This ONE tool will save you HOURS!

[@Odins-Dad]

As an American who has dealt with imperial hardware for the last 12 years of my career, I don't recommend that anyone uses imperial hardware or measurements for 3D printing because EVERYTHING in the slicer is done in mm. Metric is SO much easier to measure, model, modify, and print with. you get WAY cleaner and more accurate prints by using factors of the layer height and line widths. Also, Thank you for making these models! Especially for free!

[@ilia2178]

I was about to say. I don't know a single person who 3D prints in imperial. It just does not make sense for some industries.

[@Taran-d.B.23]

Inperial just sucks -.- Wake up America! Fahrenheit also, even if its a german Invention 😛 Mph, Gallons or gpm also...

[@Neue-Johan]

@@Taran-d.B.23don’t forget the fluid ounces! Let’s define a volume by the weight of the water that it can hold?

[@tiffanysandmeier4753]

​@Neue-Johan You say that like 1 liter of water doesn't weigh a kilogram. 1mL of water is 1g. This is dependent on temperature. Metric has some weird relationships between volume and mass. They just have updated scientific definitions that obscure the origins.

[@Neue-Johan]

@@tiffanysandmeier4753 for water it makes sort of sense. But it’s just strange to call for example oil a fluid ounce, when this amount of oil doesn’t actually weigh an ounce. It doesn’t work for all fluids, just for water.

[@Evan-inc.]

I love that these files are free, but I find it so funny that this is 100% the first file I would have paid for, basically regardless of the price! So useful!

[@JodyGates]

Thanks, Squarespace!

[@trowawayacc]

Yeah he can charge for the printed set. A 20 to 30$ could be more.

[@mikaelkorpela]

Donate! 😊

[@littlejack59]

Hell no. If you use free files from the internet, you should give back by releasing your own for free. Dont be greedy, give as well as take. Dont just take

[@6ghost6rider6]

Literally my toughts when seing the products , and when he said they are free ok let's print !!! Thank you Alexandre !

[@rickseiden1]

I'm confused. On the M3 template you have the depth of the hex bolt as 6.5, the CB as 8.2 and the CB with washer as 9.9. But in the actual model they are 2.5, 3.1 and 3.7. The numbers on the model can't be right, right?

[@Majowww]

yes the m3 is wrong, he has a detailed text file that comes with the zip and it shows a different number. I'll try to bump your comment so he can fix it

[@derel1cte]

Noticed the same. I need the M3 one for printing RC car parts

[@Corrado87]

Just noticed the same thing when testing this out. I was very confused for a moment. glad I'm not the only one.

[@Corrado87]

Just noticed the wrong dimensions for the M3 are in the image on the store too. looks like the wrong dimensions are from the M8 boards measurements.

[@rickseiden1]

@@Corrado87 I'm just in it for the measurement. I'm making some csv files I can import into Fusion as parameters. I don't plan on printing them.

[@CurtisRissi]

Thanks for making such great content! I keep coming back for inspiration and ideas I really appreciate your work. I hope you don't stop making content anytime soon and keep up the great work!

[@jmforeman02]

As an American, I cannot possibly explain how imperial is better. It isn't, but it's often cheaper and easier to use just because there is greater supply here. Also all our materials come sized in imperial: lumber, drywall, acrylic, etc. If it makes you feel better, a lot of us can also use metric and for some things we have to.

[@lilkane667]

I don't like metric

[@barryg41]

Everything worked perfect! Thanks!

[@kylek29]

Related side tip .. you can use Slicer modifiers to add additional walls around holes so that if a hole is slightly too small you can drill it out without compromising the part. The nut cut out with parallel lines is also in OrcaSlicer now as a sacrificial layer/bridge. With that said, software like Fusion 360 has access to large libraries of fasteners (e.g. McMaster Carr), so once you're comfortable modeling you can import the hardware and assemble, helps to find tolerance issues before you waste filament.

[@stevrgrs]

Or use hot tools. Assuming it’s not resin. An old soldering gun does wonders without the force of a drill :)

[@MartijnPet]

On the last print, could you add a ruler to the side so you have also the length of a bolt? I think it would be a nice addition

[@thehangardesigns]

Very cool Alex! I’ve purchased your hardware bins in the past and have been very happy with the design. Stoked that these are free. Also, appreciate you thinking about the imperial sizes but as an American, once I started designing in cad, I switched to 100% metric, because it just makes sense!

[@paulb36utube]

I’ve been trying to get writing/lettering like that for ages. Can you explain the process please.

[@MitsumaYT]

Very neat to have. As somebody who works with Blender3D most of the time, I simply have created myself a library of boolean models over the time on stuff I use. Like a caphead screw is basically two cylinders, if I need throughhole or certain depth I can expand the cylinders in length and the boolean modifier will "cut out" the proper hole in the end. They already include the tolerance as well.

[@cemyildizak5716]

Thanks!

[@mivaso]

Are you willing to share which font you used for this? I really like the style. Thank you so much for sharing your work.

