M0.3 to at least M9 (roughly equivalent to DP85 - DP3), with every size in between. Again, maybe more searching would turn up more results.

Of course, as you would expect from these sources, these sets are "import quality." Interestingly, in addition to China, some sets are advertised as coming from Russia. The ones I got are only so-so in terms of "fit and finish," but so far the ones I've used have done an acceptable job of cutting gears. Of course, you will also need an arbor to mount the cutter. It is simple enough to make a straight arbor that will mount in an existing collet or end-mill holder, of course, but if you want to buy one, they run another $40 or so for 16mm or 22mm R8 arbors. Of course, you'd need to check to see what the bore is on a DP cutter - one listing suggested it was 22mm for at least one set of DP cutters, but whether that is the typical size I have no idea.


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## RM-MN (Jun 22, 2020)

RonW said:


> Now I just wish I knew someone with a 3d printer. I've a set somewhere "on the water" so I could do with one. Any offers. I'll pay for material and postage preferably in Canada.
> RonW





minh-thanh said:


> *awake*
> 
> Although I don't have a 3D printer, I like the way you share .



If you can find the space to put one you can get  a decent 3D printer for around $200 in the US.  Add another $15 to $20 for a roll of filament.  









						Creality3D Ender-3 3D Printer Economic Ender DIY KITS
					

Buy the official Creality3D Ender-3 3D Printer and enjoy a 1-year warranty and 14-day return.




					www.creality3d.shop


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## Shopgeezer (Jun 22, 2020)

RonW said:


> Now I just wish I knew someone with a 3d printer. I've a set somewhere "on the water" so I could do with one. Any offers. I'll pay for material and postage preferably in Canada.
> RonW



Ron I am in Canada and could print this for you. Lots of 3 D printers on this forum.


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## willray (Jun 22, 2020)

awake said:


> Thanks, all. I am happy to be able to give back to this community!
> 
> I generated these files using OpenSCAD. If anyone uses OpenSCAD and would like the files, let me know. The program is set up so that it is easy to change any parameters - OD and thickness of the cutters, number of cutters, wall size, separation between cutters, etc.



Yes please!   I wish there was a good OpenSCAD sharing resource (a la GitHub/etc), as I find I'm regularly repurposing bits and pieces of other's well-parameterized code, as well as de-special-casing and parameterizing the less-well-generalized one-offs that I come across.

I suspect /everybody/ does this, so it seems like centralizing the resource and not duplicating the effort would be smart...   Anyway, I'd love to have a copy of your box code for my files!


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## retailer (Jun 22, 2020)

Excellent job and a great idea, thanks for sharing, how long does it take to print the top and bottom ? 

My 3d printer arrived a few days ago and after printing  the owls I'm looking for a meaningful 3D printing project, but I'll have to draw up my own box as my cutters are M0.4 and a bit over 30mm in diam.


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## RonW (Jun 22, 2020)

Shopgeezer said:


> Ron I am in Canada and could print this for you. Lots of 3 D printers on this forum.


Thanks shopgeezer, I may just take you up on that offer once, and if, mine get here and I know the physical sizes. I'll be in contact.
RonW


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## peter2uat (Jun 22, 2020)

Quite a lot of 'things' can be found on thingiverse.com (after a lenthy searching sometimes) such as 'parametric box'es. Most things are just toys or copies of copies but you can find diamonds in the sand too.


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## kaolsen1728 (Jun 22, 2020)

Here is a list of sources for 3d printable parts. Some of these sites will charge for the print:
Thingiverse (already noted by Peter
MyMini Factory
Cults 3d
Smithsonian
NIH 3d Print Exchange
Grab Cad
Trace Parts
STL Hive
The DM Workshop

My source for the above was YouTubes Makers Muse.


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## awake (Jun 22, 2020)

retailer said:


> how long does it take to print the top and bottom ?



Depends on the layer height and travel speeds for your particular printer. Printing at .2mm layer height, it took around 8 hours to print the top & bottom together on my printer.



retailer said:


> My 3d printer arrived a few days ago and after printing  the owls I'm looking for a meaningful 3D printing project, but I'll have to draw up my own box as my cutters are M0.4 and a bit over 30mm in diam.



