Using Tinkercad to Create a Strip Cutting Tool
Introduction: Using Tinkercad to Create a Strip Cutting Tool
Every table top wargamer needs scenery and half the fun is building it yourself. To make things like this modular wall (from a Black Magic Craft tutorial here), you need to be able to accurately cut strips. Many of us don't have hot wire cutters and even if we do, it's nice to have a quick and easy tool that cuts cleanly with no melting and without casting 'Stinking Cloud' level 2 in our crafting rooms.
When I bought my house, I found a few tools in the corner of an old shed, including a leather cutting tool for making laces. I found the tool perfect for cutting styrofoam strips (see pictures), so useful that I wanted another one for my son to use when we craft together.
I decided to use Tinkercad to draft up a version without the handle (which I find gets in the way) to 3D print so I could make as many copies as I wanted.
If you want to follow the drafting process, it's a great learning experience. If you just need the tool, skip ahead to the printing step, the files are attached there.
Supplies
Tinkercad (sign up for free at tinkercad.com)
A 3D printer or an online 3D printing service
A few bits of hardware. I used two M3x25 screws to hold the blade on and a 10-24 x 1 1/2" machine screw with a nut for the adjusting thumbscrew knob (or try an M4x35 or M5x35 screw)
A blade - either a scalpel blade (X-acto blade) or a piece of 9mm break-away blade from small craft knife works well.
Step 1: Drafting the Fence
To draft the fence, I created a 25mm high x 25mm wide x 110mm long box in Tinkercad. Click the ruler button and drag a ruler to the front bottom left corner of the piece. It makes the next steps much easier.
Now, create a box 'hole' that is 13.5mm high x 27mm wide x 25mm long. Position it by typing in the values (-1, 12.5, 15) as shown in the image.
Group the two boxes. Now draft a cylinder 'hole' that is 4mm x 4mm x 20mm high. Position it by typing the values (10.5, 23.5) as shown in the image. This is the hole for the adjustment screw to tighten into. We've made it a bit undersized so that it can be drilled to fit whatever hardware you're using.
Group the cylinder with the fence to finish this part.
Step 2: Drafting the Adjustment Bar
Create a box 25x25x110mm to be the adjustment bar. Move the ruler to the bottom left corner of the box.
We need a slot cut through the bar to allow adjustment. 668
Create a box 'hole' that is 5mm wide, 27mm high and 85mm long. To tidy the ends up, create two cylinder 'holes' that are 5mm x 5mm x 27 mm high. Drag them onto the ends of the box 'hole'. I needed to type in half millimetre values to get things lined up perfectly. Group the two cylinders with the box hole.
Drag the hole so that it is centred horizontally on the adjustment bar block, 15mm back from the front edge. Group it with the bar.
Now, create a cylinder 'hole' for the blade mounting screws, 3mm x 3mm x 20mm long. Rotate it 90 degrees as shown, then position it 11mm up and 4mm from the left edge of the shape. Copy it (ctrl-c) and paste it (ctrl-v), then position the copy 11mm up and 18mm from the left edge of the shape. Group both holes with the adjustment bar, which is now complete.
Step 3: Drafting the Blade Clamp
Start with a block that is 25x25x15mm. Move the ruler to the bottom left corner.
Create two 4mm cylinder holes for the screws to pass through. They should be positioned 10.5mm high. One should be 3.5mm from the left edge and the other should be 17.5mm from the left edge. Bonus marks if you can figure out how to place the second hole by measuring 3.5mm from the right edge :).
To give a more finished look, create counterbore holes for the screw heads. Mine are 6mm in diameter, so they are both 9.5mm high and are 2.5mm and 16.5mm from the left edge.
Step 4: Printing the Tool
Export your file as an STL or OBJ and use it to print your file. 56