How Would You Store These?

[Derek Arita]

So these are thread testers in various sizes. Thing is, they are inconvenient to use when on the cable. I'd rather have them in some kind of box, where I can take them out individually to use. Have you any ideas that don't involve drilling a range of holes to fit the pieces?
https://i.imgur.com/cX6SB6J.jpg

[Lisa Starr]

Pic would help.

[Paul F Franklin]

Perhaps an insert for a box with routed flutes that the gauges could just lay in, with foam on the lid to hold them in place when the lid is closed?

[Derek Arita]

Pic would help.
Ooooooops...

[Chris Luke]

Buy a nut of each size and epoxy them down. Screwing/unscrewing them may get old quite quickly though!

Or, since they all have a hole in the side already for that cable, some skinny dowels or metal rod sticking a half inch or more out of a board may work pretty well.

[Ronald Blue]

To expand on Chris's idea put finishing nails in a board and hang them on the existing holes. The head is already friendly to slipping on and off. Just a simple solution. Maybe make a label with all the sizes marked. In my experience you will use a select few frequently and the others will collect dust.

[johnny means]

I think keeping them organized would quickly eclipse any issues caused by having them connected. I rarely even ever take them off the hook on the wall to use them.

[Derek Arita]

I think keeping them organized would quickly eclipse any issues caused by having them connected. I rarely even ever take them off the hook on the wall to use them.

You may be right. Maybe I'm just looking for an unnecessary project. Only concern is, if I have a screw hole in a piece of equipment and I'm trying to find what size it is, then turning that whole string could be a pain.

[Lee Schierer]

How about one of those long magnetic strips used to hold screw divers and such above a work bench.

[Halgeir Wold]

It seems that they are all the same length?? - If so, how about a box or case with a row/rows of pilot holes to fit each.... a noce case with a proper lid to keep everything in place.... BTW- what is it, - or are they?? :rolleyes:

[Doug Garson]

+I on Lee's idea of a magnetic strip.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Take a board, drill a slightly oversized home for each device. Then plane a thin top for it and mount with hinges. Add a clasp.

[David Buchhauser]

So these are thread testers in various sizes. Thing is, they are inconvenient to use when on the cable. I'd rather have them in some kind of box, where I can take them out individually to use. Have you any ideas that don't involve drilling a range of holes to fit the pieces?
https://i.imgur.com/cX6SB6J.jpg

This could also be a fun little project for a 3D printer, or even a cnc router if you happen to have either one of those. I can see many different ways to go here - depending on the amount of effort (I mean fun) you want to have.
David

[Edward Weber]

Mine hang on their cable next to the hardware cabinet within easy reach for reference.

[Vince Shriver]

+ 1 for Ed. Are we looking for a solution for a problem?

[Derek Arita]

Don't know if you'd call it a problem. I just wanted to make some kind of containment for these testers that might make them easily usable and organized.

[David Buchhauser]

Don't know if you'd call it a problem. I just wanted to make some kind of containment for these testers that might make them easily usable and organized.


That looks like a handy set to have. They look to be all metric. Where did you buy them?
Thanks,
David

[Derek Arita]

That looks like a handy set to have. They look to be all metric. Where did you buy them?
Thanks,
David
Got both metric and SAE(?) on Amazon. Not cheap, but I've needed this many times, so this time I just broke down and got the set.

[Lon Crosby]

Drill holes in a block of wood. Doesn’t take long. Nothing worse than laying under a piece of machinery and fighting the cable.

[David Buchhauser]

Got both metric and SAE(?) on Amazon. Not cheap, but I've needed this many times, so this time I just broke down and got the set.


Thanks Derek! I will take a look.
David

[Earl McLain]

My first thought was a short bolt of each size epoxied to a board and screw them to it—then I realized that adding a nut of each size and you’d have a shop made version of the boards I’ve seen mounted at Ace Hardware. A few months ago I picked up some of rockler’s storage foam, found that for things like wormwood screws I can just screw them in without drilling—actually kind of takes a thread.
earl

[Wayne Cannon]

Another for for the magnet strip.

An alternative to a set of different-sized holes might be a tapered dado/slot. I have something similar for sockets.

[George Yetka]

Toss em in loose. It will be fun

Magnet seems to me to be best idea.

This sketch may work too, 1/4 ply backing 4x10 or so with 1/4" stock to make a wall around them

[Rich Engelhardt]

My wife has a blanket on the top of Kasey's dog crate (Kasey is out BlueTick/Great Pyrenees mix).
I'd just toss them all- loose - on the blanket on top of the crate, about 30 seconds after tearing them out of the package they came in.

Months later, when I needed one and found my wife had picked them up and moved them & had no idea what I was yelling about "growing legs and walking away" - I'd go sit down at the computer to reorder them online.
That of course would mean that I'd get distracted - sometimes by coming here to SMC to whine about it - sometimes to look for a picture of some young girl in a bikini that I could download and use as my "wallpaper" (to get even with my wife for hiding whatever it was that I wanted).

Bottom line here is - I could daisy chain them on wire, toss them loose or build a nice little box with box joints (using my Incra jig that's in the garage and not on Kasey's crate) & the end result would be the same. They would end up on top of Kasey's crate.

Or - Quigley's crate.....Quigley is our Treeing Walker/Great Pyrenees mix. His crate has a blanket on top too. That's where I put my Makita compact router kit that grew legs and hid from me for over a year.

Moral - don't do what I do.... ;)