[@FrankTheTank749]

I’m also curious about the font.

[@philsencil]

Thanks!

[@Kamrat1337]

Dude! This is fantastic! Your channel is truly a source for inspiration. Thank you and greetings from Sweden. 🇳🇴🇸🇪

[@klasl9359]

Tack!

[@FerreiraNeto77]

Thanks!! Providing these pieces free of charge was an act of extreme kindness. Thank you very much!

[@toddedman3549]

This got me absolutely JACKED about getting into 3D printing. My mind went "ahhhhhh!" It just opened up for me the whole sets of problems I can solve. Thanks so much!

[@jeffreytaylor7873]

Love all of these. Great ideas and super useful. For SAE, #10 screws are also quite common here and would be good to have on the thread checker. I am trying to switch over to metric for all personal projects though so the others are going to get a lot of use.

[@Teckstudio]

This is totally awesome. This could - of course - be done by myself. But I really love the way you created all the templates! 🤩 So I'll grab yours ... printer is allready heating up. Please enjoy the "coffee" (or whatever fits you) on me!

[@Teckstudio]

Just made my first print for M6 on a Prusa MK3s (0.2 mm layers, PLA). And I have to say: Every fit is on point. Just perfect! This is really awesome! 🥰

[@scttstnfld]

I'm using the Bambu files on my X1 carbon and AMS. The very top layer, the text annotations, isn't coming out in the slicer nor when I print. For instance, the dot over the "i" in "Bolt Slip Fit" is missing. The vertical bar on the "B" isn't filled in. Odd!

[@SebastianJaschinski]

I am having the same problem on my P1S with AMS. Anyone was able to solve this? These models would be super useful to have.

[@NWGR]

Hey Alexandre, just a heads up; the M3 design board has some errors in the print file. Looks like hex nut thickness, counterbore thickness, counterbore +washer thickness are from the M8 design board.

[@miguel-RD]

Pause at 16:23 - that says it all about the imperial system ahahah. Great tools, thanks for sharing the files, I will definitely print those!

[@geronimopictures1162]

Good one. Really made me laugh.

[@kiwidavenz]

Yep. Me too. Laughed out loud.

I really asked myself if it was intentional or not. Then I think that it would have been seen in the video editing. I think he let it pass, to have comments about it. Clever way to get engagement with comments.

[@theotherbart]

Bedankt

[@elpresidente8730]

Thanks for making this Alex, you just saved me hours/days/weeks of work and frustration, and while visiting your OL store I found a few other things that I had been considering making. I'm new to Fusion so it would have taken me days or possibly weeks to create some of these parts. Now I just need to upgrade my old 3D printer to do your designs justice and get back to the workshop before winter sets in. Keep the videos coming, I always enjoy them even if I don't intend to build anything similar, its always good to learn new techniques.

[@punishedprops]

This is such a great idea and execution. Super useful!

[@GeneralSnap]

This is a fantastic tool, if I were to request any thing extra, it would be a card that has the tolerances for heat-set inserts, as well as a cart for m2 and m2.5, for those of us making some more delicate assemblies. Thank you for sharing these files.

[@alansedgewick]

I would second that. And thank you for the files saved me a lot of time 👍

[@spacekb17]

Came here to ask for all of the above as well

[@ianedwards5941]

Also came here for the same thing, would really appreciate and even pay for this!

[@coenen81]

I came here for that exact same request. Didn’t think of the heat inserts but those would certainly be a welcome addition too

[@peteysandwich9574]

The problem with the heat inserts is that if you buy from two different suppliers, you're likely to get two different dimensions. There's also different types of heat inserts with different dimensions as well-some have brims, some don't, some are thicker, thinner, etc.

[@marsgizmo]

these are super practical, great designs! 👏😎

[@jurgen951]

Awesome tools! I've scratched my head enough when trying to figure out what size my clever "overfilled-box-with-important-screws-and-bolts" contains... This will definitely help!

[@MuRaT_C]

Great Work, thanks for your effort! One question... on your "Hole Clearance Test Board" it starts always X.4 then it go up + the increments wich is written down below. is that correct? Did I understood it wrong, how it should work? Thanks again!

[@TylerHicksWright]

There's also a #10 screw that's very commonly used. The best way to understand the imperial system is to think about it like the English language. It's an archaic amalgamation of standards from different systems. Similar to how English smashes together Latin, French, Greek, and, Germanic other languages, the imperial system smashes together different measurement standards. The numbered screws refer to the wire gauge of the solid part of the screw, whereas the fractional screws measure the outer diameter, the second number indicating thread pitch. Then you have obsolete (but still present in some older British vehicles) standards like Whitworth, that were the precursor to the fractional standards, but where the head size was the fraction and the outer diameter was some roundish number like 0.400 inches. But when you're putting 1 into 12 into 5280 as your system of lengths and distances, the fastener standard really isn't so bad.