Retailer, I'm getting ready to respond to another post with the OpenSCAD files; if you use OpenSCAD, it will simply be a matter of setting a couple of parameters to generate this design for a different size of cutter.

If you don't use OpenSCAD, the offer stands - send me the dimensions you need (exact OD and thickness of the cutters), and I'll be glad to generate the .stl files for you.


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## awake (Jun 22, 2020)

willray said:


> Yes please!   I wish there was a good OpenSCAD sharing resource (a la GitHub/etc), as I find I'm regularly repurposing bits and pieces of other's well-parameterized code, as well as de-special-casing and parameterizing the less-well-generalized one-offs that I come across.
> 
> I suspect /everybody/ does this, so it seems like centralizing the resource and not duplicating the effort would be smart...   Anyway, I'd love to have a copy of your box code for my files!



I am happy to share. But I do need to offer some explanation / words of caution:

In order to attach to this forum, I had to put all of the files into a .zip file. You will need to unzip this into a subdirectory of your choice. When you do, you will see the following:

*Main program:* gear_cutter_box.scad

This file is relatively short and easy. The parameters are at the top of the file, and hopefully it is sufficiently commented to make it clear which parameters you may want to adjust.

*Library:* eased_shapes

This library will unzip into subdirectory named eased_shapes. (Not sure if this is clear - wherever you unzip the attachment, you will see the gear_cutter_box.scad file and a subdirectory called eased_shapes.) The subdirectory library contains a file called eased_shapes.scad and a number of files with the pattern es_xxxx.scad; these files together constitute the eased_shapes library.

This is a library that I've been developing for some time, which is neither short nor necessarily easy to use ... and in which I am still occasionally finding bugs. The library creates "eased shapes" - i.e., cylinders and cubes with filleted or beveled edges. You are more than welcome to make use of this library for other projects, but 1) use it at your own risk, 2) use it according to the copyright/license below, and 3) I would ask, if you find any bugs or make any changes, that you feed them back to me.

*Copyright and license:* I have zero interest in any financial compensation whatsoever; however, I am vain enough to want to keep my name on this.  For that reason I have released both the gear_cutter_box.scad program and the eased_shapes library under the GPL. You are welcome to use or modify this software in any way that you wish, so long as you acknowledge the original copyright and license. The COPYING file contains the text of the GPL license.

Enjoy! I'd love any feedback.


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## Apprentice707 (Jun 23, 2020)

Thank you for sharing the files. I printed a 50mm box and it works well. Being of the "Old School" I will try to modify your drawings to a box for Imperial (Are we allowed to say that anymore?) size cutters. I wish I had your skills with 3D drawing. Thanks again.

B


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## willray (Jun 23, 2020)

awake said:


> I am happy to share. But I do need to offer some explanation / words of caution:...
> ...
> 
> Enjoy! I'd love any feedback.



Thanks!

We're quite GPL-friendly here, and I'm happy to contribute bug fixes or "improvements" should I find them.    I'll be curious to see how you're handling your "eased" surfaces.    I've approached that challenge using Minkowski addition/subtraction before, but that certainly isn't a cheap operation in OpenSCAD!

Thanks again,
Will Ray


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## SpringHollow (Jun 23, 2020)

I am curious.  What is your best guess as to the cost in materials for printing one of these boxes?  I saw a project that I was interested in once and got estimates for having it printed at several online places and was shocked to see the cost.  So it is difficult to tell whether I would want to invest in a printer for all of my "it would be nice" projects.

Thanks,

Ken


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## awake (Jun 23, 2020)

Apprentice707 said:


> Being of the "Old School" I will try to modify your drawings to a box for Imperial (Are we allowed to say that anymore?) size cutters.



Let me know if you have any questions. The key will be to create a new vector variable like this:

dp24_cutters = [ 50.8, 5.7, 25.4 ]; // don't use these numbers - I made them up!!!

The first number should be the OD and the second number should be the thickness of the cutters. The last number is not actually used - in theory it is the ID of the bore - you can leave it out if you wish.

Then assign this variable to the cutter_size variable:

cutter_size = dp24_cutters;

Note that all dimensions need to be converted to mm!

