Power tools are key to getting the most out of raw materials like wood and metal, while 3D printers allow you to do the same with plastic filament. So why not combine these two superpowers and get more from your power tools with a 3D printer? That’s exactly what many people have already done.
Download or create (and share) adapters and other parts
By far the most practical use for a 3D printer in your workshop, garage, or garden shed is to improve the tools you already have available to you. For me, the quintessential example of this in action is the humble dust extractor attachment.
Collecting dust while working can save your lungs and hours of cleanup time, but it seems like every tool has a differently-sized dust catcher attachment. Some tools don’t have an attachment or dust-catchment system at all, even though they probably should.
Luckily, you can create all manner of adapters for your shop vac to catch dust as you work, regardless of which brands and sizes you’re mixing and matching. Search a repository like MakerWorld or Printables for your particular brand of tool or vac and there’s a good chance you’ll find a model out there you can use—like this Kärcher to Makita and Bosch hose adapter set.
Sticking on the topic of dust, some people have engineered solutions like simple drill dust collectors that you hold in place to incredibly well-thought-out attachments that sit on your drill. And this is just the tip of the iceberg for tool attachments.
A search for major brands like Milwaukee, Makita, Ryobi, DeWalt, and more yields an endless number of tailor-made enhancements. This includes improved grips and handles, brand-agnostic drill presses and stands, jigs and guides, rail adapters, stabilizers, covers, guards, niche items like paint mixers, and much more.
Even if something doesn’t yet exist, you can become competent with basic shape-based designs in TinkerCAD in a matter of hours. The fact that you have a good collection of tools means you’re probably already handy enough to give it a shot and stick with it till you get it right.
Organize your entire workshop
Organizing power tools might seem pretty easy, but there’s more to it than simply mounting them on a wall. In many cases, a pegboard system like IKEA’s Skådis or the more involved MultiBuild can help you make optimal use of vertical space. These modular systems let you create hooks, mounts, and shelves for anything and everything.
Projects like Gridfinity can help you organize all of the smaller parts that your power tools would be useless without, like drill bits, chain tensioners, spare blades, and more. Just be aware that Gridfinity isn’t an overnight project and can take some careful planning to get right.
Projects like Tooltrace make it possible to use your smartphone to create accurate cutouts for storing tools in drawers, using the Gridfinity system. If the idea of everything having its own place appeals to you, there’s no reason this couldn’t work for any of your tools, given enough room.
And then there are all the little organizational hacks for the tools themselves, like clips that attach power cords to your shop vac hose and containers that clip to your tools for storing useful bits like screws and plugs while you work.
Fix broken parts quickly for temporary or permanent solutions
Many tools will “break” long before the motor has given up due to a part failing. This could be the outer housing of the tool itself, a grip for guiding a drill or saw, a button or knob that lets you change speed or angle, or another piece of plastic that should have lasted longer.
Sometimes, replacing these parts just isn’t possible. My dad has drills that are older than I am, that show no sign of giving up, but I don’t fancy my chances of finding replacement parts for them. A faulty trigger could spell an early death for a motor that has years left on it. In this instance, replicating a failed part and replacing it yourself is your best hope.
Even when a replacement is possible, you can be stuck waiting weeks or months for a replacement part to arrive from overseas. This puts the tool out of action for long enough that you might be tempted to buy a new one. Thankfully, 3D printing allows you to design something imperfect that can keep you in business until the part arrives.
If you can copy a part, you can create your own fixes. Designing simple parts in a web-based tool like TinkerCAD is easy, just be sure that you understand which filament types work best for your particular predicament.
While PLA is cheap and common, it lacks the durability and heat resistance of more advanced filaments. Get familiar with stronger and more durable material types like PETG, ABS/ASA, and carbon fiber-reinforced filaments.
Picking the right printer for the job
There’s no perfect printer, but there are printers that are easy to recommend to a broad range of people. By far the most popular printer brand is Bambu Lab, and for good reason.
It’s hard not to recommend these printers to anyone who wants to get started printing quickly. They’re easy to use, come preassembled, and maintenance is easy. Mid-range models like the P2S come with everything you need to print a broad range of filaments at high speed, including a hardened steel nozzle and heated print bed.
Prusa is another strong option, favored by many for its open-source approach. They’re best suited to those who are prepared to do a bit more tinkering and fiddling, but their upgrade paths are second-to-none. If you value the open-source ethos and are happy to assemble the printer yourself to save some money, something like the Core One+ or its larger variant is hard to ignore.
If you’re on a budget, Bambu Lab has the A1 and A1 mini, while brands like Creality and QIDI lack some of the fancy bells and whistles but offer excellent value for money.
Keep in mind that you want something that can handle the sort of tough filaments you might need to use in a workshop setting, which means hardened steel nozzles to extrude abrasive filaments and handle high temperatures.
Is collecting power tools a bit of a hobby for you? Here are some other hobbies that are better with a 3D printer.
Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.
