Before my wife drove over it in the garage, I had one of those boxes I picked up at Costco that held your drill and had a large assortment of drill and screwdriver bits and various accessories. It was a black plastic job, where each side actually kind of folded to form the walls of the box. In any case, the drill bits and accessories are still fine, but the box itself is toast. Do they sell boxes like this where I could store the large collection of bits and accessories? If so, any recommendation on a brand?
Often fishing tackle boxes have dividers or plastic boxes in them to separate lures. You can also visit the local BORG or Lowes to see what sorts of tool boxes they have. WallyWorld is also a possibility.
Check with Lowe's, Home Depot, or large indy hardware. What you are seeking is commonly known as a "drill index". It has openings for various bit sizes with size on the index openings. I have one that is
Is her sewing box big enough to hold your drill, and are the side trays big enough to hold bits?
Wish I had a real suggestion, but the design and size of toolboxes varies so much from year to year, that about all you can do is go shopping. They are available online, but I do not recommend that for a toolbox (other than maybe surplus mil-spec Zero or Pelican boxes, like MPJA.com and others sometimes carry). Dimensions given are usually pretty sketchy, and you really can't tell the quality till you get your hands on it. You need to make sure the catches won't fight/pinch you, that the handle will stay attached, and the plastic is good enough and thick enough that the whole thing will carry the weight you need.
Plano is usually a pretty good brand for plastic boxes. The no-name boxes at BigLots are usually crap, but sometimes some good ones sneak in, like from a chain that went belly-up. Craftsman boxes are overpriced, IMHO, unless you catch a sale. (Like fathers day in a few weeks will probably have some.) Harbor Freight boxes have not impressed me. In addition to the fishing tackle places others suggested, I'd try the local craft/sewing stores, and the local Tractor Supply or similar, as well. The local industrial supply will have very nice ones (like for guys who use them all day every day), but you will cry at the price.
Off the wall suggestion, if you aren't fussy about provenance- local Goodwill or Salvation Army, and an old hard-side 5" briefcase. (garage sale season is nearing peak around here, too.) You will still need some of the flat see-through non-brittle plastic boxes to hold the bits and such. Need a large enough case that the drill can sit in one side, and
3-4 of the see-through plastic small boxes on the other. My at-work tool kit of cheap tools that I keep under my desk is in an old government-issue briefcase with a taped-shut crack on one side. People steal stuff all the time where I work, but 2nd and 3rd shift have never apparently looked twice at it, while good tool bags and boxes grow legs all the time.
Or send your wife out shopping- put it in terms of a purse, and she may even enjoy the hunt. Just make sure to send dimensions and a tape measure with her.
What a perfect opportunity for a whole new set, box and all! Empty drill indexes are available at HF, and other cheapie stores, maybe even some of the holders for those hex bits. I have taken a 2 x 4 and drilled specific holes in it for a holder, the last one having six holes in it for air hose tools, like inflator, blower, short inflator, long inflator, etc.
Steve
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The one that I have had for many years contained a Black & Decker "Holgun" 1/4" drill with the bit index. I purchased it from Graybar Electric Supply around 1960 so it's a bit over 40. The Holgun went south 20 or so years ago and now I have a small battery powered drill in its place for quick, minor repairs.
As these bits break, then you go to the machine shop supply and get replacement bits for those sizes in quantities of 3-6.
You refill the index with a drill from the envelope, and then have all of the envelopes.
On the more common sizes I also buy a pack of "stub" drills. These are shorter than jobbers length, so they snap less, and most of the time you really do not need the additional length.
I also use taps often, so I also get a pack of the tap drills for the common sizes (8-32 10-24 10-32 1/4-20) and keep these drills with the taps. (You may note I omitted the 6-32 from my list. This is because I refuse to use that size because the screws and the taps are so course that they are way too week.)
Wow, thanks for all the input. I do appreciate it.
Most of the empty drill bit indexes I could find online only had slots for the bits themselves, not the accessories. Then it occurred to me that I don't *need* to keep my drill in the box, I still have the original case for it. So maybe I'll just spring for a new drill bit set and bequeath my current set to a broke college student about to break out on his own.
I see that Amazon has a drill bit set that would replace much of what I currently have in my big ol' box:
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But I'm unfamiliar with Denali. Is that a reputable brand? Amazon also carries a set by Black & Decker, but I've been very unimpressed with B&D products in recent years.
This from the link you provided: "About Denali Named after the tallest mountain range in North America, Denali tools stand above the rest in providing an exceptional blend of quality craftsmanship, professional-grade features, and customer value."
Ummm, well, Denali is a mountain, not a range, and I really have no idea what a mountain has to do with tools or drill bits. Available only on Amazon means it's almost assuredly an Asian-import of acceptable quality. How long will the bits last? No idea.
It's also the weakest tap, owing to the thin shaft under the webbing. I broke a lot of those before someone told me to _at least_ go to a 6-40 (if not an 8-32 if I can get away with it).
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