Router Bit Storage

[Garry Collins]

Hello All,

I seemed to have accumulated a large selection of router bits. In some cases the sizes vary by only .5 mm. They are often not identified, so if they are not in their case, it is a case of trial and error to identify the size. I currently have them hanging in their cases or wallets on hooks on pegboard. Is there a better solution?

I was thinking of an open box with compartments for each bit. It could be stored in its case or wallet, which has the size somewhere on packaging.

Are their any better ideas?

Thanks in advance.

Garry

[Woodcrafter]

Not sure if it is "better", but I use these plastic router bit holders

) which you can mount to the wall. To keep all the sizes easily identifiable (straight bits etc) I simply made some small stickers showing bit diameter and stuck them next to the holes in the bit holder tray. Seems to work fine for me.

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[Edwin Pawlowski]

I just drilled a series of holes in a block of wood. You could mark the spots for each bit if you want. I made a square one and a rectangular one with two rows of holes. If you go that route, be sure the hole is slightly larger than 1/2" to hold a 1/2" shank.

[Upscale]

Lee Valley Tools has a few solutions:

[Phisherman]

I have seen numerous router bit cabinets. The nicest ones are shop made. I made a cabinet for my drill bits from pallet wood, and turned knobs for the drawers from some dogwood laying around the shop. My router cabinet has 4 bit drawers, some with 1/2 and some with 1/4" holes to hold the bits. I prefer the drill bit cabinet because it is wall mounted at eye-level. All the drawers have hand-cut dovetail joinery which helped tune my skills. To make a cabinet, lay out all your bits, then design your storage capacity two or three times of your current needs. (Usually a drill bit cabinet has a lot more bizarre pieces than router bit storage.)

[B a r r y]

I like these, with the size marked with a Sharpie on the slot, stored in a drawer. The spacing can be varied based on the bit size. If you have lots of large bits where you can't use all the clips, the extra clips can be transferred to another rack.

Panel raisers, and stile / rail sets are stored in the original box in the same drawer.

Barry

[B a r r y]

Forgot the link!

Barry

[James E. Baldock (Jim)]

Gee guys what ever happend to a drill bit, drill press and a block of wood??

Jim

B a r r y wrote:

[B a r r y]

That was my old setup, it worked OK.

For less than $5, the commercial racks are really nice. They're adjustable, hold tight (the bits won't fall out if they tip over or in a tool bag), and cheap enough.

Barry

[Hax Planks]

That's what I was thinking. Why buy what you can make? You can even tilt the wood to to make slanted holes for wall storage. Get a new bit, make a new hole.

[patrick conroy]

Nuthin - that's what I did. Made drawers. Biggun on the bottom to hold routers and big accessories, shallow one on top for bits and parts like collets, wrenches.

Bit holder is a 18x18" sheet of 1/2" baltic birch. Appropriately "holed" with 1/2" and 1/4" assorted. Bored one night and made labels to go next to holes.

[Scott Lurndal]

I use old film tubes for smaller router bits. Mark the lid with the bit info using a sharpie. Drill holes slightly larger than the tube diameter in a chunk of plywood and fit it into a drawer or hang it vertically on the wall. The tubes drop down into the drilled holes and are supported by the lid (the hole diameter must be less than the lid).

scott

[B a r r y]

What's film?

Barry

[George]

Even worse, what's _slide_ film? When they ask for slides to jury, you have to go to a specialty photo operation to get the film and processing.

[Juergen Hannappel]

When it became apparent that demon-powered picture boxes were very hard to come by someone inveted a method of taking pictures with halgogenides of silver on a substrate. The first experiments were done with glass plates covered withe the photographic emulsion, but after some time they were for most applications replaced by flexible carriers (cellulose based at first) which wre called "film" due to their thin-nes. Very poular was a format of film 35mm wide, ooriginally used for movies, but in shorter sections for still image cameras.

Of course nowadays no-one no longer remembers anything about such a neolithical way of taking a picture, when even fundamentalist neandertal(1) woodworkers document their projects with digital cameras.

(1) Ok, maybe in Mettman (where the true Neandertal lies) they still use Charcoal on Cavewalls...

[bridger]

I have 6 routers. one stays in the table all of the time, some get used on the bench and in the field, some get used in the table, on the bench and in the field. if I had only one router I'd make a case for it that held the bits too. so what I do is have a case for the bits and separate cases for the machines.

as my bit collection has grown I have moved the bits into bigger cases. currently they are in an about 14" metal toolbox with a lift out tray. the bottom well and the tray both have fitted blocks of wood with holes drilled in them to stand the bits up in- 1/2" bits in the bottom, 1/4" bits in the top with a spot for misc. like cleaning brushes, spare bearings, template guides, etc.

[Hax Planks]

Good riddance to film. It was a major polluter.

[Renata]

Dense foam stuff that they use to cushion packaged electronic equipment and such. Drill holes in it for the bits like a chunk of wood. It's more maleable than wood so the bits are a bit easier to insert and remove.

Renata

[Sam]

check out the plan in wood magazine. I think it is the nov or dec 2004 issue. It's real neat. I plan on building it soon. It hangs on the wall and has a door on it.

[Sam]

Check this out Dec 2003 Wood Magazine

Router-bit cabinet Keep router bits, accessories, and a new bit reference poster in this handy storage case.

Is this what you are looking for?

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