Today in the shop (sometimes you feel like a knob...)

[reible]

No wait that is a nut, sometime you feel like a nut sometime you feel like a bolt.... no wait that is still not right.... anyway I think I want a candy bar.

I'm sure a lot of you have gotten to the point that you have decided to make your own knobs for jigs and what not. Easy to do, hole saw for the outside dimension, center hole almost bolt/nut size then a bit of pounding and you have a knob.... when then there is some sanding involved but often I end up ordering some knobs in the end and at $3-$5 each that can get expensive.

I need six of them for another project so I though it might be a good time to use the SO and make my own and see how they turn out. Knobs should be 1-1/4" diameter, except 1/4-20 nuts or bolts. I did the design in sketchup then outputted with a plugin and had the design in no time at all.

Scrap 1/2" baltic birch, got a lot of the laying around so that was a good place to start. Used double sided tape to hold the parts in place. Started with the bit where the nut/bolt goes.

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Bolts and nuts need a different depth but lets not worry about that now. The good news is that the hex is the same. And yes if you went to say a 5/16" fastener you would need another design. The outside diameter was one I picked but again you could make them 2" or what ever you wanted. So next I cut them free:

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Here is a close up of the part where the nut/bolt head goes:

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Then with a nut in place:

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For my application I wanted a more finished look so back to the SO with some 1/8" plywood to make some caps:

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I'm just holding this in place but it give you the idea of how it will work:

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Here are the parts, not quite ready to assemble but close:

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I think this worked out pretty well but hey I still want a candy bar.

Ed

[artman60]

Kudos!

[masonsailor2]

Nice job Ed. What software did you use ?
Paul

[reible]

The software was sketchup and you need a plug in called fabber to get the .svg file that shaper likes.

I have a collection of these designed now.

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and almost this one:

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Now all of these are sized for 1/4-20 nuts/bolts (nuts are cut 7/32 deep, bolts 3/16" deep) and I will be done a 5/16" version later. The outside of the knobs can be cut inside for a smaller diameter or on the line for a larger and outside the line for an even larger size. Add to that the ability to do off-set cuts and to change bit diameters gives you a lot of options.

Of course you can do them with materials other then plywood and perhaps even softwoods like pine but some might like to use a hardwood.

Also the cover shown can be cut just like the circle ones so long as you match the type cut and bit that you use for the knob. If you want to have a captured nut you need to add the hole but again nothing to it with the SO.

Ed