Quick burr storage solution

[mklotz]

I have A LOT of small cutting/grinding/shaping burrs for my Dremel/Foredom tools, as the photograph will prove. In fact, I have so many that I can't remember them all. Storing them together so I can visually scan them to find the one I need has its own set of problems. Over the years, I've made many wooden blocks in an OCD attempt to get them all sorted in one place. The bit shanks come in two sizes, 3 and 4 thirty-seconds, so two sizes of holes are required. Inevitably, as soon as a block is drilled with the requisite number of each size, I'll acquire more bits and be back at the start.

I finally had enough, overpowered my OCD compulsion, and came up with a quick and dirty fix. Six 3 x 1" pieces of corrugated cardboard were cut. Five were glued face-to-face and the sixth was glued on the bottom to close off the corrugations of the other five. As can be seen from the photo, this allows very high packing density; I didn't have the patience to count but there's got to be 60+ bits in roughly six cubic inches of space.



PROS:

Quick to make
High density
No hole layout or drilling required
Accepts both shank sizes
Easily expandable
Zero cost


CONS:

Less rugged than wood
May require the use of tweezers to extract some burrs
Unsightly

I'm pleased with the practicality of the solution but my sense of tool artistry is still annoyed.

[DIYer]

Thanks mklotz! We've added your Burr Storage to our Storage and Organization category,
as well as to your builder page: mklotz's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

Burr Storage by mklotz

tags: storage, holder

[DIYSwede]

Thanks for the tip, Marv!
For some durability and oil resistance, you might want to check the store's stationery sections
for some of that plastic "cardboard" used for clip pads, folders etc?

I dont have a pic of those, but I personally use the Polycarbonate big brother of it,
(I guess their intended use is for building greenhouses)
as a tool holder as seen in the top of 2nd pic in a post from last summer:
Torsional beam mini lathe stand

20 mm thick with 3 rows of square holes keeps tools as dense as you want them to be without drilling.

2 cents, ATB

Johan

[rebuilder1954]

Marv,

Around here (Dallas) there is a surplus of plastic signs planted in the dirt. They have nice corrugated structures, and do not rot like paper. I've harvested a few that showed up near me, for things like water rocket fins for the grandsons. They might work wonderfully for your purpose as well: just keep an eye out for a suitable color and harvest away. With luck, the image is posted below.

Best regards, and many thanks for your many contributions!

Bob R

[mklotz]

Marv,

Around here (Dallas) there is a surplus of plastic signs planted in the dirt. They have nice corrugated structures, and do not rot like paper. I've harvested a few that showed up near me, for things like water rocket fins for the grandsons. They might work wonderfully for your purpose as well: just keep an eye out for a suitable color and harvest away.

Best regards, and many thanks for your many contributions!

Bob R

Thanks for the reminder about that type of material. I remembered that my wife had some that she uses in her cake decorating work. Here's the new version of the tool; much more esthetically satisfying then the old cardboard.

[old_toolmaker]

Marv,
Ingenious use of free recycled corrugated cardboard.
Thanks for posting this and also the picture.