How to Store Your Random Orbital Sander Discs in a Shopmade Box!

Nothing fancy here, just a quick and easy way to build a nice storage unit for your random orbital hook and loop sanding discs.

Storing your discs in this way greatly improves your efficiency. An orderly shop not only looks nice it helps to keep you focussed on making things instead of scrounging for needed tools and materials.
The box is big enough so it won't get lost in your shop(unlike the flat packs that the discs come in) which saves time.
It's also very easy to tell at a glance if you need to buy more discs (nothing like finding out you have to go to the store to finish sanding something).
It easily stores more than 10 discs on each shelf.
It is a great way to keep your discs stored while in the shop and you can easily transport it to a jobsite if required.
It's easily customizable if desired and can be made from shop scraps.
It's also a nice beginner project that new woodworkers can do.
You can scale this box up and store saw blades in the same way (just put an appropriately sized peg in the center of the shelf and store one blade per shelf).

If your shop is set up you could probably put one together in less than an hour.
I haven't given many dimensions because they depend on what size discs you use. I have a Bosch 5" random orbital sander, so your mileage may vary.
This is the first one I made about a year ago. It's got 5 shelves (60, 80, 100, 150, and 220 Grit). I added another shelf for the new box.
This design will work for any type of sanding disc (5 hole, 8 hole, etc.) that has holes.

Step 1: Materials and Parts Needed

Your dimensions will be determined by your shelf size, which will be determined by your sanding disc size. My Bosch uses 5" discs. I ended up making the shelves about 6 3/8" deep and 6 1/2" wide. Then I based all my other dimensions off that. The sides, back, tops, and bottoms were all made with hardwood plywood scraps I had in the shop. All but the top (which was 1/4" ply) is made of 1/2" ply.
The shelves were made from 3/16" filches of Cherry I had. I made them out of 1/8" ply in my first box. Either will work. Base your dados off that size. For these my dados were exactly two saw blade kerfs wide and 1/4" deep. For my first box they were a little wider because I used 1/8" ply.

Step 2: Make the Shelves

This step is easy. Mark your peg hole by simply putting a disc down on a shelf and choosing a hole. A pencil will do fine for marking.
Stack the other shelves underneath and gang drill. Don't forget to put a piece of scrap wood underneath the shelves to prevent tearout!
Pegs should be 3/4" -7/8" pieces of 3/8" doweling. I made my own, but store bought dowel is fine too.
run a little bead of wood glue around one end of the peg and insert.
Let dry and you're done!

Step 3: Putting the Box Together

Box construction is pretty straight forward. Use Butt joints if you want. I chose to miter several of the joints on the newer box as it's intended for a friend. Use dovetails if you want, be creative and have fun!
Glue and nail all of the joints.
Sand everything after it dries.
Finish with some stain and some polyurethane if desired.

If you're making one for someone else as a gift, take it a step further and buy sanding discs so that the box is ready to go.