Once you have set the parameters that you want to adjust, press the F5 key to generate the draft model, then the F6 key to generate the final model; then click on the STL button to generate the .stl file.


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## retailer (Jun 23, 2020)

awake:- Here is my version of your idea, I decided to include a recess for the arbour I made, it is not perfect, but I'm happy enough for a first attempt at design and print.

I had to do a little bit of "fettling" with emery paper  to get the lid to go on easily, probably should have allowed for a bit more clearance, possibly a bit more of a radius on the corners and I wasn't sure if there would be any shrinkage - it was a good learning experience and I have a useful holder for my cutters, way better than the plastic bag I had them in, thanks again for presenting your idea.

I drew it in Fusion360 and used it's inbuilt slicer to output the gcode to a sim card for the printer - print time was 10 hrs, PLA filament, 220 deg C nozzle, 60 deg C bed, 0.1 layers, the 3D printer settings in Fusion360 are like a foreign language to me but I managed to bumble my way through.


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## awake (Jun 23, 2020)

willray said:


> I'll be curious to see how you're handling your "eased" surfaces.    I've approached that challenge using Minkowski addition/subtraction before, but that certainly isn't a cheap operation in OpenSCAD!



No, not using Minkowski; instead I am generating appropriately shaped corners and doing a hull operation. Depending on the type and combination of corners, this can be very expensive in terms of time, though if you keep $fn set relatively low (32 or so), it is not too bad. Some shapes (concave fillets, for example) use a difference operation.

I will welcome input!


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## awake (Jun 23, 2020)

SpringHollow said:


> I am curious.  What is your best guess as to the cost in materials for printing one of these boxes?  I saw a project that I was interested in once and got estimates for having it printed at several online places and was shocked to see the cost.



Ken, the actual material cost is trivial - much less than $1 per box, unless you are using some exotic filament. But it does take a good bit of time for the printer to crank it out. I expect that the online services are mostly charging for the time and handling, not the material.


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## awake (Jun 23, 2020)

retailer said:


> awake:- Here is my version of your idea, I decided to include a recess for the arbour I made, it is not perfect, but I'm happy enough for a first attempt at design and print.
> 
> I had to do a little bit of "fettling" with emery paper  to get the lid to go on easily, probably should have allowed for a bit more clearance, possibly a bit more of a radius on the corners and I wasn't sure if there would be any shrinkage - it was a good learning experience and I have a useful holder for my cutters, way better than the plastic bag I had them in, thanks again for presenting your idea.
> 
> I drew it in Fusion360 and used it's inbuilt slicer to output the gcode to a sim card for the printer - print time was 10 hrs, PLA filament, 220 deg C nozzle, 60 deg C bed, 0.1 layers, the 3D printer settings in Fusion360 are like a foreign language to me but I managed to bumble my way through.



Very nice! Yes, figuring out the proper clearance can be a matter of trial and error - it will change depending on the machine, the layer height, the shape, the filament used ...


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## SpringHollow (Jun 23, 2020)

awake said:


> Ken, the actual material cost is trivial - much less than $1 per box, unless you are using some exotic filament. But it does take a good bit of time for the printer to crank it out. I expect that the online services are mostly charging for the time and handling, not the material.


 
Thanks - that is real helpful.  I had gotten quotes of over $200 for a mouse trap!  What machines do people like - seems like being able to do ABS with generic filament or resin would be useful.

Ken


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## Cogsy (Jun 23, 2020)

SpringHollow said:


> Thanks - that is real helpful.  I had gotten quotes of over $200 for a mouse trap!  What machines do people like - seems like being able to do ABS with generic filament or resin would be useful.
> 
> Ken


I only have a cheap printer but it can do ABS and PLA. I have a roll of ABS that I use when absolutely necessary but generally I stick with PLA - especially now that I've found out you can 'temper' PLA prints to get extra strength and temperature resistance from them when needed.


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## awake (Jun 23, 2020)

Ouch! For $200 you can get a decent 3d printer, and print it yourself!

