Woodriver Router Bit Storage

[MRDucks2]

Picked up a couple of the Woodriver Router Bit & Accessories Storage Racks made of galvanized steel on clearance at one of the Wood Craft stores I visit when traveling.

In all honesty, I did not expect much but for $12.50 it was as cheap as a plastic one and I am still setting up my new/old shop (into the second year now).

I must admit I was surprised. It is made out of a decent gauge of steel for the application, thicker than metal ones I have purchased in the past. It is quite rigid on its own and once mounted, seems like it work nicely.

29 holes for half inch, 14 holes for quarter inch with a solid bottom under the holes so the bits stand up. The slots for wrenches and such go all the way through.

The $25 regular price may be a little bit high, and I got a great deal, but I would be willing to pay $20 for it if I needed a 3rd one, which I don't expect I will.

Watch for the on sale.

 

[leehljp]

Or make you own. I made those three drawers back in 2002-2003 and had to make 3 more drawers in 2020. The bits below are what I had overseas, and I had that many back here too. I used a 1/2" forstner bit to make the holes for the 1/2 inch bits and then sanded each hole with dowel and sandpaper to let the 1/2" bits fit easily, and I used 1/4 in forstner bit and reamed it out with a 9/32 bit for the 1/4 inch router bits. Works great. Takes a little time to layout, but easy.

 

[egnald]

Cool. - Here is mine, sort of modular, made with some bits of MDF and 17/32 or 9/32 drill bits cut and glued on an angle so they would fit inside one of the drawers in my toolbox. - Dave

 

[Dalecamino]

Very nice Mike.

 

[leehljp]

Cool. - Here is mine, sort of modular, made with some bits of MDF and 17/32 or 9/32 drill bits cut and glued on an angle so they would fit inside one of the drawers in my toolbox. - Dave

View attachment 335152 View attachment 335153

Wow, David, that is nice, and labeled too!

A suggestion: Since yours is in MDF, it does the same as plywood - over time, the wood/MDF will absorb moisture from the ambient humidity alone and will create rust on the shafts. DAMHIKT.

There are two ways to stop it that I know: 1. Bore the holes larger and find some plastic inserts for router bits; 2. Coat the MDF / plywood with soft Wax and rub it into the wood. This needs to be repeated about once a year for 3 or 4 years and then every other year.

Mike's metal holders will automatically prevent that from happening, or at least be slower for rust build up than wood shoulders cause.

QUESTION for you guys on router bits: Is it acceptable to wax the shafts for storage? Ambient humidity will cause rust in many cases.

 

[SteveG]

I lived in Hawaii for a number of decades (high humidity combined with salt content in the air from the trade winds), and had fabricated a router bit storage unit using wood. I experienced the rust on the router bit shafts mentioned by Hank. My thought was to bore the mounting holes in some type of thick plastic. I had acquired some inexpensive UHMW slabs (scrap) for that purpose. It is easy to machine, and well suited for the purpose.