The basic KAM plastic snaps pliers are used for adding plastic snaps to fabric, ribbon, leather and other materials. Plastic snaps are great for making baby clothes, baby bibs, cloth diapers, reusable snack and sandwich bags, tote bags and so many other fun crafts projects.

The basic KAM pliers are super affordable ranging in price from $15 to $19.99. The only drawback to using these pliers and not the more expensive desktop press is that you have to leverage your hand’s strength to grip and squeeze the pliers to attach the plastic snaps to fabric. Overtime, this is a tedious and tiresome task and you aren’t able to get a consistent press each time because your hand is never in the exact same position each time.

Adding the basis KAM plastic snaps pliers to a stand alleviates hand fatigue and allows you to get a consistent press every time. With our Free instructions and pattern, you can make your own plastic snap pliers desktop stand.

What are Plastic Snaps used for?

KAM basic plastic snap pliers are designed for occasional personal use. However, many crafters who sell their wares use these inexpensive pliers because the professional grade pliers and desktop snap press cost a lot more.

Using plastic snaps for your craft projects is a game-changer. They are super easy to add to most fabrics with just a few steps. You need an “awl” to poke a hole into the fabric, a set of plastic snaps, and snap pliers. Most Plastic Snap kits come with the awl and may include a few different size dies so you can add 20, 22, and 24 size snap fasteners to your projects. Plastic Snaps size 20 are the most common. As the numbers goes up – 22, 24 – the snaps get larger. You can also purchase smaller size snaps – 16, 18.

KAM Personal vs. Professional Pliers and Press

There are advantages of buying the professional grade KAM pliers and desktop. The grade of metal, weight, ability to change dies, and more open space in between the die and clamp are some of the reasons. The basic pliers also cannot be used for adding metal snaps to projects. If you are making many products you may want to consider the more professional KAM tools.

We purchased the basic KAM plastic snaps pliers because when we started out we didn’t know about the professional tools. Since then we have learned about all of the different pliers and desktop snap press but we still wanted to use the handheld pliers we purchased so we came up with a stand to put the pliers on and help alleviate hand cramping. The desktop stand also gives you more leverage and even pressure when pressing down. The stand also allows helps you get the plastic snap centered properly for a more professional look. Without a stand you may get some professional-looking results but you won’t be able to get them consistently. We found that without the snap stand we often damaged the snap and had to pry it off and start over. You don’t want this because you are wasting your snaps if they are damaged.

This DIY plastic snap desktop stand is pretty easy to make and you can built using scrap wood. This stand works for the K2 model only. Since each plastic snap tool is slightly different, a different stand needs to be made. If there is enough interest we will provide patterns for other KAM plastic snap handheld pliers tools.

What is the difference in models?

There are other models but we are just talking about the two very basis snap pliers that range in price from $15 to $20 each.

The K1 model is designed for plastic snap sizes 16, 20, and 22 as well as the specialty snaps like hearts, flowers, butterflies, and stars.

The K2 model is designed for plastic snap sizes 20, 22, 24 as well as the specialty snaps like hearts, flowers, butterflies, and stars.

How Build a Plastic Snap Pliers Desktop Stand

Supplies List

1. one (1) piece of wood (pine) cut 1” x 4″ x 7-1/2″
2. one (1) piece of wood (pine) cut 3” x 2-1/2”
3. two (2) pieces of 1/4” plywood cut to 3” x 3”
4. Scroll saw
5. Jigsaw
6. Electric Sander, Hand Sander, or Sanding blocks
7. 7/8” (22.2mm) Forstner drill bit
8. 1/2″ diameter straight router bit

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Cut all of the wood pieces out.

2. Slightly curve the top corners of the 3″ x 2-1/2″ piece of wood to accommodate the handle. We used a scroll saw to accomplish this task.

Optional: Slightly curve the corners of the 3″ x 3″ pieces of wood. This is just for aesthetics so this step is optional.

3. Glue the two pieces of plywood to each side of the 3” x 2-1/2” piece of wood.  The plywood needs to be 1/2” taller to allow the lower snap fastener handle to stay in place.

