Caliper and Offset Tool in Tinkercad

Intro: Caliper and Offset Tool in Tinkercad

Usually when I'm making a project, I think of using a tool that helps me with accuracy. For example, when I want to measure the diameter of a pipe, gear, bottle, etc. which dimensions are uneven (non-flat object). And another problem arises when I want to create a guide line for the boundary of cutting objects, pasting other objects that are parallel to their outer borders.

However, in reality the tools on the market have a limited measuring length in the range of 16-20 cm and a limited function, namely only as a measuring tool that cannot be used to make auxiliary lines.

Because of that I want to make my own tools that I need, by pouring my thoughts into a design plan that includes the dimensions of the tool, the model of the tool and various things that support my needs.

Practical Inventions: Tinkercad helped me with this, so that my plans could be created and resulted in a very satisfying and working tool. I also think that this tool will be helpfull for an engineer to work with woods, iron, and plastic.

Caliper: Used to measure an object, especially a non-flat object

Offset Tool: Used to make a parallel line to an object at a specified distance. If you are familiar with Offset tool in AutoCAD, this offset tool works the same.

You can see the final product here.

STEP 1: Ruler Base

First of all, after you open Tinkercad on your browser, choose square model on bar. You can see the dimension that I used in the picture. I used that dimension because the ruler that I place on the ruler base is 30.5 cm legth and 2.5 cm in width.

Then, get half cylinder model from the bar and modify the dimension, so do the same thing for the hole near the edge, but before you joint cylinder and the square, you must change object to hole option. Then, joint all the objects.

STEP 2: Measuring Jaw

Second step, make a multiple dimension object. Before that, make a basic model and then cut the model into the desired shape by hole option object like prism, square, cylinder, etc.

In this model, I used the square basic model on dimension like the first picture. After that, I cut the square using a prism model to selection the square object where I cut in accordance with dimension in the picture.

After finish make a model and dimension in the picture, you can duplicate using copy and paste function. Then, you can mirror the object.

STEP 3: The Side of the Slider

Cut one of the measuring jaw using a square model as you can see in the picture. Make two squares as the sides of the slider.

STEP 4: Slider Base and the Offset Board

After we have the two sides of the slider, now we need to make the silder base by choosing the square model as you can see in the picture.

The offset board was made by making two prism models bellow the measuring jaw and a square model between of the prisms. The final offset board will look like a trapezoidal prism.

The slider base and the offset board is attached to each other. When the slider base moves/slides, it means that the offset board will slides too.

STEP 5: The Slider Hook

To make the slider attached to the caliper base/ruler base, we need to make "hooks" to keep the slider on the track and stay accurate by making four prisms model on the side of the slider. This will make the slider slides through the ruler base.

STEP 6: Final Product

After I made the design plan in Tinkercad, I made the actual product using acrylic palstic. Yes, No 3D-printer needed. It really works nad such a usefull tool for me. Learn how to make this caliper here

Because this tool was made using acrylic plastic, the overall method that I used was cut and joint. So you can also make this tool using a laser cut by downloading the model bello (SVG file). But if you want to make this tool using a 3D printer, download the STL file.