The Creality Ender seems to have a good reputation as a budget printer, but there are a bunch of others out there as well. You might find it helpful to watch some YouTube videos by Thomas Sanladerer or Maker's Muse (and again, there are many others). Tom is in the midst of a series of introductory videos that might give a good idea of the options.

I don't know off the top of my head whether the Ender can print ABS. The starting point would be whether it has an "all metal" hot end and how hot the heated bed can go - if all-metal and 100°C or so, you should be able to print ABS with some success. Note though that, depending on the model, it may not be possible to print ABS without an enclosed printer to control ambient temperature.

Small resin printers have come way down in price, and some are now down to around $200. The print size is smaller than a typical filament printer; the resolution is way better; the cost per print and the "hassle" per print is significantly higher - you have to deal with a resin that can cause allergic reactions, wash the print in isopropyl alcohol, and cure it in UV light.

Just to be clear, I have no stake in any particular brand - my 3d printer is my own home-brew design, built around standard, inexpensive, and widely available components.


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## awake (Jun 23, 2020)

I have a couple of rolls of ABS, and with proper preparation of the print bed, I can print it successfully. But I haven't used ABS in forever - generally I use PLA or PETG. I have attempted to print nylon and POM (generic name for Delrin), but both of those really need an enclosed printer - "someday" I plan to go make the Mark II printer with enclosure.


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## Cogsy (Jun 23, 2020)

Awake - not sure if you're aware but many people get a couple of IKEA 'Lack' coffee tables and stick them together with brackets you print off Thingiverse, then cover the sides in coreflute or similar to make a cheap, quick enclosure. If you printer fits in the footprint of the table it's an easy job to enclose it.









						LACK Side table, black-brown, 55x55 cm - IKEA
					

LACK Side table, black-brown, 55x55 cm. A loyal friend that’s been in our range since 1979. With tender loving care we’ve made it even better.




					www.ikea.com


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## willray (Jun 23, 2020)

Cogsy said:


> Awake - not sure if you're aware but many people get a couple of IKEA 'Lack' coffee tables and stick them together with brackets you print off Thingiverse...
> 
> 
> 
> ...



What an exquisitely ugly table!

The real trick with printing ABS isn't just the enclosure, it's keeping the environment of the printer at a uniform and usefully elevated temperature.  Enclosing the printer helps.  Enclosing the printer in a draft-free, thermal-stratification-free environment at 50ish C, is magical, especially if you have a dual-material printer and can print ABS for your model, and PLA for support structure.

I have a printer that does this.  I can reliably print ABS models that you'd call impossible to print in PLA with consumer 3D printers (and yes, I think stratasys are jerks).  Reliably, as in I think I've had two print failures in 4 years of printing, and they were my own fault for trying to re-use a print-bed far beyond it's useful life.  Good stuff.  I wish someone in the consumer-printer world would push the issue on "a heated box is not patentable", and start making useful enclosures available.  The stuff you can do with ABS and reliable dissolvable support is really impressive.


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## werowance (Jun 24, 2020)

Just wanted to say thank your for posting those stl files.  looks like the same M1 cutters I have and that box will be nice to put them in.  will have to print one this weekend.

thanks again.


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## ddmckee54 (Jun 24, 2020)

Willray:

What do you use for the dissolvable support?  You mentioned printing ABS with a PLA support structure.  If that's it, what do you use to dissolve the PLA?

Don


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## awake (Jun 24, 2020)

Thanks, Cogsy. I hadn't seen that specific approach, but of course there are any number of ways to make a box. I've thought about going that route, but the space where the printer lives is already rather crowded, and the design of the printer is not optimal. So, I have worked up a new design ... which I will build ... "one of these days" ...


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## willray (Jun 24, 2020)

ddmckee54 said:


> Willray:
> 
> What do you use for the dissolvable support?  You mentioned printing ABS with a PLA support structure.  If that's it, what do you use to dissolve the PLA?
> 
> Don



Yup, PLA.  PLA dissolves in (reasonably) strong base solutions.  The support-cleaning solution we use (I'm afraid I've forgotten the exact molarity - we worked it out once, it's nasty, but not /that/ nasty) is something like 100g NaOH per gallon, plus a healthy dose of what's basically laundry detergent.   Heated to 40ish C with an agitated bath, and the PLA goes away pretty quickly.


