Handsfree Door Stopper

Overview

This is a simple foot-operated doorstop that can be made using a rubberband/spring, glue, and printed parts only. I made this originally for my garage swing doors which would hit the cars in the wind when pulling out from time to time. This design aims to make setting the stopper quick and not require bending down to operate. It has been through many iterations as the cold/hot weather caused old designs to fail, so it should hold up to use.

Assembly

The only non-printed parts you will need are a tension method (spring or rubberband) and some superglue to ensure a strong bond between the lug and handle. Pliers are highly recommended for assembly to make gripping the tension method easier, especially for the spring.

Printing

While the design works well in plain old PLA, you may see greater longevity by using ASA, PETG, or another reasonably impact-resistant material (including some PLA+). For indoor usage, ABS will be suitable for indoor-only use cases. For the optional TPU stopper, softer seems to be better.

All models are pre-oriented for strength. Assuming a 0.4mm nozzle, print with 4 walls, and 25%+ infill. The lug should print as all walls (14).  Supports are not needed besides the optional lid. The stopper should have a low infill/wall count to make it as conformal as possible.

Lug

Simply drip a reasonable amount of glue into the hole on the lug and push the lug handle into the hole, holding the two together tightly until satisfied that they have bonded. Excess glue should not interfere with the stopper so no worries about it. The handle should be oriented as seen below:

Tension

Spring

If you have an extension spring to hand:

1. Unwind one end of the spring
2. Poke it through the hole in the lug handle, bending it on the other side such that it cannot slip back out (twisting into a loop with pliers works well)
3. Unwind the other end of the spring, such that when you slide the lug into the housing it can stick through the bottom of the housing just enough to get to grip it
4. Poke the now unwound end through the smaller hole on the bottom of the housing, you may need to bend and adjust it to get it through
5. Pull the spring through the hole to put tension on the lug and bend it so it won't be pulled out

Note: if your spring is longer than pictured below you may need to cut it down so that it does not impede the lug.

Rubberband

For a rubberband method:

1. Poke one end through the bigger hole on the bottom of the housing
2. Attach the band clip to prevent the rubberband from pulling back out
3. Slide the lug partway into the housing and hook the band over the handle
4. If the rubber band is too long to pull the lug to the bottom of the housing, you can twist the band before hooking it until it is

Mounting

The backplate screws into the target door and acts as a friction mount. Before installation, make sure the stopper will be close enough to the ground that the lug will not be bottomed out when released, but will clear the ground when hooked away for the full swing of the door. Mark this position, install at least two screws and then slide the stopper onto the backplate. You can tap it on with a hammer if the fit is tight.

Extras

The lid can be added to keep out dust and to help shield the tension method from the elements. To install, release the lug, then run some glue around the lid edges and press it on until set.

The stopper can be printed in TPU and may help with friction on some surfaces. It should be screwed onto the lug before the lug is mounted. As my driveway had much loose material and was very rough, I did not need to use this part.

That's all there is to it, enjoy your doorstop!