If you were to ask the average person about 3D printers, they would probably tell you that it’s a thing to make other things, and that’s as far as the answer goes. While you absolutely can use 3D printers to make different objects as an end goal, what isn’t always understood is that 3D printing can also be used as a tool to make other tools.
In the case of arts and crafts, where the only limits you have are your own imagination and what you have at hand, being able to produce and customize crafting tools means that the sky is the limit. Woodworking, scrapbooking, braiding, painting, knitting – you name it and there’s a 3D printed tool that can help with it.
In this article, we feature a number of 3D printed tools across a few different crafts. It’s by no means a comprehensive list but rather one that gives you a taste of what’s out there. If you see anything you like, but 3D printing it yourself is out of the question at the moment, try Craftcloud. With an easy and user-friendly process for ordering prints, you’ll be crafting with your new tools in no time!
Clay & Pottery
In a medium as versatile as clay where everything is all about the flow and slowly creating a shape, 3D printing seems like a perfect companion. However, this category isn’t about that! It’s about combining traditional clay techniques with modern 3D printing solutions. You can get clay and pottery tools customized for your needs, as many as you need, in any size. The possibilities are endless.
Carving Tools
In the process of creating with clay, not everything can be done with your bare hands. Carving tools are useful for smoothing out surfaces, adding small details, and creating hard edges. This 3D printable set includes four different shapes, along with the caps.
They don’t need supports, but the handle has been made triangular to help with grip. The designer recommends using three or four shells and 0.6 mm for both the top and bottom thickness settings.
- Who designed it? sketcher
- How printable/popular is it? Seven makes of this set have been shared.
- Where to find it? Thingiverse
Ribs
Ribs are the smart way to create consistent repeating patterns. Because of their shape, they’re most useful when throwing cylindrical shapes, such as vases or mugs, on a potter’s wheel. There are many shapes you could choose from, but we think this model is a nice standard one that can be used for many designs.
Because it’s such a flat print, make sure to let the print bed cool down before removing the part. Otherwise, you may bend it.
- Who designed it? GoodHouseCeramics
- How printable/popular is it? So far, this model has only one make.
- Where to find it? Thingiverse
Rollers
Similar to ribs, rollers are a smart way to create consistent patterns. They leave an imprint on the surface of the clay. You could, in theory, get the same result without a roller – for example, by using a sculpting tool. However, it would be very difficult to achieve a consistent look.
So, save yourself the hassle and print a roller. There’s a large variety of patterns, including tiled rollers or Christmas-themed ones. Indeed, there are even full collections of rollers on Printables.
The one we’ve chosen to feature seems to be the most popular; it gives the effects of a rocky surface. Perhaps you’ll like it, too. In terms of printing guidance, the designer recommends printing it with at least 40% infill.
- Who designed it? Tekcor17
- How printable/popular is it? This roller has three shared makes. One of the makers recommends printing at 50% scale.
- Where to find it? Printables
Paper Crafts
There are very few materials with as broad a user base as paper. From kindergarteners to museum curators, paper has an unbelievable number of uses. Where it truly comes into its own, though, is how it can be transformed with fairly simple tools. Here, we present a few 3D printed tools to take your paper crafting to the next level.
Stencils
There are so many situations where we need to be able to draw and measure out objects consistently that templates have become a mainstay in many people’s tool kits. Stencils are a great way apply designs consistently across a single sheet or multiple sheets of paper.
No special requirements are necessary for this print, although the designer did mention that they used 0.2-mm resolution when printing, which makes sense given that strength is needed more than detail in this case. You can find a variety of stencil designs in a collection from loyalj on Printables.
- Who designed it? mikeymakesit
- How printable/popular is it? There are several confirmed prints across all of the designs, along with positive feedback.
- Where to find it? MyMiniFactory, Printables
Customizable Embossing Stamp
If there is one thing that can make a certificate or other document look official, it’s an embossed seal. This project is customizable with Thingiverse’s Customizer utility, which has contributed to a staggering 964 remixes! The design also gives off tremendous Razr vibes, which should be enough to put it on any list!
- Who designed it? someandy
- Who printable/popular is it? In addition to 21 shared makes, this design has over 964 remixes.
- Where to find it? Thingiverse
Paper Crimper
Toolmaking, at its heart, is about creating items to make jobs easier. In that spirit, this paper crimping machine can produce uniform folds for scrapbooking and other paper-based crafts.
The maker recommends using 25% infill across the board and rafts where necessary. You may also want to use a small amount of adhesive in order to make sure that attachment points don’t pull away from the base.
- Who designed it? jetty
- How printable/popular is it? This design has 19 makes and 6 remixes.
- Where to find it? Thingiverse
Textiles
Over the centuries, many techniques have been developed to produce textiles, each with its own particular method of doing things and each with a particular use case. And of course, we’ve developed many tools to make things easier: knitting needles, looms, bobbins, and embroidery hoops, among many others. Check out a few of the 3D printed variants below.
Bobbin Winder
Embroidery thread is often sold in bundles, but winding them on bobbins decreases the likelihood of tangling. How do you get the thread from one to the other quickly? By printing a bobbin winder of course!
Josh_Your_IT_Guy developed this design, which will require two bearings to function as intended. They also recommend printing with 3 perimeters and 30% infill. And if you’re running low on bobbins, check out this 3D printable one!
