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Milling cutter storage

trlvn

trlvn

Ultra Member
What do you folks do to organize your milling cutters?

For me, the following piece looked like a great idea ($15 USD!!) until I checked the specs.

Milling cutter stand.jpg

Apparently the holes are metric sized. For example, there are ten 12mm holes. If they really are 12mm, then 1/2 shank tools will NOT fit. Bummer. I looked at several offerings on ebay.ca and banggood but they all appear to be identical. Can't find one made for imperial-sized tooling.

I know I could build something out of wood or plastic but I don't want to make this another project. I'd like to just buy something and get on with life.

Ideas? Links?

Thanks,

Craig
 
Ya I bought some plastic caddy's I think were related to ammo but they were kind of spendy & the lid didn't close with longer EM's. They come in different section sizes but all one size, so not great from that standpoint either. Since I've been buying more metric from Ali & such, I keep them in their dedicated sleeve like YYC shows & then (wait for it...) ziplock bak to separate ball from square from other styles. Not pretty but I find what I need eventually.
 
I totally get it about not making another project — I’ll be dead by the time I finally get to the real project I wanted to make in the first place. But, these were so cheap and so fast it wasn’t funny.

DC923A5C-7419-46FC-B3C3-3BD21D89D0EB.jpeg


It’s an old index card catalogue, obviously, and the white stuff in the bottom is 3/8” thick Ethafoam (polyethylene foam). It’s the same stuff used in ordinary packaging, I just happen to have good access to scraps of the archival-grade so used it. Cuts in seconds with a razor knife or in the case of round holes, a gasket punch or sharpened piece of tubing. Nothing is glued, it just sits there in the bottom so if you want to modify it’s dead fast. Stack as many layers as you like for added depth. As you can see I’m at the point where I need to expand a little, but I’m pretty sure I’m going to stay with the same material just because it’s so simple.
 
trlvn said:
I have 3D printed a couple of things at our local library but, due to Covid, they are closed. Otherwise, that would be a great solution.

Craig
Click to expand...

Your mention of local library being closed probably explains why I haven't received a reply from the main Hamilton library.
Family history stuff, so we wait the pandemic out. Stay warm and safe Craig.
 
YotaBota said:
Holy smoke, I missed the shipping part, I'll pass as well.
Do you have room to hang a parts bin on the wall close by?
https://www.kmstools.com/tactix-60-drawer-cabinet-113273
The bins don't care what size the shank is.
Click to expand...
I think I'd prefer to store them in a drawer rather than another bin on the wall.

My wife contributed an idea that might work. She makes greeting cards and similar items...which includes small boxes made of card stock. She said she could make a bunch of little boxes (no top) that would each fit one end mill. We can make a few sizes like ones to hold extra long end mills, bigger ones to hold round-over mills or keyseat cutters. Plus she has some card stock she's never going to use so it will cost nothing. I need to figure out sizes and then we'll make a couple of test ones. If these work, I will probably get a couple of cheap plastic trays from the dollar store and then I can have multiple layers of storage.

Craig
(And yes, I realize this has just become another project. Sigh.)
 
small (1/2 and under) ones in this:
1611775826753.webp

Big ones in regular tool chest.

Same for taps and dies.

I also divide carbide and HSS into separate groups.
 
Hey Craig, we must be mind linking - Before I left for work I got a bin of small endmills and some more drill bits.....my tool boxes have a couple drawers full of end mills and sizes etc. I had been dividing things up using those Plano fishing tackle boxes:

https://www.grainger.ca/en/product/p/WWG30F070?cm_mmc=PPC:+Google+PLA

they work well and you can size for different bits, except, they typically do not fit the drawer spot on and thus there is space between and such. They work exceptionly well for my welding stuff (mig tips, tig stuff etc)

I also have a load of taper drills I want out of the drawers and into a rack to make picking bit sizes easier. I am thinking I am just going to take the one tool chest on the wall and divide things up with either 1/4" baltic ply or 1/8" aluminum to address the various sizes of end mills. I will probably then drill out a sheet of aluminum for the drills....
 
I bought these steel cabinets from ikea that are a nice size
ee9aba2ea5c0177313d7d3008435db8c.jpg

3ccc455e142eb2fc18558e1449d7a7ae.jpg


They had sales last year when covid hit and offered free delivery for a while....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
trlvn said:
What do you folks do to organize your milling cutters?

For me, the following piece looked like a great idea ($15 USD!!) until I checked the specs.

Apparently the holes are metric sized. For example, there are ten 12mm holes. If they really are 12mm, then 1/2 shank tools will NOT fit. Bummer. I looked at several offerings on ebay.ca and banggood but they all appear to be identical. Can't find one made for imperial-sized tooling.

I know I could build something out of wood or plastic but I don't want to make this another project. I'd like to just buy something and get on with life.

Ideas? Links?

Thanks,

Craig
Click to expand...

Craig

I've had this mill storage container on my shelf for 30+ years and never used it. You are welcome to it.
98 x 1/2" holes
108 x 3/8" holes
196 x 3/16" holes - should be good for organizing misc. small drill bits

Send me a PM for pickup info

Regards
Brent

Mill storage 01.jpg


MILL STORAGE 02.jpg
 
eotrfish said:
Craig

I've had this mill storage container on my shelf for 30+ years and never used it. You are welcome to it.
98 x 1/2" holes
108 x 3/8" holes
196 x 3/16" holes - should be good for organizing misc. small drill bits

Send me a PM for pickup info
Click to expand...

Thanks for the generous offer but I don't get to Alberta much. ;)

I was looking at my inventory of cutters a different way. I have 7-8 cutters each where the diameter is 3/16", 3/8", or 1/2". In other diameters (eg 5/16", 5/8"), I have 1-3 cutters. So maybe I should make containers (paper boxes) that have all the same-diameter cutters together. It would be easy enough to, say, find a 2-flute 1/2" end mill among about 7 similar cutters. That way, I'd only have to make and label a handful of boxes.

Hopefully I'll get to make a couple of sample boxes this weekend. I'll post a picture whenever we get to it.

Craig
 
I've used 6 of these for a few years. One note of caution, if the drawers get heavy stuff in them the front pulls off. They also bemefit froma 1/4" plywood bottom reinforcement if you have heavy stuff.
 
I know you don't want a project but a couple laminated pieces of wood, smooth it up with a belt sander to make it look less like wood and bore an assortment of holes with forstner bits? I would guess takes less time than making cardboard boxes but will be more robust at the end of the day.
You can build it according to your space, 2x8 on the bottom, then a 2x6, 2x4....like steps. Make the holes slightly larger but deeper so the mills are held well but air can circulate. I have done a few storage things like that. If rushed, they don't get paint.....
 
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