A Quick and Dirty Drill Bit Rack

Here is an easy DIY Drill Bit Rack. This tool organizer will help you easily find the right bit when you need it. It is a tool organizer to keep your spade bits safe and easy to reach so you don’t have to rummage through the bottom of your drill bit box to find the right one. This hangs directly on your pegboard or you can screw it to the wall. It only takes a few tools and some really inexpensive lumber.

And follow this link to my Video to see how it is done.

Tools and Materials

The tools that you’re going to need for this Drill Bit Rack are minimal. You could do this one all with hand tools but a few power tools will speed this build along nicely. You will of course need a tape measure, a combination square, a spade bit set, a drill motor, and a saw.And for materials you will need a 13” long piece of 2 x 4 cut down to 2” wide and 1-1/2″ (~40mm) “L” hooks.

Layout

Layout starts with using your combination square to strike a 1/2 inch line. Next, follow the dimensions on the sketch below. The next series of holes are for newer spade bits with larger diameter shanks.

Please note that the design below is for my Spade Bits. You may have more or less and they may be larger or smaller. Be sure you check dimensions before you start drilling. You may even have to drill a few test holes to make sure things are going correctly.

Drilling

With the hole centers marked you will need to select 1/4” bit and drill the first set of holes. Next chuck a 5/16” bit in your drill and drill a second set of holes. Be sure you have some kind of backer board you can drill into. Just in case – Otherwise, you may drill into your bench.

Cutting the Back Bevel

Next you’re going to want to set your saw to 5 or 10 degrees of bevel. Putting a bevel on the back of the rack will make it easier to get the bits in and out. There is less chance of them interfering with tools that are above the rack.

Sanding

Depending on how rustic you want this now is the time to sand all the surfaces. If you’re using a piece of construction grade 2 x 4 it will probably be pretty rough so you should start with 60 or 80 grit sandpaper and then move to 150 and finally 220 grit sandpaper. Be sure to round off any sharp corners or edges.

Finishing

You can finish the spade bit rack in any manner you choose. Whether bright yellow with black accents, a warm orange lacquer, or a simple coat of wax all will be beautiful in the end. I finished mine two coats of boiled linseed oil mostly because that’s what I have easy to hand. The pine sucked up the first coat very quickly. But the second coat took a day or two for it to fully cure.

Final Assembly

At the last minute I decided to just hang it on my pegboard. If you choose this route hold it up to the pegboard and mark the location of the hole.

NOTE: Be sure that the hooks don’t interfere or intersect with the holes for the screwdrivers.

Measure down 7/16”” along the centerline of the pegboard hole. Next drill a 1/8” hole 1” deep. Screw in the “L” hook to about the thickness of your pegboard. Use an Awl to mark the drill point. It will keep the drill from walking.

I miss-marked in the last project but I caught the mistake before I actually started drilling.

Measure Twice, Cut Once!!