The machine I’m most frequently using in the shop utilizes VDI-30 adapters for its tool holding. Once in a while it will be necessary to break down or rebuild a tool setup, and when that happens, it’s really nice to have a stand to hold the tool for you while you fiddle with screws, inserts, and coolant pipes.
All of the VDI stands I could find in the market were large racks for holding 6-24 tools (I only need to hold one), and they cost a lot of money. And spending money is my manager’s least favorite thing to do. So this was another great opportunity to design my own solution.
It was a popular addition to my workbench. Coworkers came by to ask about it, and the other team leads wanted some for their cells. Except they want a stand to organize and store their VDI adapters. So I am working a new revision of this design where the stands will be interlocking in order to create a grid of any size to organize and store tools.
Design Decisions
The little feet aren’t strictly necessary. They were added to improve stability while not requiring a lot more filament to print. The footprint of this design is a little bigger than it needs to be. In future revisions, I will probably shorten the feet significantly or remove them altogether. I now realize they are not necessary for stability when the whole thing is screwed down to a workbench with #8 screws anyway.
The slots around the center hole do not serve any practical function. Thy were another feature added to save on filament, and I thought they looked cool.
If you’d like to print this model for your own shop, you can find the files on my GitHub