This design was super fast and easy to make when I copied the original part. (Pic 2) I found out though, that I really ran into the limitations of the original manufacturing method and I wouldn't be able to use the copy of the original part. The parts were made to be used with super low profile and large rivets. If you don't use something super low profile then you cannot collapse it down because the heads of the screws bump into the other parts of the rack. I didn't like the idea of specialty screws like the ultra flat head ones, and there was just no thickness there for threads to really bite into on the parts. Also didn't like the idea of needing something like a rivet gun. I ended up trying several different designs, but what I ended up on was this replacement part that's meant to be zip tied on. The thickness of the zip tie is about as thick as the head of the rivets and if you go real tight on the zip ties it's pretty rigid. It's definitely much much stronger than needs to be. 👍

I also got the interesting design challenge of having to figure out having two of the parts back to back on the ends (pic 4). Trying to figure out fasteners and stuff in that specific scenario would have also been really difficult.. so it was cool to be able to make a part that could be low profile in the ways that it needed to be in both scenarios. Regardless I'm super happy with being able to revive this clothes rack that was essentially destined for the trash because of a few key bits of plastic being broken..

A quick note on the print settings and the bad print quality on those top surfaces. I'm new to printing with asa and have been having some issues with bed adhesio. I also have been pushing it way too fast on its printing, and these prints definitely had some first layer weirdness because of that. If I were to print them again I would print them much slower on the first layer, and might redesign the flat bit so that the printing surface wasn't as narrow. (Reduce the chamfer size.) I didn't really care though given the parts function and that they finished successfully.. they don't need to be pretty.

You know, there are definitely things I would change with this if I were to remake it, but this was a really quick and dirty build so that I would have my sawzall for tomorrow. The biggest thing I probably change would be adding some additional bracing to the forks that come out, like ribs going up to the neck portion.. but honestly, it feels super strong and we'll see how it goes tomorrow. I'll probably just end up buying one from Amazon later since they are so cheap. 😅

I printed it in asa and made a stainless steel "Tang" out of a shitty butter knife from a Walmart set I had ages ago. LOL (I believe this set was $12 for a full 15 person knife, spoon, and fork set that came in the drawer organizer.) the mounting point is slightly off center from the blade, so that's why the shape is funny.

In the end, I definitely think that this is viable, but if you go to make one yourself then I would recommend adding in some additional bracing out towards the ends of the forks, modeling some tight fitting screw holes that go through the Tang so that the force won't be concentrated at the edge of that knife steel, lastly make two separate pieces of steel so that it slots into both available slots on the sawzall. I think that the one I made is super good enough for this, but I don't think this design is great for torsional forces and I could see the forks getting bumped into the blade and getting chewed up or something like that. (You would need a pretty damn big strike to the side, but this is a sawzall and there's going to be big forces involved.. so you never know.)

I definitely think that I will have to use this silverware set for some stainless steel bits in the future. 😆 Definitely not the best or thickest steel, but I could see a ton of uses for pieces that size..