Drill Storage

[Walt Nicholson]

Don't laugh, I know it's overkill but in my old shop I was always digging in drawers for the right drill, or the spot in the metal index box always seemed to have an empty spot where the right bit was supposed to be. I decided to fix that with the new shop. I found a surplus cabinet, drilled holes in the top shelves for the forstner bits and spade bits and re-installed them at an angle. I added a slide out with dividers for the augers and made another slide out for the regular bits. I found some thinwall 1 1/2" plastic tube at HD and cut it to various lengths. I used a hole saw the same size to cut circles partway into the shelf so the tubes would fit down in but still have a bottom. I printed some clear labels with the sizes so these old eyes could read them, labeled the tubes and filled them up with bits. The drawers hold my taps, punches, etc. My kids say I have way too much time on my hands but I sure know where to find the right size drill and it was a fun project. Next one is for the router bits. Thanks for looking.

[Don Abele]

Thanks for looking.

Walt, this sounds like a great idea. Buuutttt...as the pic police will say, "no pics, it didn't happen." :D

Do you have some photos of it?

Be well,

Doc

EDIT: LOL...Walt posted the photos while I was typing my reply. That IS a really nice cabinet. Nice job.

[gary Zimmel]

Walt

Now that is alot of bits.....

Nice job on the cabinet. Verrry orginized.

[Mike Heidrick]

Walt, where do you buy your drills from in bulk like that? Beautiful cabinet and great job!

[Garth Keel]

Great idea. Or, One more thing to put on my list to do; not that I'm obsessive:D

[Charles Wiggins]

Cool rack! If we had "American Idol" for shop organization you'd definitely be "going to Hollywood!"

[Eric DeSilva]

Nice! Looks very organized...

I'd build one, but my single 7/64ths bit would look a little silly in a 1.5" diameter cup. Maybe I could use drinking straws instead... ;)

(I'm a *little* jealous over size of your collection there!).

[Bill White]

I see one size that you're missing. For the small fee of $10,000 I'll tell ya which one it is.
Good idea there Walt.
By the way, I just slapped myself for the smart a$$ response about missing a size.
Bill

[Greg Muller]

Jeez Walt,
My bit collection just got an inferiority complex, as did my sense of organization. Apparently, I have found my next dp project. Got plans?

Verrrry niiiiice!

Greg

[Chuck Saunders]

That looks sharp!

[Grant Davis]

Form and function, what more can a guy ask for. I like the idea.

[Walt Nicholson]

Mike H., I got a set from Woodcraft that is 170 bits made up of a bunch of each size that is most commonly used and added the ones I already had to it. They are just average quality for metal but work good in wood and I had some good metal bits already. They don't show up on the WC site but our local store still has a bunch in stock. Rockler and Garrett Wade both were advertising them. Thanks

[Wes Bischel]

Walt,
Not only doe the cabinet look organized now, it looks like it has room to grow and stay organized! Something many organizers don't have the ability to do. Great job! A similar one may end up in my shop!

Wes

[Greg Heppeard]

Hey Walt,

If you ever get down Tulsa way....I'll let ya stop in and help organize my shop. Looks GREAT!!

[Joe Close]

Hi Walt.

I noticed your DP table in one of your pics. Did you make that setup?

[Al Garay]

Where's the Drill Doctor? :)

Very nice setup. If you take this care of your drill press, I look forward to the rest of your shop.

[Steve Clardy]

Nice job!!:D

[Walt Nicholson]

Hey Joe, that's a Pinnacle DP table. I bought some of their precision T-squares and stuff and really liked the quality. WC had this on sale for under a hundred bucks so I bought one and so far so good. Thanks.

[Danny Thompson]

Very nice. What's the cord hanging from the bottom of your cabinet?

[Walt Nicholson]

Danny, sharp eyes, the cord is for a multi-outlet extension cord not yet used. The next phase is a cabinet below and extended to the right of the current one that will house all my corded drills, jigs, templates, etc. with the drill doctor setting on top just to the right of the current cabinet. :D

[Bruce Page]

Very Slick Walt. Thanks for posting this, I feel a lot better about some of the things that I make for the shop. ;)

[Bob Durgin]

:eek: WOW thats alot of bits! What do you need a drill doctor for?

