Storage of taps, dies, slot drills and end mills

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Terryd	28/01/2012 06:30:10
1935 forum posts 179 photos	Hi, I'm not keen on keeping items such as taps, reamers, end mills etc loose in drawers or tins etc as the edges can be damaged by the continual rummaging for the correct size. I much prefer the drilled wooden block method. Before I lost most of my stuff I also used colour coding methods, e.g. with drills I painted the flutes, red for imperial, blue for metric and so on, blocks coded to match. I also kept taps and the tap drills in sets in blocks, taper, plug and drill each size all together. Takes a while to organise but it saves so much time as well as keeping the tools safe. I'm at present reorganising but have decided to go all metric, with some imperial inevitably in the UK , and that simplifies the task. As I said it takes time but as the old (Hindu?) saying goes, "How do you eat an Elephant?" Answer - "A slice at a time". Well, time for some slicing Regards Terry Edited By Terryd on 28/01/2012 06:31:36
Bogstandard2	28/01/2012 10:09:35
197 forum posts	I use Tap & Die for most of my small threading needs. If you buy a boxed set, just ask the very nice gentleman on the other end of the phone to use empty tap and die boxes for the packing. I got enough new boxes to almost open a factory of my own, in fact they have kept my engineering and fishermen friends in small plastic boxes for the rest of their lives. Never have taps, in fact any cutting tool, touching each other or anything hard, without proper soft protection for their cutting edges. That will make them go dull in no time. At the first sign of a squeak when using a tap down a correctly sized and lubricated hole, it is discarded, otherwise you will eventually end up digging it out. If bought in bulk from T&D, they do work out very cheap, so no excuses really. For specialist cutting tools that normally have a range of sizes, round over bits, dovetail cutters, reamers etc, I either keep them in their original soft boxes or use either a teak or cedar block suitably drilled to the size of shank to hold them in their sets, never to come into contact with each other. John
Peter Wood 5	28/01/2012 10:16:39
49 forum posts 4 photos	Thanks for all the suggestions. Like Terry, I am not happy to have the tools loose in a tray. At present I try to keep them all in their individual tubes etc albeit they are then all mixed up in a bag or box. I particularly like Roderick's idea as I have kept a number of the wooden boxes that chinese tools are often delivered in. The box that my height guage arrived in, though a bit bulky, would be just the right size to accomodate a number of custom made wooden trays for taps and dies. The wooden block method seems the best solution for milling tools. I feel a spell of carpentry coming on.
Clive Hartland	28/01/2012 19:54:50
792 forum posts 19 photos	Yes it had to happen, I keep my cutters etc in plastic boxes and I stack them. Cleaned the lathe and turned and as I did so, 'Crash' down came the plastic box with all the cutters in it. All over the concrete floor and I spent ages looking for all the small ones. Hopefully no damage but i will have to eyeball all of them later. I think now I will have to come up with secure storage! Clive
wheeltapper	28/01/2012 20:09:27
308 forum posts 94 photos	That reminds of a time when I kept one of those 115 drill boxes next to the pillar drill. I always kept the lid open and one time I reached up to the shelf to get a box, knocked another box and that landed on the lid of the drill set. Have you any idea how long it takes to find, then pick up, then sort 115 bloody drills? Now all my drill sets stay closed until I need one then it's opened on the bench, away from possible falling things. Roy.
Stub Mandrel	28/01/2012 22:35:47
3223 forum posts 262 photos	My ME dies are in a box meant for fishing flies, a rectangle of karrimat in it with holes for each die. The taps are in a box made of two pieces o0f wood (one veneered chipboard the other mahogany). The bottom piece has grooves milled in it with a bull nose mill and the top is just relieved with a normal mill. My two BA sets and two metric sets are in the boxes they came in. Reamers are in a box that kids coloured pencils/crayons etc.came in, divided up using ordinary cardboard. Neil
Ian Welford	02/03/2012 20:08:40
113 forum posts	Just a thought- garden hoes split down one side is excellent at protwecting the edges of reamers ( if kept in a drawer). You can also use it to protcet the teeth of hand saws etc from fingers and vice versa. Professionally - ask your local chemist for spare tubes etc from stuff people return for disposal. the clear plastic applicator storage tubs from "Zineryt" are excellent for small screws and just right to store a pair of 3/4 knurling wheels in ! Often ( eg "calceos" tablet tubes) they have dessicant capsules built into the lid as well! 35 mm film containers (clear prefferably) are free and good as well. If anyone knows someone who works for a print works ask for LITHO plate- excellent uniform aluminium shim stock. just down to my last 5 sheets ( but as it's 400 x 500 that's still a good supply!) Regards Ian
Oshb5s	21/04/2012 03:37:03
25 forum posts 20 photos	Hi I have done much the same as some of the others with the wooden blocks But how mine differ is Iv made sure the block can have three rows and Iv used them for threading That is the right drill for the tap so it has in the first hole drill second hole first tap then finaly the plug tap. iv done it for metric up to 8mm 1/6 1/4 bsp and imperial up to 1/2 its a nice block But makes tapping a simple job. No mor checking the drill size then finding it as they are all in one place..But this is just my way all my other drills are in metal cases and are well marked with vinyl letters stating metric imperial numbered and lettered for easy selection. I do have one advantage of having a vinyl cutter so can make any size shape or colour. I would say if anyone wants any ask but I could see my PM box being so full i would not be able tokeep up LOL Osh P.S. My spell check has stopped working Booo