Forstner Bit Storage Hack

The typical storage box that comes with Forstner Bits leaves much to be desired. There’s too much play so the bits tend to fall and it’s really unclear where each bit goes without looking at the marking on each bit.

The simplest way to store bits of any kind is typically to just drill a bunch of holes that fit the bit.

But once again, there’s no indication of which goes where. I also wasn’t sure where th ebest place to store these would be. I could do a stationary wall mount but I’m not a huge fan of that style for bits because I often like to move them around as I work. Then it hit me: I have storage drawers free that I can use!

I designed a little mock up in SketchUp to help me layout the bits in a way that makes sense.

I attached the template to the board I’m using as my storage “piece” and used that as an easy template to follow for making cuts.

I adjusted each forstner bit to make each hole and repeated the process over and over… and over.

Once I had all of the holes cut I applied glue to the board and attached it to the next piece that will hold the shaft of the bit.

Now I can just drill a pilot hole through each of these to create a spot to insert the bits!

I used the forstner bits again to press an outline onto the bottom board so I knew where to drill holes to keep them centered.

The only problem is that some of the bits from different brands have varying sized shafts compared to bit shape.

Inside of the drawer I built a frame to hold the forstner bit storage panel.

I tested the drawer to make sure the bits cleared the inside of the drawer well and had to make a small adjustment to the inside frame. Then I screwed the storage piece onto the frame.

The smallest bits were the strangest to work with because they weren’t able to be held like the larger bits.

I glued a small piece of wood to the bottom of the drawer to make a lift for the smallest bit so it would be just as easy to find as the rest. Then I used a ballpoint pen to label each of the forstner bits.

And here’s the finished Forstner Bit Storage box!