[@chrstphrr]

Sounds like we need to grab those few oddball fasteners Alexandre wasn't able to get ahold of, and mail him a little "care package" of the remaining oddball Imperial stuff. I'd only heard on occasion, about the old British standards. *really* think if someone needs BST or Whitworth, that should be left as "an exercise for the viewer to complete and share". Same with perhaps other threaded systems like AN-fittings and NPT (National Pipe Thread), UNF, etc., etc.

[@aantony]

if someone is adding this, #10 is 0.190in, i guess call it 6/32 too Also "wire gauge" is not the best language to compare to since "wire gauge" goes in the opposite direction.

[@RussellNelson]

English doesn't borrow from other languages. It drags them into the alley and beats them silly.

[@MarkPicker-t1k]

@@RussellNelson Like what happened to the spelling of many words when the first American dictionary was created.

[@barbaracipiti9056]

Alex, you are just amazing the things you come up with. Love that you are back to 3D printing!

[@Sfyre]

Freedom units! 🤣🤣🤣 The fact that you tried for us is much appreciated!

[@johang1293]

And a free flip of the bird too.

[@PatJones82]

WOW! This video, and the free models provided are ABSOLUTE GOLD! I've never "subbed to a channel so fast! So glad I stumbled across this one!!! TAHNK YOU!

[@SeanHodgins]

As a Canadian, I have to use both logical units(metric), and freedom units(imperial), pretty much daily. Both are engrained in our society.

[@nunyabiz1712]

Yeah, I made some height charts for a friend's kids and they said they use imperial for people's heights. For weights Brits use kg, lbs, and STONES? WTF

[@leebannister3759]

Yeah I was thinking the same thing

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

@@nunyabiz1712 I think where things get muddled is that the US and UK use different versions of the imperial measures when such measures are being used.

[@LiqdPT]

​@@SmallSpoonBrigadethat's because the US doesn't use Imperial, the use US Customary units. Just so happen to have many of the same units (and some of those are even the same size) but they are, in fact, seperate systems.

[@chrstphrr]

@@LiqdPT Oh true, liquid measures can be "fun" due to this. Canada used Imperial gallons before (mostly) going metric, which are 160 fl oz vs the US Gallon which is 128 fl oz. I'd remembered hearing that the difference was rooted in the British and the USA adopting a wine and beer gallon each. I can't remember which adopted which system. This very difference has lead to many arguments over volume amounts with my parents, and older generations. They assume that everything they see measured in gallons here in Canada is that old system that existed when I was born... When, clearly, the container they're looking at was produced or imported from the USA, and is using the smaller US gallon, often with the corresponding litre conversion both marked on the containers.

[@jimm.4864]

Also, would you please let us know your print parameters? When I printed them, they were a little bit too small. Either my print parameters are different or my Creality prints differently, in which case I will have to come up with my own measurements. Thanks.

[@jolodojo]

somehow i really like the adhd energy vibe of this guy. I admire his enthousiasm, creativity and empathy with people who do not have the stamina to find out all these measurements. I am never going to do woodworking or buy a 3d printer, but if only i had 1/4th of his energy to use for creating software.

[@MrElwood1985]

Alexandre, you've outdone yourself with this one! This is one of the best useful prints i've seen

[@GregJoughin]

I'm at 4:12, and the answer to everything so far is "Machinery's Handbook." Sizes for things like clearances, tolerances, allowances (for wrenches, etc.) are all tabulated for just about every fastener and situation known to mankind.

[@sometimesinfocus]

And I'm sure everything in said handbook holds true for CNC'd and drilled holes and whatnot...basically for anything with a DIN/ISO/whatever standard. 3D printing is a bit more individual than that, cause the tolerances can depend on anything from motors and belts (mechanical components) all the way to temperature and flowrate (software parameters). The slip-fit on his M8 nut might be a press-fit in my situation. Long story short, there's a some trial and error that needs to happen in order to find the tolerances for your own machine.

[@tallAldiProduction]

I have such a table book laying on my desk besides my caliper and use it at every design I 3d print. Also most CAD programs also have the norms included as features so you don’t have to for example design recesses for screws by hand. As for slip fits I basically once determined the specific clearance needed for my printer and saved it in my basic preset. Now I can simply use it as an offset to the official norm parts. I’ve been doing this for years and it’s working great.

[@pan6593]

Then again, many - if not the majority - of 3D-printer users (of this kind, as in non-Pros), have little to no knowledge of said book. I think this is a brilliant solution for exactly those kind of people aka the target group.

[@MrBigMalT]

@@pan6593I agree 100%. I’m new to 3D printing, I love it and find the design side way more satisfying than downloading some tat off Thingiverse. But exactly like you say, no background in engineering and no knowledge of tolerances etc.

[@boromaushelms281]

yes mate BUT not every screw, bolt and nut are the same size. Have you ever bought a set of m5 bolts on Amazon (probably made in China) and then bought another set for the next project at home depot? They might not be the same size. So if I want to print something and create the 3D model I can literally test the holes of my print and know who I need to draw it... Of course you have to do this for each 3D printer you are using in case you have more than one. Even if you change filament or temperature your 3D print may vary and bolts will not fit anymore.... That's what this video is about. Not about books, tables or XLS sheets that's useless unless you want to print 3 prototypes because you used the numbers from the book.

