Empty Drill Boxes

[Dr. MC BlackParticipant @dr-mcblack73214]

Does any reader know where one can buy empty metal drill boxes (Indices?) at a sensible price, please?

I have bought these in the past but the local supplier no longer stocks them.

I'm beginning to wonder if the answer is to buy a VERY cheap set of drills in a box and then throw the drills away.

Is anybody able to help, please?

Very many thanks

[Dr. MC BlackParticipant @dr-mcblack73214]

[Anonymous]

eBay under "drill index" ?

[Anonymous]

Amazon have them too.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Do you actually want a box or would a stand do? If so search for something like "drill bit stand"

My boxes always sit open in easy reach, in fact on a couple I've removed the lid so they take up less room

[GrottoParticipant @grotto]

It’s a pity you don’t live locally, as I've got a spare one you could have.

They’re the sort of thing you pick up cheap at markets with 2 or 3 blunt drills in.

[noel shelleyParticipant @noelshelley55608]

TRACY TOOLS ! Noel

[Dr. MC BlackParticipant @dr-mcblack73214]

Ladies & Gentlemen

Thank you for taking the time to respond.

I looked at both Ebay and Amazon before posting but neither were helpful.

I actually want a sturdy drill box to give as a present to a chum who is "mechanically inept". I have just sharpened his HSS drills for the second time and suspect that they would stay sharper if kept in a Drill Box.

I am hoping to be able to obtain an empty 1 – 6 mm or 1 – 10 mm by 0.5 mm steps.

Grotto – what do you have spare, please? Where are you located?

With best wishes and thanks again.

[Clive FosterParticipant @clivefoster55965]

Stands and de-lidded boxes are handy when you only use one or two sets. If you have several proper boxes with lids become essential for practical storage. I have eight boxes in the "workshop" storage and several others for handyman duties.

What I'd like to know is what twit decided that metric 0.1 mm increment boxes should stop at 10 mm rather than going up to 13 mm like the 0.5 increment ones do. Many useful sizes missed out that way. I hate having to go to loose drills or the very incomplete MT metric stock for those so usually an Imperial gets pushed into service. Guess it helps having almost all the MT 2 and MT3 imperials by 1/64 th.

Clive

[John OlsenParticipant @johnolsen79199]

Meanwhile I have several empty or mostly empty drill boxes here in NZ. It turns out to be uneconomical to buy the drills to fill them, you can buy a full set in another box cheaper than buying loose drills of the same quality.

John

[Dr. MC BlackParticipant @dr-mcblack73214]

Thank you for taking the time to respond from NZ.

I'm NOT looking to buy loose drills. I'm hoping to extend the life of the drills that he already owns!

I have seen cheap sets advertised – but they often come in plastic boxes and the reviews of the drills suggests that they would find it difficult to drill holes in cheese!

To answer Mr. Foster, I suspect that a set of drills from 10.1 to 13.0 in 0.1mm steps would be uneconomically expensive. How often would one need the complete range?

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

I too have bemoaned the lack of 0.1 mm increment drills above 10 mm

But by then the hole is large enough to allow a boring bar to enter.

Also, using Imperial drills to just below the required size, allows the hole to,be bored or reamed to size, no no major problem.

Howard

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

Give the fellow a strip of timber batten with instructions on how to drill suitably spaced blind holes in the timber with each drill size (to a suitable depth), then screw the batten to the wall (with spacers, if necessary) is my suggestion!

Obviously inappropriate if the drills are to reside in a toolbox.

Not all HSS drills are of the same quality – perhaps his are just not ‘HSS enough’. Or, again, perhaps his mechanical ineptitude extends to how to use the drills? Fast and furious, while not actually cutting (much) is the single most wearing problem while drilling.

[Dr. MC BlackParticipant @dr-mcblack73214]

He doesn't have a workshop; I think the drills just rattle together in a tin.

He's a semi retired minister of religion. I would NOT be surprised if he offers up a small prayer before drilling!

[Andrew Tinsley 1Participant @andrewtinsley1]

ARC do empty drill boxes, They are plastic, but look sturdy enough.

Andrew.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Posted by Howard Lewis on 02/09/2021 13:06:14:

I too have bemoaned the lack of 0.1 mm increment drills above 10 mm

 

They are easy enough to buy individually, dormer go upto about 14mm and then start going in 0.25mm steps.

Its just that sets are not common as like mentioned above there would be little demand for such sets particularly given that individually the drills sell for £20-30 each that's a big investment for a set where only certain ones may get used.

I think the ARC boxes are only the ones for mixed taps and tapping drills but they are sturdy

 

Edited By JasonB on 02/09/2021 14:19:41

[Dr. MC BlackParticipant @dr-mcblack73214]

I have taken the risk of looking at ARC's web site and can't find empty drill boxes.

It's probably because I'm going senile but I should be most grateful if you would kindly give me a hint as to where they are listed on that web site.

Thank you

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

This is the only one I know they do, as said in previous post not much use for a set of drills.

Have a search for "Roebuck empty drill case" on google for the traditional metal ones.

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

Arc Catalogue 11, only shows drills in boxes, not empty boxes. Ditto for Tracy Tools, and The Tap and Die co, as far as I can see.

You may find what you want on Amazon, under Drill Index Boxes.

Howard

[Tony Pratt 1Participant @tonypratt1]

'Roebuck empty drill case' brings up one at £11.58 plus I assume postage from Buck & Hickman

Tony

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Really? As well as a couple of different Roebuck ones from several suppliers good old Drill Services also comes up in the search results, plenty of choice from them on this page or a few from Farnell

Edited By JasonB on 02/09/2021 15:05:46

[DMBParticipant @dmb]

To anyone starting to gather tools to do a project, I would say look at the whole job, making a list of taps and dies needed. Forget fancy sets of drills, half will never get used. Ascertain only the necessary tapping drills for the taps required, listing them. This way, you will keep the costs to a minimum.

"Collect the set" started in schooldays with items like Robertsons badges or cut out pictures on cereal packets of servicemen in various uniforms and so on. Progress to later years where manufacturers play the same marketing ploy with sets of spanners in AF, BA, BSW METRIC etc and sets of screwdrivers, pliers, tweezers and of course, umpteen different tap and die sets. Boxed threading sets also contain a tap wrench and diestock, useful first time around but why would you want to duplicate them with every boxed set that you buy?

[DMBParticipant @dmb]

If, like me, over the years, you have bought Imperial sets and some at least of BA, ME 32t and 40t, brass26t, possibly odd sizes of BSW and BSF, they will all be covered by fraction, letter or number size tapping drills. Some of these Imperial drills will also provide a close alternative tapping size drill for a metric tap, saving the cost of a number of special size metric drills.

[Dr. MC BlackParticipant @dr-mcblack73214]

Tracy Tools will sell me a set of Split point HSS drills in a metal box for £13.20 including Postage and V. A. T. ; the basic cost of the set is less than the price of an empty box from Drill Service (Horley).

So I shall probably go down that route.

Very many thanks for all your help

I hope that you and your families are, and will remain, safe and well.

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