Hey all, hoping this is the right place to hope, as well as hope this doesn't offend anyone.
I'm about to convert a bike to an ebike, and the current bike has "The Eno" crankset/freewheel from White Industries. I can't say I want to spend $40+ for the removal tool for a single use.... unless I truly end up needing it. BUT, I figure a very easy alternative would be, if anyone here does own the tool, and doesn't mind giving me it's dimensions (as many as you can, as precise as you can, concentrating on the key parts) it should be pretty easy to 3D model the tool in Fusion360, and produce a 3D printable model. And I'm hoping Polycarbonate will be strong enough to work.
Anyway, also interested in hearing people's opinions on the morality of posting the model online (Of course for free). I definitely think selling it would not be moral, and I would never... but providing it as a free model may not be that bad. I mean, I feel like specific tools like this are more of shops to own to do the job right... but many/most home mechanics aren't going to spend the money, and are more likely to ghetto rig some form of a tool/method that can do the job, sometimes at the cost of potentially damaging the part. I don't think most shops are gonna find a printable tool as a replacement for the real thing (even if the printed version works, it definitely won't be as durable as the real thing... and likely would only work for a few uses.)
Also, there is a chance that this won't work at all. I don't think most common 3d printable plastics would be strong enough (I highly doubt PLA would hold up)... but Polycarbonate is pretty damn strong (tho much harder to print... luckily I have a printer with a bed that can hit 130C no problem, and a hotend that can easily hit the ~250C I need to print.. and this tool is small enough and should be easy enough to print with the correct setup)
On a side note, it could also be possible for many other "one off" unique tools that your average home mechanic usually won't want to pay for. I'm willing to try to help model any that seem easy enough... if I'm given the accurate dimensions. Again, still want to hear the general consensus. My vote is this is fair, as long as the models are available for free, and should allow more people to be able to use the "right" tools to get the job done.. while I doubt it will impact sales much, if at all of these one off, tools that have the tendency to be drastically overpriced for no apparent reason, other than they can be since there are no other good options.
I'm about to convert a bike to an ebike, and the current bike has "The Eno" crankset/freewheel from White Industries. I can't say I want to spend $40+ for the removal tool for a single use.... unless I truly end up needing it. BUT, I figure a very easy alternative would be, if anyone here does own the tool, and doesn't mind giving me it's dimensions (as many as you can, as precise as you can, concentrating on the key parts) it should be pretty easy to 3D model the tool in Fusion360, and produce a 3D printable model. And I'm hoping Polycarbonate will be strong enough to work.
Anyway, also interested in hearing people's opinions on the morality of posting the model online (Of course for free). I definitely think selling it would not be moral, and I would never... but providing it as a free model may not be that bad. I mean, I feel like specific tools like this are more of shops to own to do the job right... but many/most home mechanics aren't going to spend the money, and are more likely to ghetto rig some form of a tool/method that can do the job, sometimes at the cost of potentially damaging the part. I don't think most shops are gonna find a printable tool as a replacement for the real thing (even if the printed version works, it definitely won't be as durable as the real thing... and likely would only work for a few uses.)
Also, there is a chance that this won't work at all. I don't think most common 3d printable plastics would be strong enough (I highly doubt PLA would hold up)... but Polycarbonate is pretty damn strong (tho much harder to print... luckily I have a printer with a bed that can hit 130C no problem, and a hotend that can easily hit the ~250C I need to print.. and this tool is small enough and should be easy enough to print with the correct setup)
On a side note, it could also be possible for many other "one off" unique tools that your average home mechanic usually won't want to pay for. I'm willing to try to help model any that seem easy enough... if I'm given the accurate dimensions. Again, still want to hear the general consensus. My vote is this is fair, as long as the models are available for free, and should allow more people to be able to use the "right" tools to get the job done.. while I doubt it will impact sales much, if at all of these one off, tools that have the tendency to be drastically overpriced for no apparent reason, other than they can be since there are no other good options.