[@NorthernLightSouth]

Amazing help for designing parts! Great idea, thank you for sharing these designs for free! 🙏

[@georqedubyakush6066]

I don't have a 3D printer, sadly just dont have the space for it, but i could 100% see these being useful in "standard" fabrication or even just bolt sorting when you scavenge/disassemble something for the first time. So many times i have to redrill so many holes cause i guesstimated my clearance wrong and then warped the sheet metal. This is so cool and genuinely genius

[@robinbanando8416]

I love your designs. I bought the original Assortment system and then Upgraded to the newer system. My son bought your upgraded system and built the boxes to hold them. Works awesome. Keep up the good work. Thank you

[@SolarMillUSA]

FINALY. @2:01 Someone who correctly uses the term “fit” instead of misusing the word “tolerance” like so many other KZbinrs often do. 👏 👏 (Tolerance is a range of acceptable outcomes, not how closely parts fit together. You can have a tight tolerance but still have a loose fit, if the parts are +/- 0.005mm but have a clearance of 2mm. They are precisely made, but have lots of slop and play. FIT is the relationship between parts and clearance taking tolerance into consideration. You can even have a negative clearance, which is a press fit, but you need to hold close tolerances to achieve or it’ll be loose and not stay in place or too tight and bind or break.)

[@SolarMillUSA]

I’m not even 5min into the video and I can tell you actually know what you’re talking about and I’m gonna learn some things. Subscribed!

[@Arithryka]

this always bothers me too 😆

[@davidawaters]

Yes!!!! It annoys me so much that 95% of makers out there, even some who seem to be degreed engineers, don’t seem to understand the difference between tolerance and fit/clearance. I’ve tried to educate a few with poor results. 😩 I’m glad someone else out there gets it.

[@Dealman15]

@@davidawaters The importance is getting the message and overall idea across, which they do, even if they maybe manage to use the wrong terminology. This is such a "umm ackshually" problem to have, jeeze.

[@davidawaters]

@@Dealman15 i believe the words are actually important here as a designer needs to have a clear understanding of tolerance, fit, and design clearance. Maybe it’s a “well actually” situation for the hobby/maker world, but this stuff aligns well with industry and you definitely need to know the difference there if you want to be a good engineer. At least that’s what my 22 years of design and manufacturing tells me.

[@robertharris8106]

I was just discussing the idea of the hole guide earlier this week after re-printing holder for Allen keys a few times to get it right. Thank you for saving me a good deal of heartache caused by messing up holes before I finally got round to creating one myself 🙂

[@cheeseparis1]

You can print write protect tabs on top of your template guides, they will look like cassette tapes on your shelf and bring nostalgia.

[@JointerMark]

Thank you for developing this! And especially thank you for making them available for free!

[@billbyrd9845]

In the mid 70s, my country, the US, pushed for a conversion from our primitive system. The idiots won and so we're still using it. I'm almost 79 so there's little hope that it'll happen before I croak. Things have improved some since we ceased to be a manufacturing country and began importing everything. It forces us to have two sets of tools and two collections of hardware. Can you imagine having to make room for a 13/64"wrench? Just know my European friend that most of us know how stupid it is. I love the boards you made. It embarrasses me that I haven't already made some. If I had, they wouldn't have been nearly as nice as yours. You're a treasure.

[@DavidClunie]

Yeah I'm still bitter we never migrated to the metric system after I learned all of that. With that said if I'm doing something and I'm ordering online I'm ordering metric all the way...

[@XAD566]

Fun fact, the US is one of the original signors of the metric - don’t remember term so I use - manifest. But when it came time for the US to convert, the railway companies had built all the railroads using imperial so they objected that it would be too expensive. Corporate interference in politics is nothing new

[@Art_911]

I'm right behind you on age, and it also saddens me that we didn't convert. And yes it was all politics and that lovely crap. And I feel your pain that we (especially anyone in the 3d printing community ) have to have 2 sets of tools. Even now there are so many things that come from overseas and require metric tools, the USA still drags its heels into converting.

[@Produkt_R]

I don’t even know if 13/16" is supposed to be large or small. I have literally no idea

[@dmitriiershov2203]

@@Produkt_Ryea really lmao )) 13/16 of WHAT

[@ohallifax]

So lovely to give away things like this Alex - sure they'll come in very handy for so many people. Thank you. Now go back to making bigger projects for us to enjoy :)

[@TheJacklwilliams]

Why would you reprint that part (2:27) vs drilling it out? As close as the fit is, I’d imagine it would take nothing to take the amount of plastic out of that hole for a perfect fit. Just curious. Edited to add: Ok Alexandre, out of the gate I noticed you aren’t a “hey watch me print pikachu” kind of guy. That won me. Then I follow the link to your site where the first thing I hit on is these boards. You sir, are a beast. This is EXACTLY the kind of thing I’m interested in. HOOKED! Thank you!

