I really like
these socket trays, but I think they're too expensive to justify just for holding sockets. Even on sale at Sears for $10 each I'd have to buy $100 worth just to cover most (not all) the sockets I currently have.
So I decided to make my own. What I did here is nothing special, and I'm not posting this to "toot my own horn". I just thought I might inspire someone else who's as cheap as me to do something similar.
I used a 1/4" poplar board, cut to size (~10.75 x ~3.125, depending on specific sockets), and some poplar dowels. I took the time to measure the diameter of each of my sockets, then made a template to locate the holes for each dowel.
Not all 1/2" sockets are big enough internally to fit on a 1/2" dowel! I learned this the hard way.
I had to use 3 different size dowel rods: 1/2", 3/8", and 1/4" (smaller sockets take the smaller dowels).
With the template taped to the board, I drilled each of the holes. Then cut the dowels down to 2" for standard sockets and 4" for deep sockets with a nice 45* at the top (just like the commercial ones).
Glue each dowel in place and allow to dry. Then I used a soldering iron to burn the size into the 45* part of the dowel. Finished up with 2 coats of polyurethane.
So far I've only made 3, all for my 1/2" sockets. Eventually I'll make more. The ones I have I've used for a couple years now with no damage. All told they cost roughly $2 or $3 each to make, but the real advantage is I get precisely the sizes and quantities I need.
Again, there's nothing special about this. I just thought I'd point it out in case no one else thought of it. These racks - the commercial ones or the homemade ones - really are a remarkably convenient way to store sockets.
Ryan
Linear Mode
