Magnetic Drill Bit Sorter

I hate the little plastic holders that hold drill bit sets that you buy at the hardware store. They hold the drill bits tightly so it's hard to get them in and out. The text is too small to read the size of the bit, and if you have multiple bits out it can be hard to tell where they go back. They are good if you are taking your tools to a job site, but for using in the shop they are just a pain.

That's why I created these magnetic drill bit trays. The bits are held relatively securely but can be easily removed and replaced. There is a lot of space for large labels that can be read from a distance (or just with aging eyes), and they act as sorters so that bits can be put back in the right place even into an empty tray. If you drop them the bits will scatter, so not great for a remote job site, but for in the shop they are ideal.

This instructable will cover both the large and small trays, but you can make either one alone.

You will need a selection of thin flat wood or card stock 1/2, 1/4 and 1/16 inch thicknesses. I used MDF and heavy card stock.

For the smaller try you will need a piece of magnetic sheet, like that used for fridge magnets. I harvested some old magnets that we constantly get from realtors. You will want to use the thicker kind for a stronger attraction.

For the large tray you need some small rare-earth magnets. I used ones that were 1/4 inch in diameter and 1/16 inch thick.

Finally this will require some combination of wood glue, contact cement, white glue, hot glue.

The flats of the trays are made by laminating rectangular sheets of material together. The base piece in my design was 1/4 inch thick, but it could be any similar size. The pieces can be cut before assembly, but I had more success by making my parts oversize and then trimming the final product so it fit comfortably around the bits that I used. You can use two edges as reference edges and leave the others floating for trimming to size later.

Wood glue is best for attaching the layers of wood or card stock. To attach the magnetic material I used Barge contact cement, although hot glue could also be used.

For the large tray individual rare-earth magnets are used. You'll want to place them about 2 inches up from the bottom. This is so that the magnet is aligned with the non-fluted part of the drill shaft for better contact, and so that you have a lot of leverage when removing the bit.

Installing the magnets can be done using a press fit to keep them flush with the flat of the surface. Drill a hole a bit smaller than the magnet -- I used 15/64 inch which is just a bit smaller than my 1/4 inch magnets. Place the magnet flat over the hole and then use a clamp to force it into the hole. They can be tricky to get started but once they start they can be squashed flush.

You want to create slots where your bits will contact the magnets or the magnetic sheet. These serve as guides to hold the bits in orientation, but should not be so tight as to prevent the bit from being in complete contact with the magnet. You also want them wide enough to use for labels.

I used a thin card stock for this. The groove doesn't need much depth to function. There are probably several ways to do this, and you may want to find one that works for you. I started at one end and laid out my bits one at a time and placed a 1/2 inch (or so) wide strip of card stock up next to that one before moving to the next. When dealing with the rare-earth magnets you have to carefully trim the strips to leave the right-sized gap for each bit. Take your time and double-check the fit because it can be hard to adjust once done.

On the large tray I used white glue to attach the strips. On the magnetic sheet I used hot glue, although I think contact cement might have been better.