The first book on 3D printing just for woodworkers, with practical advice on how to fabricate your own tools and parts … and save money! The blossoming technology of 3D printing isn't just for techies―a 3D printer is also the ideal tool for the traditional woodworker. Why waste money buying tools and parts when you can fabricate them yourself with your own 3D printer? You can save hundreds or even thousands of dollars by making your own tools―what's more, you can 3D print your own custom tools and parts that meet your unique needs. 3D Printers for Woodworkers is the perfect introduction to 3D printing for the woodworking hobbyist, covering the history and development of 3D printing and offering detailed comparisons of 3D printer models so you can confidently choose the right 3D printer for your needs. 3D Printers for Woodworkers also includes numerous screenshots for tools useful to woodworkers, plus information on 3D printing molds and hardware such as drawer pulls, hinges, slides, and shims. Comprehensive and user-friendly, 3D Printers for Woodworkers is the ideal book for all woodworkers who want to save time and money while producing exceptional results. "Persuasively makes the case that traditional woodshops would benefit greatly from the addition of 3D printers to manufacture tools and parts ... Doolittle's guide will be a boon for the casual hobbyist and serious craftsperson alike." ― Publishers Weekly "Exceptionally well written, comprehensive in scope, and thoroughly user-friendly in organization and presentation, 3D Printers for Woodworkers is especially and unreservedly recommended for all woodworkers, novice or professional, who want to save time and money while producing exceptional results with the employment of this new 3D Printing technology. A core addition to personal, professional, community, and technical college woodworking collections." ― Wisconsin Bookwatch " 3D Printers for Woodworkers proves that using a 3D printer to fabricate tools and parts is not only money-saving, but relatively easy. Woodworkers interested in applied technology will find this an intriguing, specific, essential guide to dipping into the 3D environment for the first time." ― Midwest Book Review Henry Doolittle worked in the nuclear industry for forty-four years as a mechanical engineer. About twenty years ago he bought a small lathe and took up woodturning as a hobby. The lathe got him started in woodworking. About six years ago he picked up a CNC router and started making jigs and fixtures, which in turn led to his interest in using 3D printers in the craftsman's shop. Using the 3D printer, he has been able to print his own woodworking tools, a process which this book details. 3D Printers for Woodworkers is Doolittle's first book. NASA had a problem. How do you ensure that the ISS has the tools, and parts, needed to do the job, to keep the ISS operational? The ISS can only carry so many 10 mm sockets. What size patches do you need? How many plumbing fittings do you take with you? Do you have the parts needed to fix the Wolowitz waste disposal system? Having the parts on hand for any repair was not an option. They need to be able to create and repair with the materials on hand. NASA needed to make sure that the materials on hand could accomplish as much as possible. Enter 3D printing. Under contract with NASA a company called Made In Space built a 3D printer for use in space. The printer was a FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) design made to work in a zero gravity environment. In March of 2016 the 3D printer called the AMF (additive manufacturing facility) was sent to the ISS. It has printed over 100 mission critical parts. NASA engineers have estimated that 30 % of the parts in the ISS can be printed in a 3D printer. The only materials that need to be replenished are the rolls of filament. So how does this technology affect you? Like CNC routers, 3D printers have the capability for making the craftsman’s job easier. More tools and jigs are made from a combination of metal and plastic. Most of the plastic parts can be printed. In the future you will be able to go on line for the tool or jig you need, buy it, download it, and print it. Tools like speed squares, pocket screw jigs, feather boards, clamps, can all be printed on a 3D printer and made available to the shop as needed.