[@CGT80]

I was looking for this comment. Did you notice the lonely drill press in the background of that shot, right when he said he would have to reprint it?

[@zuppy2]

because 3d prints are usually 75-85% empty space inside (there are some patterns, but i’m not going into that, look for infill if you care to know more). every side that is external has usually 2-3 walls of plastic before you go to infill, unless you increased it. if you reach the infill, you won’t have strength anymore.

[@TheJacklwilliams]

@@zuppy2 Agreed, well aware of the infill and walls issues. They can be configured to accomodate mild adjustments however if this isn’t taken into account, yeah you’d have problems. I agree more, on Alexandre’s approach as to making it right off the build plate. It is, tantamount to painting 3d printed items when you can, print in the color(s) that you want and not need to paint them. However, as in all things, there are situations where painting happens.

[@darbodrake89]

He should have a larger wall count anyway to account for fatigue

[@rolando_j_]

@@CGT80 it's all about wall thickness. 3D prints, particularly fused filaments which are the most commonly used, aren't solid. They are walls with a lattice structure between the walls. If you strip away the entire wall, with a larger bore, your lattice is compromised because the walls are structural to the lattice. Generally you have some control over the thickness of the walls, but you generally don't want to increase the thickness of walls as it increases the amount of filament and cost that your print will cost. It also increases the time it takes for the printing to take place. There are solid 3D printing methods. The first 3D printing was SLA or Stereolithography produces a solid model. But this is much more costly way to 3D print than fusing filaments through a nozzle.

[@thepapester4566]

Thanks Alexandre, Great tool and appreciate you making it free to the community. Now we just need one for Heat Set Inserts :) .

[@dereklanhart7099]

As someone who has grown up in a country using the imperial system it's no more confusing than the metric system as long as you don't try too over think it. Under a quarter inch bolt the sizes are numbered ie 6, 8, 10, 12. Then you start going by the fraction of an inch. After the size you have the denominator for threads per inch, ie 32, 24, 20, 16. Examples being, #10-24 and 3/8-16. We also have coarse and fine threads, ie. 1/4-20 unc and 1/4-24 unf. I'm personally still trying to understand how the metric thread system works for coarse and fine threads.

[@Beef4Dinner22]

Metric has fine thread versions, but in my experience (granted I am also American, but work as an engineer for a global manufacturing company so I deal with both systems daily) metric uses the default sizes like 99.9% of the time. For comparison, I feel like UNC (Unified National Coarse) is like ~80-85% and UNF (Unified National Fine) is like 15-20% of uses, with

[@johanhalvarsson2148]

So if I don't think about it too hard, how will I know which bit is larger when it comes to fractions of inches? I know that a 19 is larger than a 18 without thinking so if an 18 doesn't fit, I know where to look next but whatever you're doing is offensive to logical thinking.

[@CGT80]

@@johanhalvarsson2148 Fractions aren't for lazy people and if you become familiar with fractions, you will understand them enough to quickly figure out the next common size. Fractions for us are kind of like the base 10 system you use of unit, 1/10th, 1/100th, and 1/1000th of the unit as in meter, decimeter, centimeter, and milimeter. Down to 8ths or 16ths of an inch, it isn't too bad, but for many of us it is awkward to remember 32nds and 64ths. For machining, I like to work completely in thousandths. Metric has it's advantages, but our machines are not built for the metric system, nor is the tooling, or existing parts and building practices. We would have stupid random metric numbers to equal what we use now, so it would be very expensive and a royal pain for people to learn to switch over. It would be one thing to start from scratch, but a quick change is a no go. It is quite a pain using both systems now, with so much imported that is metric.

[@johanhalvarsson2148]

@@CGT80 I understand fractions, that's not the issue. But if I'm under a car and I notice something is just off I can tell my helper to get the next size in either smaller or larger. I don't think I could tell my seven year old to do that if it was in imperial because he wouldn't be able to calculate it and I wouldn't see what options there were. It's just not a friendly system, that's all I'm saying. The only problem with it is you do manufacture a few things so sometimes we need a tool or two from that awful system.

[@CGT80]

@@johanhalvarsson2148 If your son grew up in the US, he would be learning the fractions at a young age, and you would already know the fractions. Many mechanics and tradesmen do exactly what you describe, everyday. If I try a 7/16 inch socket and it is too big, I know that 1/2 is the next biggest and 3/8 is the next smallest. If 3/4 is too small, I know 13/16 is bigger. 3/4=6/8=12/16. 12+1=13. Yes, I know it is a pain and many of us don't love dealing with fractions, but it is the language we learned from a young age. We also have rulers and tapemeasures for engineers......they are in 10ths of inches and feet and we use calipers and micrometers in the base 10 system along with our machine tools having the same graduations in thousandths. Instead of using 1/6th of an inch and 1/8th of an inch, I use 0.063 and 0.125 inches, like the metric system, so it is easy to do the math. It is all about what you are used to. As a trades person, I do wish we used decimals instead of fractions.