4. Sand all pieces to give the wood a smooth finish and round out any rough edges.

5. Use a 7/8” (22.2mm) Forstner drill bit to create the circle. Drill the hole so it is approximately 5/8” deep.

6. Use a 1/2″ diameter straight router bit to make a 1-1/2” long slot off of the circle at the same depth as the 7/8” circle.

7. Using a drill bit long enough to accommodate a jig saw blade, drill a hole in each corner of the handle insert slot.

8. Using a jig saw, cut out the handle insert slot to measure 1-1/4″ x 3″. Use the chart above for placement.

The handle of the snap pliers should fit snugly into the handle insert slot. It may be a bit difficult to remove but it needs to fit snug to work properly.

These cute handmade, wood blocks sets are easy to make. You can give them away as gifts, to your grandkids, or even teach a craft class, like I did. They only require scrap pieces of wood or 2x4s so they are cheap to make. Don’t let anyone charge you $30 a set on Etsy for these decorative wood blocks when you can make them yourself for a few dollars.

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Since they are reversible they have multiple uses. You can put different holidays on each side, seasonal wording, or even Happy Birthday or Happy Anniversary.

Kids love them! They are fun to decorate your home with to give a mantle or shelf a burst of color during a fun holiday like Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Fourth of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, or Christmas.

Wood Blocks Supplies:

• 2×4 pine boards or scrap wood
• Scrapbook paper (Colorbok has a nice selection)
• Modge Podge (suggested: Matte or Satin finish)
• Acrylic paints
• Burnishing tool
• Vinyl letters
• Hand Sander (great because you can replace the sand paper)

Vinyl letters are made using a Cricut vinyl cutter and black vinyl. You won’t be able to find these unique letters if you buy pre-made vinyl letters. I used Calisto MT and Cupid de Locke fonts to make my letters.

Suggested Vinyl: I prefer 651 ORACAL but just about any matte vinyl will do. You can use removable vinyl if you want to move the letters easily. Otherwise, use permanent vinyl.

Wood Blocks Tools:

• Miter saw or hand saw
• Paper cutter or scissors
• Paint brushes
• Vinyl cutter like a Cricut or Silhouette

Wood Blocks Dimensions:

• Tall Blocks 1-1/4″ x 1-1/2″ x 3-1/4″
• Short Blocks 1-1/4″ x 1-1/2″ x 2-1/4″
• Wide Blocks 1-1/4″ x 1-1/2″ x 5″

Wood Blocks Directions:

If you are making a lot of these decorative wood block sets, you will probably want to use 2×4 pine boards. Cut – or rip – the 2×4 down the middle using a miter saw. Then cut each piece using the measurements above.

Cut the Scrap Paper: Cut the papers the same size as the block. You can trim off the edges with scissors later or use the hand sander to make the edges rustic and distressed.

Paint the Blocks: you can paint the blocks if you don’t have scrap paper. Pastels or Bright colors seem to work the best. Another idea is to paint the block black and then add a color on top so you have a black edge. You could also paint the block and use black or white paint or a Sharpie on the edges. Paint the sides or leave them unpainted.

How you decorate your blocks is all based on our personal preference and taste.

Attach the Scrap Paper: Using Modge Podge and a paint brush, apply to one end of a block first. Put the scrapbook paper piece down on one end and position it in place. Then add the rest of the Modge Podge on the other end and smooth the paper down. Do this to make sure you don’t get wrinkles. I then used a Burnishing tool to make sure there were no bubbles.

Attach the Letters: Once the letters are cut out, you will add each letter individually to each block.

The Happy Birthday block set that was slightly larger. For the cupcake I cut out a vinyl design (from clipart, .png file), attached it to the block and then painted inside with acrylic paints to get the colors you see in the photo.

Update: After I  made the Happy Birthday block set, I realized I didn’t like the red dotted paper behind the word Birthday. I redid that block and painted the background a solid color and it looked better. Sometimes the paper can overwhelm the words. I didn’t choose the paper very well for the block. The patterns should be small and the letters should stand out.

Feel free to make your own set of wood blocks, sell them or give them away as gifts.