[Greg Peterson]

Nice job Walt. Have you thought some puck lights?

[Ernie Starnes]

My "shop" most of the time is the back of my 1 ton cutaway van (former Penske rental truck/van). For many months, I looked for something in which to keep smaller drill bits organized. I usually buy smaller size bits in bulk (anywhere from 12-100) but they always come in a container that doesn't hold up well or have a cap that won't stay on. Then, while searching online for something like a test tube with caps, I stumbled across "baby soda bottles". These are little bottles that soda bottling companies use to make 2 liter bottles, only these are before they are expanded at the bottling plant. They are 5.75" x 1" (inside dia.). They make great storage containers for drill bits, saber saw bits and the like. I ordered 30 of them at a place that basically is a school supply place for lab sciences and they arrived today (02/21/2008). I have also seen them on eBay but found that the school supply place is cheaper.

Because of the lip on these tubes, I plan to construct a shelf/rack for holding these by simply drilling 1-1/8" holes in a 1x3 and mounting it in the truck.

Here is a link:

http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/product/1367 (http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/product/1367)

[Walt Nicholson]

Ernie, thanks for the info on the tubes. Those look like they would be just about right for sorting and storing scroll saw blades in some type of holder. I just ordered some!

Greg, I have pretty good light in that area of the shop but puck lights might be a good addition. I am also trying to decide about putting a framed, clear plexi door on just to keep the dust out Thanks for the input.

[Lee Koepke]

You people and your good ideas ... I tell you what.... It makes me feel inferior :D

I really like the concept, and I have a similar picture in my mind. Of course, I have 1/10th the bits you have, but its STILL hard to find them sometimes

Thanks for sharing.

[Peter Quadarella]

Wow that is way better than my method of just throwing all my bits in a drawer. I really need to do something like this.

By the way, the Pinnacle table is the same as the Woodpecker table, just different colors.

[Kevin French]

Walt what a great job. Everything right there, at hand, neat and clean. You have to love making something from a used piece.

Hope it has drill fillings around it now.

Here's an simple Index I built from and old insense display.

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g179/sweeper54/shop/Index.jpg

Thanks for sharing Walt

[glenn bradley]

That looks like a great solution Walt. If my current setup didn't just happen to end up with a couple drawers right next to the DP, I would "borrow" that idea in a second.

[Rod Sheridan]

Thanks Walt, you ruined my day.

My drill bits looked at your photographs and banned me from my own shop!

I'm now so despondent that I'm going to leap from the basement shop window.

Seriously, that's a great storage system, I need to get working on one for my shop......Rod.

[Royce Meritt]

Over the years I have bought at least a dozen 1/16" drill bits. No wonder I can't find any of them. Walt has snuck into my shop and swiped all of them!

[Jody Malinich]

Walt,

You have inspired me to make one of these. I'm always looking for a bit and never can find them or find them days later under some sawdust.
Truly an ingenuis (sp?) design.

[Daniel Shnitka]

Impressive and inspirational, just what so many of us need. Thank you on a job well done.

[Doug Morgan]

Congrats on making the Woodmagazine America's Best Home Workshop 2009.:D

[Walt Nicholson]

Thanks Doug. I was pretty pumped when I got an e-mail from the editor asking if I would be interested in having the clamp rack, drill cabinet and scroll saw blade storage unit listed in the upcoming magazine. I thought about it for almost a second and said "absolutely!". To get a page and 1/2 in a national publication for havin fun in the shop is really cool. Now I need to convince the LOML that I need more tools to build more things.:D

[Don Bullock]

Walt, that's a super solution to a very common problem. Now I have another "must do" project to add to my looooooooooong list.

[Chuck Saunders]

Recognition well deserved.
Congratulations

[Cory Hoehn]

Didn't I see your shop in a magazine recently, too? That's a cool system for sure.