digest
Short Summary
Main recommendation: Build a simple wooden drill bit storage case with a thin wood divider strip and a foam-lined lid to keep bits organized in your wood shop, even when they bang together. The creator, Steve Ramsey, argues that loose, unseparated storage is fine for disposable bits and that a fancy holder with individual slots often goes unused.
Key Points
- The box uses 3/8-inch sides resawn on a table saw instead of planed, with 1/2-inch plywood top and bottom, and a rabbet cut along the edges.
- Four side pieces are mitered at 45° on a miter sled and glued up like a picture frame, held with a band clamp.
- A mistaken saw cut was repaired by filling the slot with a walnut strip, which he jokes he could pass off as deliberate inlay if anyone noticed.
- Reasons for skipping individual drill bit holders: he loses bits, rarely needs exact diameters, buys inexpensive bits, and says loose bits have worked for years.
- The lid is fitted with cut foam and a hook-and-eye fastener, then protected with spray lacquer.
Details Worth Noting
- Concrete instructions:
- Resaw the 3/8-inch sides on a table saw rather than running them through a planer.
- Make the first miter cut on one fence of the miter sled, then flip the board and cut to length on the other fence for accurate 45° miters.
- Glue four pieces into a picture frame and clamp with a band clamp until dry.
- To separate the box into two halves on the table saw, slide a shim between the pieces so they don't pinch the blade.
- Cut the walnut divider strip (about 1/8 inch thick) with 30° ends, test-fit it against the drill bits, and trim as needed to sit at the right height.
- Flatten the two inside surfaces with sandpaper, then apply a couple of coats of spray lacquer for protection.
- Cut a foam piece to fit into the lid.
- The fence setting on the table saw determines the depth of the rabbets along the edges.
- The 8-inch plywood used for the top and bottom is the same stock used on an earlier project, the Bongo Kahome.
- The creator calls the band clamp one of his most-used tools.
Bottom Line
A loosely organized, budget-friendly drill bit box is a practical shop project, and the creator's point is that perfect individual slots are not necessary.
