Tap & Die Tool Storage

So I wanted an easy way to store & easily find the tap or die I needed without reading the tiny writing on them to determine size, pitch, etc. They eventually corrode over the writing & it's impossible to read.

The original kit was difficult to mark with size info. Plus as I added sizes they didn't fit into that kit's storage. I ended up with small piles of extras & it takes forever to find the one I want.

The dies went into a case from Michaels intended for bead storage, they have tons of these in lots of configurations. I opted for a box full of smaller plastic cases approx 1.5"x1.5"x 3/4". There are about 45 total. This was a second choice.

I put small Avery mailing labels on the side with size info, could've just used a sharpie on the case too.

For the taps - I took a couple scraps of oak plank, approx 2" x 3/4", and drilled appropriate holes into the side. Size info gets written on the side making it easy to match to the tool.

The hardest part of this was determining the size info on the old corroded ones. The most time-consuming was drilling the oak with the right size holes to match the taps. I didn't worry about making it pretty, just functional.

Step 1: How the End Up in the Drawer

Here's how that drawer ends up, so easy to find a size at a glance now.

Step 2: Shots of the Originals

Here's how these kits typically look. There's virtually NO way to add size markings to the case that are easy to read.

Also how some of my older taps end up looking after heavy use - almost impossible to read!

Step 3: New Experiment for Dies

This is kinda Plan B, not sure if I like it yet. Still playing with it. These will be stackable, about 1" thick.