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I was rummaging through some drawers and I found this screwdriver bit holder I made probably 35+ years ago when I was working in Illinois. I made this shortly after I won a ¼" B&D cordless drill from Kmart (remember them?) along with some other tools. I still have all the other tools but the battery in the drill failed after 18 months and it was way too costly to replace.

Back then I worked for a switch company that made, obviously switches, from the mechanical contact type to solid state sensors. Some of these switch/sensor products used magnets that ranged from the old iron nickel to barium ferrite filled PVC magnets in many shapes. I had samples of the PVC magnets from many different suppliers because we were in the process of investigating the properties of the PVC magnets for some of our applications.

I took one of the PVC magnets to hold my screwdriver bits but the bits kept getting tangled, or falling on their sides, or trying to find the proper size/type. So I took a scrap piece of maple, drilled 20 holes in the maple, cut a relief in the back of the maple for the magnet, and cut the PVC magnet into a strip to ftit in the relief. Then, to finish it off, I added a thin cover on top of the magnets. The bits don't get tangled, don't fall over, and don't fall out even when held upside-down.

I could not have posted this when I made it as there was no personal computer (intel had not yet been born), no common access to the internet, and obviously no Lumberjocks Web site.

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Comments

· Registered
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21 Posts
simply but very useful
thanks for sharing
 

· Registered
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1,839 Posts
Nice idea.

I could not resist it:
"Intel founded in 1968" :)
 

· Registered
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7 Posts
Clever,, simple and useful, if everything was so easy !!!
 

· Banned
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is this also magnetized so you could stick it on side of a machine ? GREAT JOB :<))
 

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I like the additional security of the magnet, Hans. That might be used somewhere else in my shop life. I keep a bunch of magnets around in the shop, since I am always finding uses for them…

We have had a record breaking nice September here, so no complaints about the weather. What that means is sunshine and the temperature getting into the 60's everyday.

I owned my first computer in the late 70's, and learned to program it as a hobby. I still program some till this day. I currently have a project for a hobby in the works…
 

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11,255 Posts
Cool holder, the magnet makes it attractive. ;)
 

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Thanks all, for the comments on such an insignificant project!

Yes Dutchy, Intel was founded in 1968 but it took 10 years before the PC, as we know it today, was based on Intel technology was available for mass consumption. I had a chance to go work at Intel in 1970 but I "chickened out", to far of a move from Illinois to California. Funny though, now live in California, only minutes from Intel.

Unfortunately the PVC magnet is not strong enough to hold the entire bit holder on a magnetic surface. Many of the PVC magnets are only magnetized on one side with alternating N&S poles and need to be in very near, if not total, contact the attracted object. If I were to do this again I would use Neodymium magnets to make sure it stuck.

Rick very punny!
 

· In Loving Memory
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10,409 Posts
Good one buddy.
 

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186 Posts
This project has a "good bit" of value! Thanks for posting, it is fuel for a project.
 

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186 Posts
What a awesome idea, I hate trying to pull those bits out of the plastic holders.
 

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I'm building one of these right now. I 'm always fumbling to find the right bit.
 
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