Hatchet Cover for Gerber Gator

This is a minimalist cover for a Gerber Gator hatchet. This hatchet comes a a bulky case that is good for wearing on a belt, but a little large to fit well in a pack. This hatchet also comes with a saw that is stored in the handle (not relevant info to the cover, but just so you know). The cover portion of the design is intended to be made from TPU filament. The slide was designed to be made from PETG, but you could probably substitute PLA. 

I have included two options for the cover, one with support and one without. The "support" is just a thin 0.45mm wide wall that holds the two sides of the case together securely when printing. Tall, thin TPU walls can be very wobbly, so the support is just a way to stabilize the part to ensure layers are laid down where they should be. I would strongly recommend printing the version with supports, but I have included an version with no supports incase anyone would like to experiment with adding their own. 

This cover has only been tested on the axe pictured, but it should work with the other Gerber hatchets with the same head design. If you try it out on a different model please let me know how it works!

Printing Instructions

All of the STL files are oriented in the optimal printing position. 

Cover- TPU, 0.4mm nozzle, 0.2mm layer height, 3 perimeters, 0.5mm brim recommended, textured plate. If the part wobbles around too much, try lowering the print speed or acceleration. 

Slide- PETG, 0.4mm nozzle, 0.2mm layer height, 3 perimeters, 0.5mm brim recommended, textured plate.

Assembly Instructions

Use a small pair of scissors to trim away the support from the cover. Fit the hatchet into the cover and bring the slide down over the rails on the cover. To loosen the fit of the slide to your liking you can trim away additional support material from inside the cover with a sharp knife (remember to always cut away from yourself). 

Be sure to test the adequacy of your cover to meet your own safety needs before use!