As long as Charlie is dreaming about the perfect shop what about the perfect place to store router bits?
I only have about 20 bits right now but some are in a small box others are in the plastic bag or plastic box they came in and the whole mess of them are laying in a drawer. Time to do something with especially since I just got the PC 4212 dovetail machine (2 more bits) which needs a storage place.
What is the ideal storage system for router bits? (If you already built it add a link)
One of the mags suggested cutting different sized squares of 3/4 stock with properly sized holes in the middle of each. Large squares for those monsters and smaller for the straights, ogees, roundovers etc. (sized a bit larger than the radius of the bits) The blocks are friction fit in a box or drawer so they can be lifted out. Why they are loose is a mystery to me. But, the blocks being rigid keeps the bits and their edges well separated. My foam system isn't all that stable and the bits can lean into one another.
Since my storage is in a couple drawers similar to Karl's I'm thinking I'd size the blocks to fit those drawers, less a divider to hold the wrenches away from the bits.
box, with no top and which can be moved to the router, workbench, etc; lined with a commercial foam "router bit" holder; all in a drawer dedicated to router paraphernalia.
I'm sure it's far from ideal, but my current setup is a piece of 1" butternut (no reason; just had a lot) with 1/2" and 1/4" holes drilled in it, which sits in a toolbox drawer. Added a dowel to one of the
1/4" holes where slotting cutters sit, and drilled a larger hole where the unused collet sits. I could post a picture if you really want, but it's pretty straightforward - spacing of the holes just depends on the size of your bits. Mine just isn't quite big enough in terms of capacity. I just picked up a discarded 3.5" floppy disk storage container - basically 2 drawers, about 10" deep, that once held disks (remember those?) vertically. Kind of like a double-wide one of these:
formatting link
'm thinking a piece of ~3.5" wide scrap in each drawer, with several holes drilled most of the way through, will make it into a nice enclosed router bit holder (whenever I get a round tuit). Maybe the thing can be mounted under my router table - we'll see. I should include some space for the collet wrench. Ideal router bit storage (in many climates) should probably be enclosed and include some dessicant, unless you're really good about oiling/waxing/protecting all your bits. Good luck, Andy
Take a slab of 2" wood, and drill a bunch o' 1" deep holes in it. Voila! I have mine in a big drawer in the router table, so I can just open it and grab the one I need.
I use old 35mm plastic film canisters for smaller bits. Label the top lid with the bit info, drill a grid of holes the size of the film canister (but smaller than the lid diameter) and drop them in. Can be mounted vertically or horizontally. The larger bits hang in their original packaging in an old medicine cabinet with a sheet of 3/8" plywood fitted internally.
The advent of digital SLR cameras means that the supply of film canisters will likely be drying up, however.
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