Magnetic Drill Bit Storage Case

by Yonatan24

10K8623

Intro: Magnetic Drill Bit Storage Case

There are many ways for storing drill bits. You can store them in a scrap piece of wood, styrofoam, or even on your drill itself!

I've tried a few methods, and each one has its disadvantages. A scrap piece of wood is hard to make without breaking the bits because the hole needs to be slightly bigger than the bit, so you need to wiggle the bit while drilling It also isn't balanced so it tips over, and then the bits fall out, since they aren't held inside properly. Then they break, or get lost...

Styrofoam? It isn't portable - I can't take it with me when working outside. After a few months, some of the holes start falling apart. This tends to happen more if you watch Casey Neistat's videos! ;)

Storing drill bits on a drill is a good idea, but its only a solution for a temporary situation: when you don't want bits to get lost while working. You can't keep a hole (spelling mistake and pun kind of intended) set on your drill!

In this Instructable, I will show you how I organized my Spade drill bits, twist drill bits (big & small), brad-point drill bits, center punch, and Torx bits, which I use both for my screwdrivers and corded drill.

(Watch the YouTube video: LINK FOR MOBILE VIEWERS!)

STEP 1: ​What You'll Need:

Below is a list for everything you'll need to complete this project. The parts are either ones that I already had (found/salvaged/made for another project/etc...), or bought (Hardware store, eBay, etc...). If you don't see something that you think should be here, or would like to know more about a specific tool/part that I used, feel free to ask in the comments.

I made it for FREE since I already had everything that was needed, but if you're planning on buying everything (tools excluded), my guesstimate would be that it would cost you around <$10...

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Hardware & Materials:

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Adhesives:

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Tools (+Attachments):

  • Scissors
  • Tweezers
  • Pencil

Subject: Organization

Approximate Time: <1 hour

Difficulty: Super Simple

STEP 2: A Cassette Tape Case? NOPE!

In the beginning, I came up with the idea of using an old cassette case and rectangular magnets for storing them. Both of these items should be around twice as old as me!

I arranged the magnets for the spade, twist bits, and brad point bits which barely fit inside, but didn't have space for the small twist bits, which are the ones that I use most often. That wasn't such a big problem, since I found another plastic container that I planned to glue onto the cassette tape case. I thought that was good enou-

CHANGE OF PLANS! ⁽ᴵᵐᵃᵍᶦᶰᵉ ᵗᵒᵗᵃᶫᶫʸ ᵘᶰᶰᵉᶜᵉˢˢᵃʳʸ ᵐᵘˢᶦᶜ⁾

I got reminded of the cookie tin that I use for storing my sandpaper sheets. ⁽ᴵᵐᵃᵍᶦᶰᵉ ᵉᵛᵉᶰ ᵐᵒʳᵉ ᵗᵒᵗᵃᶫᶫʸ ᵘᶰᶰᵉᶜᵉˢˢᵃʳʸ ᵐᵘˢᶦᶜ⁾

STEP 3: Testing the New Case...

The new container should be big enough for all of my drilling accessories!

Also, the nice thing about metal (not aluminum) is when prototyping, the magnet doesn't tip over messing up the alignment, unlike plastic.

STEP 4: Looks Good? TAPE!

After I was happy with the way the bits were organized, I decided to use double sided tape to glue the magnets down. Alternatively, you can also use CA glue, or many other adhesives, but double sided tape is extremely strong, yet easy to remove with a knife.

I removed the drill bits from each magnet one by one so the magnet wouldn't move, and then marked its place with a pencil. I glued double sided tape to one side of each magnet, and then removed the release liner (backing) with tweezers [See my Instructable for more Clever Uses for Tweezers], and glued it in place.

STEP 5: Enjoy Your New Drill Bit Case!


See it in action, on Youtube!(opens in a new tab)

I̶ ̶w̶i̶l̶l̶ ̶b̶e̶ ̶g̶i̶v̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶a̶w̶a̶y̶ ̶f̶r̶e̶e̶ ̶I̶n̶s̶t̶r̶u̶c̶t̶a̶b̶l̶e̶s̶ ̶m̶e̶m̶b̶e̶r̶s̶h̶i̶p̶s̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶m̶e̶m̶b̶e̶r̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶m̶a̶k̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶i̶r̶ ̶o̶w̶n̶ ̶m̶a̶g̶n̶e̶t̶i̶c̶ ̶d̶r̶i̶l̶l̶ ̶b̶i̶t̶ ̶c̶a̶s̶e̶.̶ ̶W̶i̶l̶l̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶b̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶f̶i̶r̶s̶t̶ ̶o̶n̶e̶?̶ Too late!

Extra note: both my adjustable hole saw, and 3mm drill bits still haven't arrived from eBay. I'm also planning on making my own countersink bit, so that will probably be added soon too. Maybe even some Dremel tool accessories too. Remember, you can always move stuff around later! Perhaps if I learn how to use the impossible tools called the Tape & Die they will be added too. I also left some space near the magnet of the spade bits, since I might buy more sizes soon.

And while typing the intro, I got the idea of gluing a big magnet to the battery/base of my DeWalt corded drill, which will hold the screwing bits that I use on the time.

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I read ALL comments, and reply to as many as I can, so make sure to leave your questions, suggestions, tips, tricks, improvements, and any other ideas in the comments below! - Thanks!

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18 Comments

jimfricker 3 years ago

What about attaching the magnets to the inside of the lid instead (or as well). The base can then become the lid and the drills near the sides are easier to pickup.

Yonatan24 3 years ago

I'm not sure exactly what you mean.

jimfricker 3 years ago

How magnetized to the drills become? Drilling holes into steel with a magnetized drill is a PITA.

Yonatan24 3 years ago

They do. Now I use a different system.

IAmADragonite 3 years ago

Don't drill bits usually come with cases? My Milwaukee bits always do.

IAmADragonite 3 years ago

What bits are you using? I tried lesser brand bits once. They dulled after one hole in angle iron

Yonatan24 3 years ago

I have a bunch of different kinds, nothing special, maybe except for a few carbide tipped and cobalt drill bits.

PaJ7 4 years ago

The styrofoam and wood block ideas have been nice while I get things organized, but I will definitely try this as a more permanent and secure solution, especially for smaller bits.

Yonatan24 4 years ago

I recommend it for drill bits that aren't used for drilling into metal, the chips and metal dust gets stuck to the magnetized drill bit!

Yonatan24 7 years ago

:)

The premium membership is still waiting for a new owner... You?

Yonatan24 7 years ago

I thought someone would make some kind of correction for that. How am I supposed to know? :)

When searching for cassette case on Google images, most of the results were for small cassettes.

I just got reminded of VCRs. So this was used for computers?

Yonatan24 7 years ago

I don't think so. It's shaped as a rectangle.

Left-field Designs 7 years ago

Great idea. It would also stick to the side of the pillar drill keeping your bits in a convenient location

Yonatan24 7 years ago

I've seen a few people do that for their drill key. I don't always take my drill press (the one I'm trying to build, that is) outside when working on projects, so this is better for me.

If I had one "workshop", I would probably do that!

Yonatan24 7 years ago

What do you use for storing your drill bits and drilling accesories?