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My boss in Portland insisted we use a 3D printer for jigs and I thought it was a waste of time.
He bought this little desktop printer for the shop about six months ago. I figured it was just a toy. Then we got a custom job with a dozen weird angled shelves. He printed a setup block for the miter saw in about an hour. Perfect fit every time. Saved us from building a whole jig out of MDF. I still think it's not for everything, but for one-off complex angles, it's weirdly good. What other small shop tasks have you guys found a 3D printer is actually useful for?
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annaw737mo ago
Remembered we had a weird router template job last year, all these curved parts. The printer spat out these thin plastic guides that clipped right onto the workpieces. Felt like cheating, honestly. It's just sitting there making dust most days, but when you need something odd shaped fast, that little machine pulls through.
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morgan_schmidt7mo ago
Honestly, custom drill guides are a game changer. Printed a little block that holds the bit at the perfect angle for hinge cups.
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