Centrotec Mini-Sets

[tbellemare]

When the new series of drills came out, naturally, I upgraded my demo' set to reflect what was currently available. In the process, I lost my "Attic(s)", which was where I previously stored a lot of my Centrotec collection.

I have been in sort of a quandary ever since as to how to carry around the bits and driver bits that I use and normally demonstrate and I think I've come up with something I like. I have a bunch of polyethylene of various densities and I made a Centrotec bit holder that fits nicely into a MINI Systainer. I'm quite fond of how it came out with the first try.

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I have sold Centrotec bits and driver bit sets previously and I'm out of the pre-packaged Festool sets so I'm wondering if anyone would like something like this?

I have the Imperial brad point wood bit set but I wanted a set of those bits in metric, which is something we sold here in the past but no longer sell. So, after I sold my last metric set and realized that I could no longer get them, I got them individually. They are currently offered as individuals. But then, I had no good way to store them. This is, in large part, a way to store those bits safely. It also worked out to be a handy way to store all sorts of Centrotec bits.

I'm curious as to whether there are others that are interested in this solution as a product. I have contemplated making up Centrotec sets that are offered in this format.

I'm interested in all feedback, public and private...

Tom

 

[Jonhilgen]

Tom,

As someone who usually scoffs at the ridiculous prices for the centrotec installers set,  this really interests me.

Small and compact, without the hundred or so drivers I will never need that are in the other sets.  Kudos, amd set up some pricing please.

Jon

 

[Theshipstore]

Tom  Nice job and yes to pricing on something like this

Sal

 

[Zacharytanner]

Tom,
Looks great....I would be interested... Keep me posted on pricing.

Thanks,
Frank

 

[nclemmons]

Yes I'm interested as well.

Great idea, Tom.

neil

 

[monte]

Ditto here.

Cheers,
Roger

 

[PaulMarcel]

Stellar idea, Tom... It would be cool if those with the imperial brad set could get it minus the equivalent.

 

[Holzhacker]

Very nice idea and better than the Festool offerings. I think this is the kind of set makeup a lot of guys have discussed on here over time.
A couple points ...
- I'd want to see another piece of the white stuff (foam) at the top to protect the bit tips
- I can see leaving a couple things out such as the hook adapter thing, the long extension and maybe a bit holder or two. I would think anyone who has a drill probably has a few of the common items. Good assortment start though.
I'd be interested in pricing and ordering.

 

[greenvillager]

I would be interested in these sets as well.  I bought my first Festool drill this year and want to start using more centrotec bits.

 

[tbellemare]

I think I might have been misunderstood because of the way I presented this. What you see is the stuff that is in my collection and currently has no home.

My guess is that everyone that has a Festool drill has some or all of these Centrotec items. I'm also guessing that a lot of people don't have a good way to store them and protect them. This is what I came up with to replace the storage I had with the previous drills' Sys 2 Attic. A friend of mine came by this morning. He's recently the owner of a C 15. He liked the idea but after we discussed it, we though a Sortainer underneath the C 15 Sys 1 would be better. I like both ideas.

The basis of this storage is 2 parallel sheets of 18 mm plastic with holes to keep the shafts parallel so the cutting surfaces are protect from one another. I think that everyone would want different combinations of the Centrotec products, depending on what they do and what they already have. I'm not a big believer in one-size-fits-all solutions. After our session this morning, I'm thinking that different sizes and configurations of the same plastic base will also be desired.

This idea is still in its infancy and I might just fire up the CNC to make a bunch of regularly spaced holes in plastic and then adjust the overall size(s) to suit various storage solutions (Sys Mini, Sortainers, etc.).

Tom

 

[Zacharytanner]

Tom,
That was a damn tease  ;D
Looks good though.

Frank

 

[tjbier]

I'd be interested.  That countersink bit with the collar is a must I love that thing.
Maybe this and a CXS, since we can't get the limited edition one in Europe.

 

[tbellemare]

Frank:

It's not a tease, I just haven't thought it through yet....

Tom

 

[Zacharytanner]

I was just busting your chops............. ;D

Frank

 

[tbellemare]

I've been thinking about this more and I'm thinking that what I need to make is the bases/holders to fit various likely storage solutions. Those that I've considered so far are the Mini Sys, like I did already, and all of the Sortainer drawers. Is there some other obvious storage bin that I'm missing?

I think the ultimate result will be the holder(s) as an organizing mechanism and people can populate them however is appropriate. I'm not thinking that I will be allowed to offer packages other than at cumulative sums. Maybe I'm wrong?

Tom

 

[johnmocha]

What type of foam is that and where can one get some?
Thanks!

 

[tbellemare]

That's 2 layers of 18 mm thick acrylic but it could be HDPE, UHMW or whatever. It could be hardwood, aluminum, plywood, or MDF, for that matter.

I like about an inch and a half for the base. It feels right and the Centrotec bits seat nicely. I didn't pop all the way through on the bottom of the bottom piece. I just let the brad point penetrate and left the bulk of the hole bottom in tact. It seemed more elegant.

I wanted the point to pierce just in case there was some sort of air lock as the bit went in. In retrospect, it probably isn't an issue for the Centrotec bits because air can escape along the flats of the hex(es). At the time, I was thinking about regular drill bits as well and I think I over-thought it...

Tom

 

[semenza]

Make them fit an attic lid also.

Seth

 

[tbellemare]

It occurs to me that if you are thinking about making your own you should consider what I learned as I made this first one...

I could tell from experience in plastic manufacturing techniques and measuring the Tanos/Festool products that they have a draft. All similarly molded plastics products that I've been exposed to (and analysed) have a draft angle in the mold so that the mold halves (or portions) can be separated at the end of the molding process. The Festool/Tanos Systainers and drawers for Sortainers are no different. What I mean by a draft angle is that the opening is bigger than the bottom. This is so that the internal mold can be pulled out after everything is set.

I cheated to make a nice tight fit with a piece of acrylic in the bottom of a MiniSys. I cut it on the Kapex to the size of the top of the bottom part of the MiniSys. This was by measuring. Then I shaved it down carefully until I got the fit I wanted. I used that work piece as a gauge for the others and they worked quite fine.

If you want to make something similar, I recommend either very careful measurements or sneaking up...

I have mentioned in other threads about the difference in thermal expansion between certain product. It matters here but not so much if you use plastic. There are a couple of reasons for that. One because most plastics have "relatively" similar coefficients of thermal expansion. It can matter if you're way off. The other reason it doesn't matter so much is that if your bit holder doesn't fit the carrier when the temp has changed and it's too big, you can just sand it or hit it with a rasp. If it is too little, it will still work but be a bit more floppy. It should still hold the bits just fine. The whole point of this bit holder is organization and protection of those precious bits.

Tom