[@AllenZee]

you are a god among men In about 2-5 years time when people find this video & the templates - statues will be built. That is all. Thank you

[@AleksandrEfimov]

Good thing about this tools is that if you print them on the same printer as you're planning to print real parts, it will automatically inherit all imperfectnesses/precision problems of the printer. So you can model exactly for your printer even if it's not perfect

[@MitsumaYT]

Yes and no, technically you would need to do that for each material on that printer. Since different materials have different shrinking factors if you haven't calibrated that all to one standard already.

[@builderjake8991]

Great Video! Thank you for your work, this is very helpful for those of us who are starting our design journey.

[@Qualitaetsnutzer]

I've been 3d printing and using cad for 6 years, and I've literally never needed this. Either I use a machinist handbook, or I just use my calipers and add 0.2mm for the tolerance of my printer. I do, however, like the tolerance test board. The solution to figuring out what thread a bolt is is learning a trade and letting yourself be shamed by your colleagues for getting the thread wrong.

[@RichSobocinski]

Wouldn't it make more sense to keep these files digitally in folders and just drag them into your 3d project? Except for those hole templates. Seems like you would want to keep those next to the keyboard

[@bobweiram6321]

Exactly. Fusion 360 has a hole feature precisely for this purpose.

[@m97120]

In certain CAD programs (Onshape, for example) you can create a document with variables for all your common hardware dimensions and then use that across all your projects as a linked document. So when figure out better dimensions later on you can update it in one central place and it'll update it in all your projects. So you don't have to wonder about the dimensions again for each project.

[@Leo-yh1lj]

"Free" isn't exactly free. You still have to fill in all your contact details, which is also a kinda payment, only in your data.

[@mingleSTREET]

Of all the free information you're getting from this video, the work he does, the files he puts out there for you to download from your chair. You're wining for your email address you already gave KZbin to watch all this ... Dude, skip the ranting, make something and put it out there yourself.

[@rootman007]

You are the legend! this is something that i wanted to make, and allways got a headache when trying to make it right. great job man!

[@platoscaves]

Thanks for these models, they will prove to be very useful. When I open the 3MF file in Orca Slicer, it changes the filament profile "Max volumetric speed" to "2" which makes the print time almost 12 hours. Was that the intention? In addition, there are surface anomalies under all of the text. These anomalies are on the main top layer of the horizontal hole test board. All I did was open the 3MF file and slice it. The slicer sees them as "inner walls". It's not a functional issue but an aesthetic issue. I'm guessing it occurred in your design software when adding the text. I haven't printed it yet so I don't know if it's a big deal or not. EDIT: I just checked for this anomaly on the M3 board, it is there also. It appears to be on all of the horizontal boards. There are also gaps in the text after slicing, for instance the "r" and the "d" in the word "board". And it can be seen in your video at 11:57. This happens after slicing as it doesn't show in the "Prepare" view in Orca Slicer.

[@kingraptor.843]

The volumetric speed is only changed for the material of the top layer (lines and text). Orca just might not be compatible with the Bambu files or multi-material prints?

[@platoscaves]

@@kingraptor.843OK, thanks for the clarification on the volumetric speed. The way OrcaSlicer and Bambu Studio handle the import of 3MF files leaves a LOT to be desired. ARTIFACTS FIXED! I've been playing around with OrcaSlicer and discovered that the surface artifacts are due to a setting in OrcaSlicer. The setting is under "Quality"-"Only One Wall On Top Surfaces"-"One wall threshold". The hover-over popup even says this will cause exactly what we are seeing, "If Enabled, artifacts can be created if you have some thin features on the next layer, like letters". It's a feature not a bug as I was beginning to think. You set it to "0" to get rid of the artifacts and indeed, setting it to "0" removed the artifacts under the lettering.

[@The.MrFish]

Great work Alexandre! I would love it if you add the hole size for tapping as well!

[@surreyelectrical6192]

Some companies spend a fortune on advertising and still don't make the most of customer enquiries, this offer of free stuff gets people who might use your services like me, who do not currently use a 3d printer, to register as a customer on your site, for a fraction of advertising costs. Brilliant, thank you for your help, I have saved the download files in a new 3d printer folder so that when I do get around to using one I have your details and a copy of this video, good luck

[@jwrm22]

Thanks for making these files available. The next step is likely just to have a library. As in, place the hardware in the design, subtract the hardware from the design, and you are done. I don't know how common this is in 3D CAD, but it's what I do in OpenSCAD, and what electrical engineers do all day.

[@chrishidalgo65]

I was looking for a comment about OpenSCAD and the BOSL libraries! Great callout!

[@jacquesarsenault8367]

Damn, just wow! So simple and yet so needed. What a comprehensive way to quickly get measurements for a build or model. Definately going to print and use these. Thanks

[@ingojochl9444]

This is a really great idea! I find it especially practical that printing the test cards with your own printer means the specific tolerances are already included. And it’s awesome that with a multicolor printer, you can highlight small details like the text labels in different colors.

