This week’s selection is the fascinating Denture Bit Holder With Magnets by Printables contributor iplop.
This is a most unusual design, and it’s intended to hold bits used in drills and screwdrivers. Most often folks have some kind of simple holder for them — or (shudder) have them loose in a drawer.
This design is obviously superior for several reasons:
- All bits are continually visible
- Easy to pick them out (held by magnets)
- Easy to recognize empty slot when replacing them after use
- The jaws can close for storage (or smiles)
- It looks utterly cool
As you might suspect, this isn’t something you can print-in-place, but it’s a fairly straightforward printing project. There’s only two files, the upper and the lower jaws.
The trick is in the assembly, where you have to bolt the jaws together, and more importantly, install the magnets for each “tooth”. The design requires 28 small 8x3mm magnets, and care must be taken when assembling them because you can get the magnets in backwards by accident. iplop advises:
“Lay all the magnets out so they stick to each other on their sides before printing. Mark the tops of all the magnets with a sharpie.”
Good advice, and there is more advice in the Printables entry.
You can also watch this short video by Lady, showing the printing and assembly process for this item:
The 3D model and instructions are freely available for download at Printables, but you can also purchase a completed version from iplop’s Etsy store (which strangely is named “carptheday”). Unfortunately, it seems that the Etsy shop is temporarily closed, so this model will have to be 3D printed on your own.
What I find really interesting is that this print can be done in a variety of colors that make the appearance pop. The sample print at top and here, made by Fabbaloo friend John, shows what the Denture Bit Holder looks like in shiny gold PETG material:
I think gold is appropriate for a toothy model, don’t you?
Via Printables and Etsy
