Router bit storage - inserts required to stop rust?

[Rorton]

Looking for a way to organise and store my router bits. I was planning on drilling some holes in some oak to fit the 1/4 and 1/2 shanks and these panels will then sit in a drawer, but read that people have had rusting of the router bit shanks when stored like this.

anyone had this problem, Rockler seem to do some inserts that fit into a 5/8 hole which can store either a 1/4 or 1/2 bit

 

[TRITON]

Use mdf to sit them in or buy one of the premade holders which are plastic. I made mine in mdf.

You could use a couple of uber cheap food cutting boards that are polypropylene and stick them together for thickness.

 

[Rorton]

mdf is a good idea thanks, I wanted the bits to be on a 30 degree angle as the depth of the drawer won't allow for all of the bits to stand upright

shamefully stolen a pic of the internet here - ignore the drawer bit, but if you imagine this is looking from the top down if this was in a drawer

 

[Blackswanwood]

Oak would be a bad choice as steel reacts with the tannins which is what I expect you have seen referenced elsewhere. The ones I regularly use are in a piece of ash which is just what I had to hand. If I were more organised I’d probably have used mdf.

 

[Rorton]

Thanks. do you drill the hole the exact size of the shank? I don’t have any imperial bits, so as a test, for the 1/4 I used a 6.5mm which seemed ideal, but I only have a 13mm for the 1/2 inch which may be too loose. Happy to get a 1/4 and a 1/2 bit if they won’t be too tight?

 

[Simon89]

I did mine in MDF with 6.5mm holes. Also drilled a 2mm hole through the bottom to allow the air in and out of the hole as the bit is inserted & removed

 

[Blackswanwood]

l will have used metric bits as I don’t have any imperial ones.

 

[Keith Cocker]

I keep mine in a Systainer fitted with a foam drilled base - I think I got the base from Amazon or eBay.

 

[Limey Lurker]

Thanks. do you drill the hole the exact size of the shank? I don’t have any imperial bits, so as a test, for the 1/4 I used a 6.5mm which seemed ideal, but I only have a 13mm for the 1/2 inch which may be too loose. Happy to get a 1/4 and a 1/2 bit if they won’t be too tight?

The difference between 13 mm and 1/2 inch is 0.012 inches. In my experience, zero-clearance holes can cause cut fingers when trying to remove router bits from them.

 

[Fergie 307]

Good idea is to buy some silica gel bags, cheap as chips on e bay. Put a few of these in with your bits, or If you are designing a purpose built rack leave a space in the bottom for some gel bags. They will absorb any moisture and stop your bits going rusty. And as has been said oak is about the worst possible choice, will make them rust because of the chemicals in the wood.

 

[TRITON]

I wanted the bits to be on a 30 degree angle as the depth of the drawer won't allow for all of the bits to stand upright

Wouldnt it just then be a case of either setting the b/saw/bench saw at a desired angle for either the face you drill into(as per pic) or the back edge that you glue down. ?
If no powered saw available, take a long strip and hand plane the angle onto it.

 

[Rorton]

Wouldnt it just then be a case of either setting the b/saw/bench saw at a desired angle for either the face you drill into(as per pic) or the back edge that you glue down. ?
If no powered saw available, take a long strip and hand plane the angle onto it.

yep, that's the plan

Good idea is to buy some silica gel bags, cheap as chips on e bay. Put a few of these in with your bits, or If you are designing a purpose built rack leave a space in the bottom for some gel bags. They will absorb any moisture and stop your bits going rusty. And as has been said oak is about the worst possible choice, will make them rust because of the chemicals in the wood.

thanks for the silica tip, great idea - was planning on oak as I seem to have an abundance of bits - ive found these plastic inserts online that fit in a 5/8" hole, and then the insert sits in, and you can put either a 1/4 or 1/2 router bit in the hole, so will try these out and see how they work - assuming the choice of wood won't matter too much if the bits are sitting in a sleeve

 

[GarlicCharge]

This is what I plan on trying at some point.

Make one of these to drop into a drawer or make some rails like the guy does on the video