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A better way to store drill bits and taps?

barrysuperhawk

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 20, 2015
Messages
116
Location
Middle of Illinois
Okay so I'll admit it I am an actual fiend for drill bits and Taps when I can buy them cheap. I make no excuses it's just how I am. In my travels I have collected hundreds of drill bits, you may not know it but most pawn shops will sell you handfuls of drill bits for a couple of dollars or sell them by the pound.

What I don't have is a reasonable and a reliable way of carrying these things around. Everybody loves to have the perfectly filled fitted case, every single bit or tap in its place, but I know the truth that that is a myth, a lie, it doesn't actually exist in the real world more than 5 minutes after the purchase. So bits and Taps get strung out all over God and creation with little regard to their original packaging if I ever had it at all.

I have them in baggies in fishing organizers in a child's pencil boxes, standing up in a Shell organizer from an ammo box, fake and real Pelican cases, model and hobby cases even stupid cardboard boxes. Regular bit organizers are fine as far as they go but when you have a dozen varying half inch drill bits for example cases generally only have a place for one. And in reality I don't need fractional drill bits down to the 128th, what I tend to use are the same four or five sizes, occasionally losing, dulling or breaking one and reaching for a replacement, with the occasional oddball what the hell kind of thread is that or how do I fix that hole kind of size.

So what I think I'd like to find is something between these chincy little plastic organizers and pencil boxes that I have, that instantly break the first time you hit them with a mean look and my heavy duty pelican cases that are completely sturdy but **** for organization.

So what would you use or what do you use for organizing all of your bits and Taps and dies? Preferably something I can purchase not some antique piece of unobtainium or something that you made because you are super talented but aren't willing to make a second one for me. :beer:
 
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Zewnten

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Jun 11, 2017
Messages
1,839
Drill/tap cabinet trays in my tool box. Also bought one of the really cheap drill sets from eBay because of the way they organized the trays so there's room for one or two 1/2 drill and room for 20 1/8 bits
 

dr_clyde

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Joined
Jan 7, 2009
Messages
6,463
Location
Holland, MI
Lots of tool crib management systems exist. Lista/Vidmar cabinets are the industrial standard. Huot also makes nice cutter storage.
 

Legion Prime

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Joined
Sep 5, 2018
Messages
740
Location
Leelenau County MI
Last year I went and collected all of mine into a tray, went through and sized them all. Then I took all my indexes and when I was done I went from a huge bin filled with drill bits and one full index to 5 indexes completely filled, another new index I bought filled, a benchtop rack half filled and a metric index that went from half empty to only missing 3 AND a bin that now had a far more reasonable number of drill bits in it which are now conveniently labelled.
 

lis2323

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Joined
Dec 25, 2016
Messages
3,234
I use a Huot cabinet for small drill bits

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I fabbed up a “spice rack” for taper shank bits

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And a side cabinet for annular and sheet metal cutters .

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ddawg16

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Joined
Jul 11, 2008
Messages
21,005
Location
S. California
3d print yourself custom trays/stands/organizers :)

There is a lot to be said for that. The 3D printing technology has really come a long way.

Back when I was doing field work I would save the drill bit tubes and keep tap and drill sets in those.

But for home, yeah, print some trays up
 

MushCreek

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Joined
Jan 14, 2015
Messages
9,820
Location
Upstate South Carolina
I have two indexes for the fractional, letter, and wire drills. Periodically, I'll sort through the pile and refill them. I'm not very disciplined about putting them back, especially when I'm in a hurry. I also have a couple tap and drill indexes, with spaces for both the tap, and the recommended drill. When I had my own shop, I had Huot drawers for all of the drill sizes, but they're pretty spendy for a hobbyist. My reduced shank drills came in a fancy carrying case, and so far, I've kept it in order.
 

lis2323

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Joined
Dec 25, 2016
Messages
3,234
I keep a container out for dull drill bits so they don’t get put away. Then once a year or so I will drag out the Drill Doctor to sharpen.

I don’t bother with bits 3/16 and under. Cheaper to buy a pack of new ones.
 
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