- Who designed it? Josh_Your_IT_Guy
- How printable/popular is it? Five makers have printed and assembled the design. There’s even a remix that’s designed to be used with a drill.
- Where to find it? Printables
Heddle Loom
Historically, looms have been one of the most complex-looking machines when it comes to textiles. While this project is not as complicated as some looms can be, support in the form of tutorials, videos, and documentation is available for constructing and setting up this loom.
Construction will also require additional non-3D printed parts, including PVC pipes and screws. Additionally, the maker has supplied the SketchUp versions of the models so that the individual pieces can be modified as desired.
- Who designed it? AppliedTechnologyLab
- How printable/popular is it? This loom has five posted makes on Thingiverse.
- Where to find it? Cults, Thingiverse
Kumihimo Disk
Many people over the years have said that we’re stronger together than we are apart. Braiding has shown this concept to be true time and again, as it produces a finished product that’s significantly more durable than its component parts.
This disk assists in creating kumihimo braids. Because it’s necessary to turn the disk while crafting, it makes sure to have a direction of travel shown on the dial so that you don’t accidentally start to unravel the braid. The designer recommends using 100% infill for maximum strength, and a video tutorial is also available for learning how to use the disk.
- Who designed it? DasMia
- How printable/popular is it? This design has been downloaded over 200 times, and at least one maker reported printing it and successfully making kumihimo braids.
- Where to find it? Printables
Painting
With 3D printing, the ability to produce customized miniatures has increased massively, and the community around it has also grown. This doesn’t apply only to the world of gaming and anime. Dollhouses, dioramas, and decorations of all sorts have become significantly more available and affordable. And of course, this is another area where 3D printing shines.
Petite Palette
And we’re just going to add in a happy little tree on this mini. And what say we give them a friend? Everybody needs a friend. When you absolutely need to channel your inner Bob Ross but are working on something the size of your thumb, what is an artist to do? Get a thumb palette!
This petite paint palette is just the right size to allow you to have full control over the miniature, while still having enough real estate to properly mix together pigments.
- Who designed it? MerganMcFergan
- How printable/popular is it? Over 20 makers are enjoying their tiny printed palettes.
- Where to find it? Thingiverse
Painting Booth
When trying to paint smaller objects, it can be difficult to both hold them properly and keep them in a steady position to dry. This design helps to resolve these issues by providing a stable base to work from.
The part will require the use of some basic sticks as well as gator clips for holding the object for painting. When everything’s properly assembled, it’ll keep everything in a secure position for drying without having to rely on Styrofoam or similar materials.
- Who designed it? William Lee
- How printable/popular is it? This design has been viewed over 12,000 times and downloaded nearly 1,400 times.
- Where to find it? MyMiniFactory
Hobby Paint Rack
Managing paint, especially large quantities of small bottles, is hard. Being able to see, at a glance, which ones you have can be even more of a challenge. So, this modular paint rack is able to check off a couple of important requirements.
The designer has put together multiple versions of this model, which will allow for full customization to whatever works best in a user’s environment. Printing should not require supports. A 0.2-mm layer height and 20% infill are recommended by the maker.
- Who designed it? gsargent
- How printable/popular is it? This paint rack has 22 posted makes and 5 remixes.
- Where to find it? Thingiverse
Other Useful Tools
While the crafts mentioned above have their own dedicated tools, there are some tools that are so versatile that they can be used in a multitude of ways. Regardless of the type of project you’re working on, the following tools may come in handy.
Mini Miter Box
Miter boxes can be extremely useful when trying to make precise cuts in wood, plastic, or plenty of other materials. Once you get down to a smaller size, however, things get a bit more complicated. Fortunately, the designer Clockspring created this miniature miter box, which can be scaled to whatever size you require.
Keep in mind that the as-is design is sized to take a standard utility knife, so you may want to be careful about making modifications.
- Who designed it? Clockspring
- How printable/popular is it? This nifty little tool has been downloaded over 5,000 times.
- Where to find it? MyMiniFactory
Hot Glue Gun Stand
Hot glue guns are a staple for hundreds of different projects but, like a soldering iron, they can be a bit tricky to handle without a proper management station. This stand allows for proper support of the device and provides a reservoir area to hold any extra glue that drips out.
While the maker designed this for smaller devices, the Fusion 360 source file has been included so makers can modify the model as desired.
- Who designed it? marigu
- How printable/popular is it? This popular design has 31 makes and 10 remixes.
- Where to find it? Thingiverse
Mini Corner Clamp
There are a lot of people out there who have had to glue large pieces together, and many of them will tell you that clamps are your friends. With craft projects, though, the assemblies you’re trying to make may be a bit smaller than the standard clamps. On top of this, if you’re not necessarily trying to press two pieces parallel to each other but rather perpendicular, it might be time to bring in a tool optimized for the job.
The designer Clockspring is back again. This clamp design is capable of securing objects at a 90-degree angle. When printing these pieces, please be sure to use adequate infill. One of the comments mentioned using only a 10% infill, but the print broke when over-tightened. Cranking the infill up to 50% resolved the issue.
- Who designed it? Clockspring
- How printable/popular is it? With over 3,000 downloads, we’re sure there are some makers achieving crispy corners. One has even posted a beautiful community print.
- Where to find it? MyMiniFactory
License: The text of "3D Printer & Crafts: 15 Projects for Your Crafting Habit" by All3DP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.