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## gredeby (Jun 25, 2020)

willray said:


> Yup, PLA.  PLA dissolves in (reasonably) strong base solutions.  The support-cleaning solution we use (I'm afraid I've forgotten the exact molarity - we worked it out once, it's nasty, but not /that/ nasty) is something like 100g NaOH per gallon, plus a healthy dose of what's basically laundry detergent.   Heated to 40ish C with an agitated bath, and the PLA goes away pretty quickly.


Hi I use PVA filament as support material. It dissolve in water.


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## gredeby (Jun 25, 2020)

Awake, I have printed the boxes perfect fit between the box and the lid.
Thanks a lot.


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## awake (Jun 25, 2020)

Glad to hear it worked! And I like the green color!


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## willray (Jun 25, 2020)

gredeby said:


> Hi I use PVA filament as support material. It dissolve in water.



If you want to print PLA as your model material, or can't reliably print ABS due to lack of a heated enclosure, PVA is certainly one of the better options.  I've found it much harder to get fine detail in the support structure with PVA than with PLA though.  Still, any dissolvable support structure is orders of magnitude better than no dissolvable support structure!


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## Gordon (Jun 26, 2020)

It looked like a good idea so I tried to print one. Unfortunately the table (120 x 120) on my Monoprice printer is too small and it will not slice in Cura. I guess that I will have to try my hand at learning OpenScad and separate the base and the top. Now I have to determine if it is worth it to try to learn another program.


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## awake (Jun 26, 2020)

No problem! Attached are the .stl files with top and base in separate files. Now it should fit!


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## Gordon (Jun 26, 2020)

Thanks. I will try that.


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## werowance (Mar 4, 2021)

Thank you for this Awake,   i just printed one for my m1 cutters.   really appreciate you taking the time to share the files with us


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## awake (Mar 4, 2021)

So glad to be able to give back to this community!


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## kvom (Mar 5, 2021)

People without a printer can upload this to Shapeways and have them print in plastic.


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## kquiggle (Mar 5, 2021)

Here's my version for metric cutters, for anyone interested:






						Printables
					






					www.prusaprinters.org


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## awake (Mar 5, 2021)

kquiggle said:


> Here's my version for metric cutters, for anyone interested:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Nice! The text to identify the cutters is a nice touch as well.

Just to be clear, the version I supplied in the OP is for metric cutters, or any other - if you use the OpenSCAD file, you can customize as desired.


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## kquiggle (Mar 5, 2021)

Andy - your design is good one.  The main reason I made my own design is that I enjoy the design process (except I used OnShape instead of OpenSCAD).

Keep up the good work!


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## awake (Mar 5, 2021)

Yes, it is good to have another option for folks to use. My sense is that only a few people here use OpenSCAD. Now if we can get someone to work it up in Fusion 360 to go along with your OnShape version and my OpenSCAD version, we might have most users covered ...


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## NickP (Mar 6, 2021)

awake said:


> No problem! Attached are the .stl files with top and base in separate files. Now it should fit!


Thanks Andy, really appreciate you sharing - will print some for the three sets of gear cutters I have in tatty cardboard boxes.


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## NickP (Mar 6, 2021)

kquiggle said:


> Here's my version for metric cutters, for anyone interested:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks kquiggle - will have a look at your prints too - appreciate you sharing.


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## Qtron (Jun 12, 2022)

kquiggle said:


> Here's my version for metric cutters, for anyone interested:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Hiya Kevin, 
its been a while! hope all's well.
I just wanted to touch bases & see if there are any updates/ info re your Uno divider f/w?
Can U pls tell me where they are on this forum?
Thanks heaps,
- seems to be  quite a few divider sketches just on this forum alone!


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## krypto (Jul 19, 2022)

Thanks for the code!  The OpenSCAD file was easy to modify for my use and both boxes came out great!  The box/lid clearance setting came in handy for me as I printed these with a .5 nozzle, .4 layer height and .6 line width for maximum speed on my printer.  The corners bulge a bit but it's worth it for a 3 hour print.

From screen:






to item:






Very handy!


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## awake (Jul 20, 2022)

Glad it worked well for you!


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