Rotating solder bit holder

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I needed a bit holder to hold all my soldering iron tips, but didn't want to spend near $30 to buy one, so made this one. The holder will fit bits up to 7.25mm diameter.

 

This build requires a 608 bearing. Don't cheap out on this, like I did. The last bearings I bought were stiff and don't spin freely. Get a good bearing that spins really well, from Maker Lab or use one of the print-in-place models you can find on MakerWorld.

 

Everything is press fit and requires no supports. I designed voids in the print and a pause in the gcode, so that you can fill the spaces with something heavy. I used steel BBs. Shotgun shot would probably work even better. But this isn't strictly necessary, especially if you have good bearings. If you don't want to add some heft to your bit holder, just ignore this step and resume the print.  Because the print pauses on different layers for the top and base, I have them on separate plates.

 

 

 

 

I also included a TPU “foot” on plate 3. This also isn't necessary, but I find having a little rubberized foot helps keep the plastic part from sliding around.

 

Assembly

First glue the TPU foot to the base, if you're using it, and set this part aside.  I use regular cyanoacrylate (super glue) for this.

 

Then, press the bearing into the top. It should fit easily but snuggly. Once it's in there, it should be hard to get out. If your tolerances aren't dialed in, and it pops out too easily, use a drop of super glue, but be careful not to glue the bearing internals!

 

That's it! Just pop the top onto the base and give it a whirl!