[DIY Panel Saw] Pipe Inner Endcap Nut/Bolt Holder (M8) for .75" ID pipe

Model originally uploaded to Thingiverse at https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5343898.

These 3D-printed inserts can be glued (with epoxy) into the ends of .75" (ID) galvanized pipe (rigid conduit) commonly sold at hardware / home improvement stores, such that either a locknut can be glued in place (in the insert) so that a bolt can be secured to the ends of the pipe from outside it, or a hex head bolt can be inserted/glued in before gluing in the insert itself, if you desire to attach the nuts on the outside.

NOTE: I keep calling it pipe, but it's actually listed as conduit. This is the specific item I bought at Lowes and used: "3/4-in x 10-ft Metal Rigid Conduit"

I also designed another part for this project, the "[DIY Panel Saw] Z mount (v7a)" which is available here: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5345250

This saw I have mounted on the rig is a beast. It can cut steel and pretty much anything else. Price was pretty appealing, especially considering all it can cut. Seriously, I cut some angle iron (mild steel) with it, and it sliced it like butter. Here's a link to where I bought it:

https://amzn.to/3DJd9py

How I used these:

I recently built for myself a type of panel saw, based on this approach:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sa2I0vUCXsE

(The Japanese man who posted that video has plans for sale for it. I bought his plans. At the then-current exchange rate, the price was $10.50 USD.)

My build is chronicled on the V1 Engineering Forum, here.

I made several changes in my approach, some purely for innovation and some were innovations to save money.

1. Instead of having the t-tracks extend the full length of the base from end to end, such that the "end plate" boards seal off the t-tracks, preventing either removal or addition of new t-track nuts or t-track bolts, I made my base longer than the t-tracks by 1 full inch, so I have a gap at the top of my panel saw where t-track nuts/bolts can be added/removed.

2. Instead of buying linear slide blocks, which have become quite pricey (perhaps due to recent hyper inflation), I vaguely remembered seeing that someone had repurposed the "X Mounts" from the LowRider2 MPCNC to build a saw sled of his own. That someone was actually Dan, who is listed as @SupraGuy on the V1 Engineering Forum. I liked that approach, which involves combining 608zz bearings with 3D-printed plastic. However, since I planned on this being wall-mounted (vertical instead of horizontal) I designed "Z mounts" which, although they are inspired by LowRider X mounts, have a much wider footprint (where they attach to the base plate) than the original X mounts.

3. Instead of either stainless steel pipes with long threaded rods spanning the full length inside them (plus more) to extend out for nuts (thus using more threaded rod than I felt was needful), or use of expensive linear rods that have been drilled and tapped on the ends (which are quite expensive, especially at the called-for diameter), I chose to use galvanized .75" ID pipe (commonly sold at hardware / home improvement stores). I designed this part to glue inside the ends of both pipes. This approach is affordable and has worked great.

Printing notes: No supports needed. There is an intentional 1-layer thick "sacrifice layer" set to print between the hole for the bolt shaft and the hex socket where either the locknut or bolt head would go. You can clear that layer out after printing with either an Xacto knife, or melt it clear with a soldering iron, etc.

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