Storing drill bits - how do people here do it?

[tinnews]

How do people here on uk.d-i-y store their drill bits? I'm doing a big tidy up and sort out of my workshops and have managed to sort out ways of storing most of my stuff but I'm a bit stumped when it comes to drills.

Currently they're in a hotch potch of broken plastic 'drill sets', a cutlery tray and small ones in the original paper packs.

Can you buy those trays with lots of varying sized holes for storing drills? If so where can you get them? I might consider making one but it's a lot of work for not much gain and a mass produced plastic moulding that does the same probably costs just a couple of pounds, if anyone makes one.

[Mary Fisher]

You could make a wedge-shaped wooden block and drill slightly oversize holes for all your spare bits. The shortest would fit in the holes at the narrow end of the block and the longer ones at the wider.

A bit of work but not much - and it's unbreakable.

Mary

[Stuart B]

If you are handy with a sewing machine I s'pose you could make a rollup with pockets for the different sizes of drill going from smallest at one end to largest at the other .Depending on how may and different types you have more than one might be needed .

OR A piece of thick polystyrene that the drills could be stucjk in to but that might be a bit fragile and not easy to carry round if you needed to

[George]

A block of wood and holes drilled for each drill bit,then a strip of alluminium below each drill bit with the size stamped or those plastic strip labellers you can buy.

[Peter]

OR buy one set of the new drill thro anything drills and put the rest back in the drawer.

Peter

[Mike Barnard]

I'm going against the idea of neatly storing them. Throw them into a plastic box. Simple. All the rust flakes stay in there too, along with the odd bits of grit, wall plugs, 4" wheels or bits thereof, rotary wire brushes and any odd chuck keys.

Neat, out of the way and easy to find.

Oh, did you say keep them SAFE? Ah, thats for the others.

[Tim Southerwood]

[e-mail] coughed up some electrons that declared:

I bought a cheapo large set of PB drills from Bodgit-Qwik. The deciding factor was that there was a wide selection of wood, metal and masonry bits and the plastic case was decent and had nice storage arrangements.

My plan is to replace the drills as they wear with decent ones into the same box. It also means I always have the right size - but only need to buy decent bits in the sizes I use most.

Tim

[tinnews]

Yes, I suppose that's the neat way to do it but that's what I felt was "a lot of work for not much gain". Still it may be the 'right' way.

[tinnews]

Yes, that sort of where my "broken plastic 'drill sets'" are, I have one half decent Bosch box. However I don't need the wood bits, I don't need the masonry bits and I don't need the screwdriver bits in it so much of the space is rather redundant. In addition I really want to have two or three of those most used sizes (4, 5 and

6mm for me).

[The Medway Handyman]

A man after my own heart! I don't bother with much else lately - they really do work don't they.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Draper do - or did - list a 'conventional' plastic drill holder thingie with the sizes nicely printed on the holder. But strangely only in for imperial sizes. I did a lot of searching trying to find one similar for metric. I'm sure an engineering supplier should have what I want but I couldn't find one.

Lidl had metric sets once in a nice flip out steel box for a price cheap enough for the box alone - but the drills were fine too. I bought a couple. Screwfix do similar.

[Keith Dunbar]

Screwfix link please ...

Keith

[George]

Sheesh! talk about laziness

The whole thing will only take about 30 to 40 minutes.

ps do you ever finish a job off?

[Mary Fisher]

[Mary Fisher]

I'll take them off your 'ands, guv ...

Mary

[John Rumm]

[Lurch]

On 13 Aug 2007 15:53:23 GMT, [e-mail] mused:

Mine are organised in that I know what size is where. Some are thrown in the drill boxes with the drills they are most commonly used with, some are in the top of my toolbox, some are on the dash of the van, some of the really commonly used ones are in the drills they are used with, some are in my pocket, some are on the bedside table, on the desk in the bedroom and the rest are in a box in the garage with anything else drill related and smallish. Surprisingly, I also have a full set of bits from 2mm to 10mm in a metal drill bit case in a box in the back of the van as well, but they don't get used too often as actually opening the tin, selecting the right size bit etc... is a bit too much like hard work.

And I know what size ones are where as well. ;)

Someone somewhere does.

[ARWadsworth]

What is wrong with the van footwell? Throw them all there and you know where they are.

Adam

[Lurch]

On Mon, 13 Aug 2007 21:46:09 GMT, "ARWadsworth" mused:

That's for the McDonalds and KFC wrappers and boxes.

[fred]

In article , ARWadsworth writes

Spoken like a true tradesman.

You can't do this cos the scrotes who are perpetually breaking into your van will slip on them, hurt themselves and sue you for their injuries. Btw, how goes that particular battle?