The rod
90 degrees is standard and holds a wide range of sizes. Narrower grips one size tighter, wider is shallower.
The block
The wall is the plastic beside the groove. About a quarter of the rod diameter is strong. The height and width are worked out from the rod and the angle.
- Width
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- Height
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- Length
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- V depth
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Local onlyThe jig is built and checked by JavaScript in this tab, and the STL is made on your computer. Your settings are remembered in this browser's local storage, and nothing is uploaded.
Round stock rolls, and a hole drilled into a rolling rod never lands where you meant it. A V-block fixes that. Lay the rod in the groove and it settles on the centerline, held from rolling, so a hole straight down the middle comes out centered every time. Clamp the block to a drill press and you can drill a whole batch the same.
What each setting does
Rod diameter. The size you want to cradle. The groove is sized so a rod that size rests with its center at the top of the block, which is a good hold for drilling.
V angle. Ninety degrees is the standard and holds a wide range of sizes. A narrower angle grips one size more tightly; a wider one is shallower. Leave it at 90 if you are not sure.
Length and wall. Make the block long enough to steady the rod. The wall is the plastic beside the groove; about a quarter of the rod diameter keeps it from splitting under a clamp. The height and width are worked out for you from the rod and the angle.
Using it
Set the rod in the groove and clamp the block so neither can shift. Bring the drill down on the center of the groove. For a part you will drill many of, mark or scribe a center line across the block so you can line the bit up fast.
Printing it
Print it with the groove up, which needs no supports. Use 100% infill or at least 5 walls so it does not crush under a clamp, and 0.2 mm layers, in PETG if you have it.
Before you download
The file is read back before the button turns on: every edge shared by exactly two triangles, every face pointing outward, a positive volume. If a setting cannot make a sound block, the page says why.
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