Blade guards for kitchen knives - vase mode and parametric, with modular guard holders

Here are a set of blade guards for your kitchen knives, designed to be printed in vase mode to save material and provide durability. Blade guards are great for protecting edges from dulling when placed in a cutlery drawer, protect hands and fingers, and take up less space than a traditional knife block.

They can be used on their own, or the guards can slot into one of two guard holders, a standalone version and a modular version to link them together and create an organised drawer. The guard design makes use of the brim feature to connect with the holder element, and has a cutout to facilitate easier insertion of the blade into the guard.

Here are some key printing instructions:

• Material: Ideally food-safe, PLA and PETG are both suitable.
• Print mode: Vase mode for the guards, standard 0.2mm print for the holders with >20% infill.
• Supports: Use a 4mm brim and this will ensure upright printing, no other supports required. The brim also doubles as part of the holder insert to keep the guard upright and can be inserted either way depending on your knife design. If you're not planning to use the holder system, then you can remove the brim after printing.

Models are uploaded for:

• Guards: A range of lengths and depths, covering most common sizes used in kitchen knives. The file names tell you the length and depth in mm. To match your knife, measure your knife and then choose the next largest size. For example, most 20cm cook's knives would fit a 220by50 guard (as pictured).
• Holders: Two designs that hold the blade guard in a lengthwise position and make it easier to store in a drawer. The first design is a standalone holder; the second design has an interlocking slot feature to connect multiple holders together.
• Parametric design: An F360 file for the guard so that you can adjust the length and depth to match your specific knives. The cutout feature will scale to match.

Happy printing, and good cooking!