"proper" Way To Store Drills In An Index (?)

[Grandpop]

I've always kept mine flutes up. Recently recieved the sets that were my FILs (also ex tool &die), and he kept his shank up. out of tespect, I keep his that way. My dad (another tool & die) taught me flutes up, a nd everyone i ever worked with did same. Recently noticed that several seem to be doing shanks up. To each their own?

 

[Techie1961]

Flutes up like they were when new. If the point is down, the margin's edges might loosen up the index's holes and damage the index. I've never seen a drill so sharp that it would cut my finger.

 

[Chippy]

Threw the index boxes in the garbage and replace them with Hout bit dispenser cabinets.

 

[David VanNorman]

Whats the big deal they go in shank up.

 

[BGHansen]

If I send you an index full of HF bits, do you think he'd do it again?


Shank down for me. No real reason, I suppose I just left them as they were when I opened the package.

Good thought! I asked him about that at the time and just got "the look". The transaction occurred about 20 years ago at a GM plant in Lansing, MI.

As an aside, I was in the tool room reviewing a job when a scooter backed into a Vidmar with fractional, number and letter drill bits in it. Knocked the cabinet over and mixed up the drills. They gave the sorting job to an apprentice who tired of the task and dumped about 3 coffee cans full of new HSS bits in the trash. I retrieved most of them and spent many an evening with index gauges and mics sorting drill bits. Never had to think about buying another HF drill set!

Bruce

 

[randyjaco]

I have always done shank to indicate a drill bit to be sharpened later.
Randy

 

[Grumpy Gator]

This thread reminds me of a conversation I had with my SWMBO. I had replaced the toilet paper in the bathroom. She informed me I had done it wrong. I told her "I used the last roll up and replaced it." She told me I had put it on upside down. "It should feed off the top not the bottom."
My reply was " As long as there was paper there when I needed to use it , it didn't matter to me."
Same goes for drill bits as long as they get put back in the index I don't care witch way they go in. I always mic them and touch up the flutes as needed before I drill the hole.
*************Just Saying***********G***********************

 

[kwoodhands]

A tool maker named "Wally" (Bob Waller) picked up a Harbor Freight 29 pc. fractional drill set that was setting on my desk. He looked at the drills, looked at me, dumped them in the trash and left with my index. He came back with the index full of cryo bits. I asked why he put them in the index up side down. Wally always put drill bits in the index with the shank end up for a couple of reasons. First, if you burr up the shank by spinning a bit in the chuck, it still goes back in the index. Second, your fingers aren't on the sharp/hot end of the bit. Guess I hadn't put too much thought into it at the time, but his logic makes sense. That's how I store them now. How about you guys?

Bruce

View attachment 120374

cutting edge down ,for the same reason as "wally"
mike

 

[rick9345]

Stored where I can't find the one I need!

 

[Frank Ford]

When I use a drill bit, I like to return it to the index holder "face down." That way, I can easily identify the unused, sharp bits which have the sharp edges up.



And, I agree, used bits can have burs that make it hard to stick 'em back flutes up.