3d printed box for gear cutters

[awake]

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.

 

[stevehuckss396]

Deluxe!

 

[Cogsy]

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

 

[RonW]

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

 

[awake]

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.

 

[minh-thanh]

awake !

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 .

 

[awake]

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!

 

[wthomas]

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

 

[awake]

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.

 

[RM-MN]

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

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.

https://www.creality3d.shop/product...zBYtrSy9lUTvzv0erAkElikwQW0e3uKxoC5DAQAvD_BwE

 

[Shopgeezer]

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.

 

[willray]

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!

 

[retailer]

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.

 

[RonW]

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

 

[peter2uat]

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.

 

[kaolsen1728]

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.

 

[awake]

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.

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.

 

[awake]

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.

 

[Apprentice707]

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

 

[willray]

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