Author Archives: Dave Knight
Adjustable Wrench in SolidWorks
I used simple boss extrudes, cut extrudes, and a sweep feature to create this adjustable wrench. The knurl slides the jaw back and forth using a rack and pinion mate, and a limit distance mate keeps the jaw from sliding
... ContinuedKlein Bottle in SolidWorks
I've had this part in the back of my mind for quite a while now, and it turned out to be a quick and fun project. I used a Thin-Revolve to make the "base" of this one-sided surface. Two Thin
... ContinuedKayak Paddle in SolidWorks
What's a kayak without a paddle? A very bad day. I created the ends of this paddle using a Revolve and an Extrude. I then used two Flex features to twist and bend the part. There are left and right
... ContinuedKayak Body in SolidWorks
After a long and busy absence from this blog, I decided to apply some new skills and create this kayak body. I created the body using three large lofts, two of which include a point as a profile. I then
... ContinuedWhisk in SolidWorks
A friend of mine suggested that I make a whisk in SolidWorks. The project proved to be fun, and not very difficult. The whisk consists of five metal loops. I only created one, and I used a design table to
... ContinuedCeltic Knot in SolidWorks
I modeled this knot for a class last month, and it was a challenging problem. The part is based on a boundary feature which is patterned three times about the z-axis. I adjusted the tangent length on the first and
... ContinuedStapler in SolidWorks
Here we are – the ultimate office supply. This stapler was fun to model. Thanks to my new caliper, the model is exact to the stapler I found in my drawer. The only exception is the springs, which are either
... ContinuedStaple Remover in SolidWorks
This staple remover was fun and simple to model, and provided me with a great opportunity to try out my new caliper. I used Thin Features and plenty of thoughtful design intent to expedite the process. Who would have thought office
... ContinuedBallpoint Pen in SolidWorks
This pen was a fun assembly to model. For the most part, it was quite an easy job. The only challenging part was the cap, and I was able to complete it using a loft feature, a mirror feature, and plenty of
... ContinuedMechanical Ice Cream Scoop in SolidWorks
I came across this ice cream scoop in my kitchen and couldn't resist modelling it. It is complete except for the torsion spring that adds tension to the lever. I did not model the spring because I did not want
... ContinuedGingerbread House in SolidWorks
This was quite a fun assembly to make. The gingerbread man was outlined using splines and a sketch picture. The model was decorated with liberal use of linear component patterns. The only difficulty was in creating the candy canes, but
... ContinuedHand Drill in SolidWorks
I found an antique hand drill lying around my house and I thought this would be a fun project. I used revolve features extensively, as well as the obvious gear mates, to create an accurate representation of this mechanism. I
... ContinuedMechanical Rocking Chair in SolidWorks
Form takes a bit of a backseat to function today as we explore a practical application of linkage design. This linkage-operated (and motor-driven) rocking chair allows people with physical disabilities to experience the healing and comforting motion of a traditional
... ContinuedKinematics Tutorial: Finding Linkage Cognates with SolidWorks
Lately, I have been thoroughly enjoying learning about linkages, their motion, and their synthesis. Anyone who has tried to find the cognates of a four-bar linkage may have noticed that the process is time-consuming and a bit tedious. SolidWorks to
... ContinuedCollapsible Music Stand in SolidWorks
This assembly was a lot of fun to create. I used design tables to vary parameters on the struts and the rivets. This saves time and file size, as the same parts can be used several times in different configurations.
... Continued