Ridgid Miter Saw Handle
J&S Tool Repair reached out to me regarding a collection of miter saws that they had with a similar issue, they all had broken handles. Great miter saws in great condition became useless when the handles shattered leaving no way to switch them on and manipulate them and no replacement options available.
I began the re-manufacturing of these parts by glueing the original parts back together so I could get accurate dimensions to design from. While the glue does hold the parts together, it is not a load bearing bond and cannot be depended on.
I began the re-manufacturing of these parts by glueing the original parts back together so I could get accurate dimensions to design from. While the glue does hold the parts together, it is not a load bearing bond and cannot be depended on.
Next, I continued by scanning the upper and lower handle halves at high resolution and loading them into Fusion360 as a calibrated canvas, taking measurements and designing along the way as shown below.
You will notice some things that are different between the original miter saw handle design an my version of it:
You will notice some things that are different between the original miter saw handle design an my version of it:
- The handle does not bend toward the end switch assembly part. This is because the first handle broke and I don't want the 3d printed version to be less durable in anyway than the original and printing this handle so that there are continuous strands of filament stretching the entire length of the handle for each layer will make the handle much stronger and reliable.
- I decided to design the handle using more plastic in order to yet again make this the last handle anyone will need to replace on their Ridgid Miter Saw
Miter Saw Handle Design Time-lapse and Design
Alas came the 3d printing process! Here are some videos and images for how I first printed this on my Creality Ender 3 at home to get the power on/off switch moving parts perfected in the design.
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Next I needed to test print the handle for dimensions and quality on one the Fusion3 f410 in the NC A&T MakerSpace using orange filament this time for the end use parts. I did run into issues my first attempt at a complete print but after changing settings to be more similar to the settings used in the Golf Robot printed on the same printer I had more success.
Once the handle parts completed printing, I needed to do post-processing to remove the support material and brim that is used to help keep bed adhesion strong since we don't want the handle sliding off the print bed half way through. After post processing I began assembling and final finishing - sanding parts where needed.
This was an in-depth look into how parts can be redesigned and remade using additive manufacturing and this is the kind of quality you can expect from Austin3dPrinting Service!
