Jig Making in the 21st century (3D printing)

[smorgasbord]

Woodworker have been making jigs for centuries, even if just things like saw guides or shooting boards. Heck, you can consider a workbench as a large workholding jig. Obviously, as machines came into being, more and more jigs are employed for accuracy and speed, particularly when making multiples.

I watched a little video the other day (https://youtu.be/NlFFHs_68n4?si=OUHC6ZW8Oh9z7kum ) and what struck me were the little 3D printed jigs he built for everything from spacing and mounting home-built drawer slides to knob hole drilling, etc. For instance, rather than spend $80 or so on a general purpose hole-drilling jig that you have to adjust for each set of drawers, you can print out a fixed template that snaps on and has just the holes you need/want.

I've got a small CNC and have toyed with the idea of using that to construct things like taper jigs or fixed angle supports, and such. But, there's a scale at which I think 3D printing is probably better. And then there's the materials - MDF sucks for fiddly things (really just thick cardboard), and while I can CNC plastics, it can be hard to do and/or expensive.

Anyway, I'd to hear from those of you that are 3D printing (or CNC'ing) special purpose jigs - what has worked well and what not so well? Any pointers are which printers are best or not appropriate, and which materials? Any accuracy concerns?

If possible, I don't want this thread to rat-hole into which 3D printers are best, as we've had threads on that before.

 

[Packard]

Phenolic sheets are dimensionally stable and very durable. They are used for steel rule dies and for welding fixtures for production. I have not checked prices lately.  And I don’t know how they compare with 3D printed materials. 

Phenolic can dull steel tools quickly.  Carbide is preferred.

 

[AstroKeith]

I've had a 3d printed now for 5 months and about a third of what I print are assembly jigs, a third are alternatives for overpriced hardware, and a third custom items that are unobtainable elsewhere (telescope parts!)

It really is useful to be able to make a jig for a specific task. No corners are cut and it does pay off. Generally my jigs are one-offs, so I use PLA which is durable enough. Also plant based which is important to me.

However, the design of the parts can at first be challenging, plus 3d printing isnt easy. There is quite a learning curve and then it needs to be maintained. It is an investment in time to learn to design and master the print process. I'm retired so thats OK and it's fun, but it's not for everyone.

As I said, PLA is probably good enough for many applications. If you need something more durable then there are plenty of advanced materials - but they are even harder to print and require better (expensive) 3d printers.

 

[smorgasbord]

Phenolic sheets are dimensionally stable and very durable. They are used for steel rule dies and for welding fixtures for production. I have not checked prices lately.  And I don’t know how they compare with 3D printed materials. 
Phenolic can dull steel tools quickly.  Carbide is preferred.

Yeah, I've been using phenolic on the CNC for various things now with good success. I've also used HDPE and even acetal copolymer for some things like tablesaw insert plates. Good stuff.

 

[bobtskutter]

I bought a 3D printer with this sort of thing in mind.
I'm a hobby wood worker. I spend 3 nights a week and several hours at the weekend waiting somewhere for the kids to finish whatever activity they're doing.  I can take my laptop with me and design a part / jig / whatever then print it over night so it's ready for me to use the next day.

I've made several parts to improve the dust collection with my shop vac and table saw / thicknesser.
I plan to make a few jigs for installing wooden drawer slides and routing draw hand holds.

I've been using PLA, PETG and Flex materials.
PLA is easy to work with and plenty strong enough if you make the parts walls thick enough (lots of perimeters).

This method takes many hours of work to get right, but I can do most of the "work" when I'm not actually at home.

Regards
Bob

 

[Packard]

I think I make more simple jigs than most.  Any time I plan on making something with repeated parts, I make jigs, setup blocks, marking gages, etc. 

The more you do it, the faster the designs come, and the better the designs work.

My latest is cutting short lengths of dowels with no tear out and with good overall length accuracy/repeatability.  The design came to me in a flash, and it has worked as expected. 

A couple of years ago, it would have taken me a few tries to get it right.  The more often you do something, the easier it gets and the better the results.