3D Printed Workshop Tools
Here at the Magigoo office, we love 3D printing all sorts of stuff, from Christmas Decorations to Gaming Accessories and even Bicycle Accessories. This time, we chose a set of 3D printed workshop tools that are very easy to print and use, and will definitely come in handy if you’re a DIY kind of person. The following prints were all done using a BCN3D Epsilon W50 3D Printer, which features two independent extruders. That being said, none of these prints require dual extrusion and can be printed on most commercial 3D printers.
3D Printed Adjustable Soldering Tweezers
One tool that everyone who wishes to solder even the simplest of connections definitely requires is a set of Soldering Tweezers. This is precisely what the first print for this blog is. The adjustable soldering tweezers, which can be found here, comes in five parts; Four identical prongs that make the two tweezers and the base that holds them together.
These parts are extremely easy to print, requiring no support or extra build plate adhesion. We printed all the parts using Fiberology PLA, in two different shades of blue. We used Magigoo Original as a build-plate adhesive, to ensure that the prints remain secure to the bed while allowing for an easy release after the printing is done.
With the parts printed and removed from the printer, assembly is easy. There are no bolts, nuts or fasteners required for this tool. The tweezer parts are push fitted into the base. The tight fit ensures that the tweezers do not move around, and also allows for a strong grip during use.
Tool Rating: 8/10. Would recommend it to anyone who does not have a set of soldering tweezers. The only downside to this 3D printed workshop tool is that first time assembly may be a bit tough since the fit is very tight. Other than that, it works like a charm and can be printed in different colours to best match your soldering station.
3D Printed Fillet Gauge
When it comes to gathering measurements off of items and parts, one of the most tedious and difficult types of dimensions to measure is fillets. A fillet is a rounded edge, which can be internal or external. These types of measurements are difficult to obtain using conventional tools such as vernier calipers or a ruler. The next 3D printed tool takes care of this problem! The Fillet gauge, which can be found here, is a very simple tool that must not be underestimated.
Fillet Gauge 
Fillet Gauge in Use
This tool is very easy to use. Simply press the different fillet sizes (shown as numbers in mm), against the filleted surface you wish to measure. The correct size should fit the fillet without gaps in between the tool and the surface.
It is a very easy part to print. We printed ours in white Polymaker Polylite PLA, using Magigoo Original. We chose the colour white to allow for an easier marking of the numbers. To make the numbers stand out, we traced over them with a black permanent marker
Tool Rating: 7/10. Very good idea, and would recommend it to anyone who needs to measure fillets of up to 12 mm radii. The only drawback to this print is that it only measures external fillets, with the exception of two measurements. At each end of the print, there is an internal fillet gauge, for 3 and 5 mm radii. Other than that, this print is a great little tool to have lying around for any fillet measurements up to 12 mm radii.
3D Printed Bolt Size Measuring Tool
When it comes to organising all the loose bolts in the bottom of your drawer, the most tedious part is always the sorting system you implement. It gets very cumbersome to measure each bolt and stay comparing sizes to previously measured bolts, both in length and diameter. This small print may save you a lot of wasted time. The bolt measuring tool, which can be found here, is a very easy to print tool that we at the Magigoo offices have used plenty of times.
Grab all your loose bolts and get ready to sort them! The premise of the tool is very simple. All you have to do it fit the bolt in one of the side slots to determine the thickness, and fit it in the top groove to find the length. For example, the one in the photo above is an M4 x 16 mm bolt.
This print was once again printed in white Polymaker Polylite PLA for the same reason as the fillet gauge. This allows for an easy marking of the embossed numbers on the top face. Magigoo Original was used once again to ensure that the print stays in place during printing.
Tool Rating: 9/10. Great idea for a small print and would definitely recommend it to anyone who has loose, spare bolts that need sorting. There really is only one defect to this print, and it’s that straight out of the printer, the side slots are slightly smaller. This makes it so that the first couple of uses might be a bit tough getting the bolt into the slot. However, after a light sanding or some repetitive use of the tool, the bolts start sliding in easily. Overall this tool will definitely save you time and effort to sort out those bolts. This makes it one of our favourite 3D printed workshop tools.
3D Printed Wire Stripper
When it comes to stripping wires, there are a million and one techniques to go about it. Some people use a knife, or scissors, or even their teeth. Some people prefer to use a big clunky tool designed for stripping wires. There is however one small print that can solve all wire stripping problems. The Wire Stripper part, which can be found here is a tool that is easy to use and to print.
If you’re a fan of messing around with electronics and wiring, this tool is certainly a must. It’s very easy to use and can accommodate different sized wires. Simply place the wire in its respective slot, press the stripper down, and pull away from the wire. Some larger wires might require some rotation to allow the blade to cut through the insulating material.
This part was printed in Polymaker Polylite PLA to allow for some bending when it comes to pressing the blade down. It was easy to print, using Magigoo Original, and very easy to remove from the build plate when cooled.
Tool Rating: 6/10. Very hand tool to have, and would recommend it to people who strip a couple of wires a day. The tool gets the job done if you need to strip a couple of thin wires every now and then. However, if your tasks require more heavy-duty and reliable wire stripping, a proper wire stripper might be more worth it.
3D Printed Tube Cutter
For our last 3D Printed Workshop tool, this Tube Cutting tool is a great solution for anyone who needs to cut various sizes of tubes on the fly. This handy tool can up to 4 various sizes of tubes, with the smallest being the standard PTFE ‘Bowden’ tubes that 3D printers utilize. The largest pipe diameter that this tool can cut through is 10 mm. The files for this tool can be found on Thingiverse, through this link.
This print comes in three different parts; The tool itself, the blade guard, and the cutter housing. Assembly is pretty easy and straightforward. The blade slides into the tool, and the guard clamps down on it with the use of 3 M4 bolts, that cut into the plastic. The housing is an optional part, that allows the tool to stay securely in it without any chance of any accidents.
The parts were very easy to print using Polymaker Polylite PLA, with very little support needed. Magigoo Original was used to ensure that the parts all stay on the build-plate during printing. It also allowed for a very easy release when the print job was done.
Tool Rating: 8/10. Very good and handy print. I would also recommend it to anyone who needs different tube sizes to be cut. The tool is very simple to use and also allows for a clean cut. However, there is a size limitation to how big the largest tube is, which is 10 mm in diameter. Nevertheless, it is still a good print to have lying around should you ever need it.
What did you think of our 3D printed workshop tools? We hope that you have found a tool or two from this list that you’ll add to your 3D printed collection!