[@agentjwa]

yeah those are probably the most useful things here, im going to print those pretty quick. ive designed and printed the exact same thing before but just a small block with like 4-5 holes varying by .1mm to get a hole size that i needed. the genius idea is to put them all in 1 part, and the angled and vertical is just extra smart.

[@edwardpaulsen1074]

Greetings! Love these models and will likely get these because I like them a bit better than the current ones I have... I am an engineer and have to swap between Metric and Imperial units constantly depending on where parts are sourced and availability... I do most conversions in my head now and only verify if it is critical tolerances. I can shed a bit of light on the Imperial numbering... larger fasteners follow the fractional logic based on one inch, but finer bolts would descend into quite a mess of ever larger fractions quickly... not to mention that early bolt manufacturers used coils of standard wire gauge and then cut (or formed) the threads and used a sort of riveting or hammer process to flatten out the head using a die... therefore we get #12, #10, #8, #6, and even #4 and #2 for tiny machine screws... these are NOT to be confused with electrical wire gauges made for copper and having a different set of properties and parameters... (so bloody complicated at times!) But, that was the way it was, with many competing standards until eventually a few shook out as dominant overall. Even so, there are still a few feuds about the "best types" depending on the usage and personal preferences! LOL I am somewhat a chameleon as I use whatever is best for the overall project and either aligns with the most common measurement system in use for the project, or what the customer desires or specifies.

[@rockinrico6206]

I made something similar to the hole clearence test board a year ago!It really save me time when you are prototyping! never though making one for the screws and bolts, really good job!

[@jimfoster7340]

Great idea! Thanks for the STL files. I tend to work on smaller scale items, so if you decided to come up with a M2.5 or even a M2 template, I for one would love it.

[@eleanorhathaway3619]

awesome thanks for the free files. I have them downloaded already and on my to do list to print over the weekend. much love from the uk

[@inund8]

I really like your ad disclaimer right at the top of the video. Very admirable.

[@SaHaRaSquad]

With press fit holes for nuts I like to pull them in using a screw from the other side. That doesn't require any additional tool, just the one you'll use for tightening the screws. Also if you do test prints to get the fit perfect, I recommend using the same settings such as layer height. Layer height and material can influence the clearance if you care about such small variations.

[@roberttrescott2741]

It's always great to watch an ALCH video! 3D printed circles are inherently problematic since there doesn't appear to be a consistent compensation to account for the width of the track being laid down. Smaller holes can get really plugged up while larger holes get by with a bit of tolerance. It seems there's always a bit of trial and error in the design. The templates are a great idea, but I'd need one for each printer and for each type of filament, to make the fits perfect!

[@hulpe]

you can try polyholes :P that seems to be way more accurate and looks almost round if you alternate it^^

[@roberttrescott2741]

@@hulpe what would be really nice, is if slicers used a compensation algorithm that behaves like cutter compensation we use on CNC mills. Then maybe our holes and cylinders could match their design dimensions. Cheers!

[@KingPenguin42]

Great work, thanks for releasing your designs.

[@MCsCreations]

Fantastic work, Alexandre! Thanks SO much! 😃 Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

[@matthysloedolff]

Tusen takk, Alex! Det er fantastisk! These are probably some of the most useful tools I've seen anyone make for a 3D printer. In Australia, I have access to both metric and "freedom unit" parts. I almost exclusively use metric though.

[@samuelebortolozzo3754]

these models are awesome. what a great job! I think I will make similar ones for the compressed air fittings. thanks for your work from Italy 😎

[@cdl1701]

As an American, I can tell you that Metric is soooo much easier to use and makes so much more sense. I don't know why we still insist on using the imperial system. I stopped using it almost 20 years ago and will never go back.

[@peternorthway235]

Thanks Alexandre for making these available free of charge. As a 77 year old pensioner I have to save all my pennies for filament :D

[@eddiesmith224]

Hi Alex, I'm not really tech savvy, mostly a hobbyist woodworker. I'm looking to getting into 3d printing, and the Bambu seems like a great option. What options would you suggest. Your products seem like a great idea for woodworking, and the support bracket would be ideal for a support arm for an overhead dust collection arm. Thank you in advance.

[@mcheddadi]

Crushing it as usual Alex! Can't wait to see that mega apartment tour drop soon. Got us all on the edge of our seats!

[@StuffIMade]

you mentioned posting a link to a video the explains the 3d printing technique for bridging in the shoulder of the hex pattern. Do you have that link please?

[@pluggedfinn-bj3hn]

It's in the description now at least :)

[@sebastianc107]

I think it would be also good to ad what DIN number those Screws and bolts have. That's easy then to check in the standardized size of that DIN number the measurements for fasteners.

