Let's see your vintage drill bit indices

[Beerhippie]

Don, with so many holes the sale size I'm thinking intended more for Dremel bits or similar.

Or someone breaks a LOT of 1/8" bits.

 

[leg17]

I might guess that is for burrs, end mills, or, as suggested, dremel bits.
Think 3/8 shank, 1/4 shank, 3/16 shank, and 1/8 shank tools.

 

[d42jeep]

I gave it a try. Looked good but wouldn’t close any more. It could be used for Dremel tools but not very efficiently. I’m back to thinking drill bits.
-Don

 

[Beerhippie]

Part of today's haul. Cool as it is, I have no room for it so if anyone wants it, let me know.

 

[Outlawmws]

Part of today's haul. Cool as it is, I have no room for it so if anyone wants it, let me know.

Stick one of your disk drive magnets to the back and mount it next to, or on, your DP.

I have a boxed index like that near mine and its my most used drill set.

 

[d42jeep]

It’s been a while since I picked up a drill index but I found this one on Friday at an estate sale. I can always use number bits to fill other indices and it seemed in decent condition. I don’t recall seeing one in this brand or color either.
As found

Many of the bits were rusty and are now in the evaporust. The exterior of the box cleaned up well.


I added a few bits that I had on hand that had already been sharpened.
-Don

 

[Outlawmws]

That type of index with the linked trays is just like the General and Craftsman index boxes I have Don.

 

[Outlawmws]

A pair of Huot mini index boxes I got 2 weeks ago 61-80 sizes, and one is complete and the other nearly so:




The rust fine wire wheeled off the one almost 100 %




One of these has been on the bucket list for a while now.

 

[four.cycle]

^ That Columbia box is quite the find, Don.
We carried Columbia for a while. They were bought out by TRW at some point but I've never been able to figure out any timeline.

 

[d42jeep]

The bits came out of the evaporust. Several were sharpened and they and the already sharp ones went back in the box.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

I have a few letter bits in a ziplock bag so when I saw this Huot letter bit index at yesterday’s estate sale I paid up. After arriving home and checking it out a little more carefully I found it to not only to be complete but all of the bits were sharp and many showed no signs of usage at all. The bit were a mix of good quality US made brands. I don’t recall seeing a letter bit index on this thread but I could have missed one.
-Don

 

[INSP380]

Saw this one while searching FBM…. Would love to own it….

 

[humber2]

Here is a NOS Delta Drill Tidy from NZ.

The paper labels don’t last forever but it prompts me to seek the optional wall bracket.

 

[humber2]

The Delta Index has to be pre 2010 going by Delta moving to Wellington after the Chch earthquake and renaming themselves Delta Die Casting.

Then in 2019 sold and renamed Fraser Industries.

Specialists in Aluminum die casting.

 

[Outlawmws]

Saw this one while searching FBM…. Would love to own it….

That would be a hard one to walk away from...

 

[RTM]

The Delta Index has to be pre 2010 going by Delta moving to Wellington after the Chch earthquake and renaming themselves Delta Die Casting.

Then in 2019 sold and renamed Fraser Industries.

Specialists in Aluminum die casting.

Man, you really know how to crush a hope. Looked a little too new for you to have slipped a century, but I was really guessing 1950s. Nice to know someone was still cranking out durable quality recently, even if it wasn't here.

 

[INSP380]

That would be a hard one to walk away from...

It’s still listed… in Michigan…$2450 takes it home…Great piece of history.

Steve

 

[Outlawmws]

$2450 takes it home

Ouch!

 

[INSP380]

While not necessarily an index per say, I do think they’re pretty frickin cool! I pulled out my bits to fill a set of vintage Cleveland Twist indices and had to show off my vintage boxes. Been saving them to sort my bits & reamers. Anyone else save them?

Steve

 

[INSP380]

Loaded up my Cleveland Twists… Love these two!

 

[Itinerant]

Here’s my modest contribution to the thread. No name fractional, and a Fuller countersink and unmarked brace bit holder that are holding tools on my fly tying table.









I have (had?) a cast Cleveland and another the maker of which I can’t recall but I’ll be damned if I know what I did with them.

 

[Beerhippie]

^Wish I still had the eyesight and manual dexterity for fly tying....

 

[Itinerant]

^Wish I still had the eyesight and manual dexterity for fly tying.…

I can still see fine, but some days my fingers don’t want to play.

 

[INSP380]

Another one out there listed on FBM… Toledo….Pretty cool index!!!

Steve

 

[lilredex]

Found a similar one curbside....

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Another one out there listed on FBM… Toledo….Pretty cool index!!!

More like a merchandiser, I think, but I agree with the cool part. I have the same or a nearly identical cabinet, branded for New Britain, picked up at a flea market several years ago. I use it for ignition wrenches, sets in pouches, sets that are loose, partial sets, and orphans, organized in the bins intended for drill bits, by brand.

EDIT: Many more photos of it empty taken outside and from all angles on the New Britain thread linked here.

 

[INSP380]

More like a merchandiser, I think, but I agree with the cool part. I have the same or a nearly identical cabinet, branded for New Britain, picked up at a flea market several years ago. I use it for ignition wrenches, sets in pouches, sets that are loose, partial sets, and orphans, organized in the bins intended for drill bits, by brand.

EDIT: Many more photos of it empty taken outside and from all angles on the New Britain thread linked here.

I only had more room and less self control… lol. There have been some great pieces out there for picking lately.

Steve