Not a Woodworking Project ...

Dave Richards

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SE Minnesota
... but it might have been if I had my shop set up and didn't have a 3D printer.

We have some windows that use guides like this for the locking bar.

Window Locking Bar Guide

One of them broke due to years of UV degradation. If you look closely you can see this one isn't long for this world either.

Unfortunately the guides are no longer available from the manufacturer so I had to take another approach. I borrowed an unbroken guide to take measurements and I distilled it down to only what was really needed. I think the tabs top and bottom as well as the extra holes and the notch between the screws must be for a different application as they aren't needed on the windows we have. So a few minutes in SketchUp and I had a model ready to send to the slicer.

Window Locking Bar Guide

And here's the first one I printed installed.

Window Locking Bar Guide

I printed two more for the same window and installed them, too. The screw holes printed slightly smaller than I intended but that turnes out to be a good thing because the screws won't fall out. The window I repaired is about 14 feet above a rought concrete patio. Had I dropped one of the screws while repairing the window it would likely have bounced into a parallel universe never to be seen again. Coincidentally a neighbor down the street has the same kind of windows and needs replacement guides, too. He was talking with a company about manufacturing them for him but they were talking about something like $3500 to make them. I figure my version has about 16-1/2¢ of filament in each one. It would be cheaper if I was buying the filament in bulk, though. I figure even if these don't last incredibly long I can print enough of them for $3500 to last several lifetimes.
 
Are those done in Nylon? That would probably last at least as long as the original (PVA .. depends on how hot it gets I guess).

I actually like your version better than the original :) It's a lot cleaner looking.
 
Thanks. Mine are in PLA because it's what I have in white. No idea how long they'll last but if they fail quickly I'll get something else. I haven't tried printing Nylon but that might be an option.
 
Another not-a-woodworking project. This is another thing for 3D printing. This is an auxilliary footplate for a wheelchair. The upturned pieces on the sides are to prevent the user's feet from sliding off the side.



Here it is temporarily installed on the chair. Waiting for screws and lock nuts to arrive on Monday.


This is designed as an alternative to a commercially available option. Weight is always a consideration for active wheelchair users. This thing goes on a chair that is mostly titanium for its light weight. Mine weighs about a third of the commercially available one and costs about less than 1% of the commercial one if you ignore the price of the 3D printer. :p
 
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