[@johnlytle6633]

I forgot about fixing the STL function of the slicer. The repair STL function reported that the file was nor repaired, however it did work to fix the problem I was having. These are really going to come in handy, thanks. I plan on using these to assist with my RC modeling. It would be great to have a board for 2.0 and 2.5 mm fasteners. Maybe I will work on that. I'm unable to slice the M3 board. It looks fine when I import it but when I slice it all the printing is not visible. I tried it with Prusa, Qidi and Orca with the same result. I imported it into Fusion 360 and exported it and that fixed the problem but changed the dimensions of the model. I'm not sure what is wrong with the .STL file but I did not have any issues with the M4 or M5 boards. They came out great. Thank you for posting this.

[@WilliamHoeft]

Thank you! Good video and very nice design on the templates. These are going to be very useful to use. Looks like a lot of time (yours and the printers) went into creating these. I'm not sure if I have seen any of your previous videos, but it is a safe bet I will now. Thank you for providing these for free.

[@firehound497]

Really like your content and thanks for the free files!!! Got my first 3D printer, a Bambu A1 a month ago and looking for content. Keep up the great work.

[@automatemefirst]

Always love your content! I think I’ve watched your organizer video multiple times. This is going to be one of those videos as well.

[@alyssonrowan6835]

Brilliant idea. Now, what about UNF threads? (j/k) And M2, perchance?

[@GunnerAl9]

Dude, you're amazing. A couple years ago I purchased your Assortment Series of storage cubs for the drawers and use the all the time for my shop and office. Now with a Bambu Labs X1 printer, they come out so much better and sturdy. Thanks for your efforts and designs. Keep them coming.

[@prashmakes]

Almost every day at work I try to figure out these dimensions, as if it's the first time, but not any more! I will be downloading and printing the set. Thanks for designing and sharing (for free!!) such an amazing tool set Alex! 🙌

[@controversialrebel5639]

A great video and thank you so very much for making the files for the 'Hole size test boards' and the 'Hardware Design Boards' all available for free, it's very much appreciated, thank you.

[@TheGrimmindustries]

Thank you for sharing the files. I primarily use resin printers and I'm going to print it on them.

[@ChromDome]

Wonderful video and great models! I have printed them all, and they print flawlessly. How do you create the single-line text on these plates? I love the look and style of the text and would like to learn how to accomplish that.

[@victorgrandamancebo5582]

thx you, allways nice to see your curiosity and ingenuity. I cant belive you dont have at least a million subs!

[@ScottStoneUnforgivenII]

Thank you! I appreciate all your time and hard work and sharing with us!

[@snuurtje]

Ty for this Alexandre, really useful. Found myself indeed repeating the same measurements multiple times.

[@LouisArce-n1u]

Use " fluted reamers " that are used in machining metal for enlarging holes or drill them out. Reamers will allow for tight fit or loose fit depending on tolerances. They also make expanding / adjustable reamers.

[@bikeradam]

Thanks! I'm going to print all of these after i get done tuning!

[@stvcolwill]

Definitely good to do after tuning. If you did it before, you'd have to print them all again. Some of these is so that things that you print with 'your' printer (and your settings with your different materials) actually work. Kind of like relative dimensional measuring. So, yes, do it after you tune... however, don't be like me in that I've been putting off all sorts of things for after I tune... which may come never (maybe). right?

[@simonvongunten9288]

Thank you for the great files. I run into the same problem as you all the time, so it makes total sense to print these and have them around while designing! 👍

[@konstantinleonenko4934]

massive thank you for this! could you please also add one for M2.5 bolts? These are standard in all electronic components.

[@billyriordan913]

Thank you for making these available. I'm in Kentucky in America, and I exclusively use the metric system when designing and building anything with my 3d printers. I recently modeled and printed a radio controlled vehicle chassis completely from scratch using tinkercad, and these tools would have been helpful to have. I had drill a few holes larger to be able to assemble some of the parts.

[@SirSpence99]

One, friends don't let friends use tinkercad. Use Fusion 360 or any of the free parametric modelers. (other than freecad, it is designed to be terrible to use.) Two, just about every slicer has automatic conversion these days so it doesn't matter what units you are modeling in. Three, the US customary system is superior for anything larger than a grape to the size of a house. Outside of those sizes, you should be careful letting yourself get an intuitive grasp on the dimensions as that is where a lot of mistakes happen. The US system is designed to work with fractional inches as the smallest "base size" and then thousandths of an inch to give desired tolerance/fit. Fractional inches give you much more freedom of sizes than metric, often letting you do the design work without needing to use a calculator. Need to find the midwaypoint on a 5/8" line? Easy, multiply the 8 by 2 to get you 5/16". Conversely, enjoy getting the halfwaypoint on a 15.8mm line. One important thing to keep in mind is that the US customary system is designed such that you can work with discrete fractions, you shouldn't be designing things that are 1/7", but in metric, due to the limited discrete units, you can't do designs that are more than moderately complex using the same methodology, you will end up with 1.46mm for example. Base10 measurement systems are only good for unit conversions, base 12 is where it is at for actual designing. Base 8 and 16 can work well too.