Introduction: Case for Wrenches With Custom Cut Foam Insert
About: I am a mechanical engineering student at San Jose State University. I have worked as a technician for several years, and generally enjoy experimenting and working with my hands.
I received two sets of ratcheting wrenches for Christmas, one SAE, the other Metric. I was looking for a good case to store them in, but couldn't find a good off-the-shelf model. I decided to use the various tools and materials I have available to me at work and create a box with a custom foam insert for the different sizes of wrenches.
The basic stack-up is like this:
Bottom layer:
A thin craft foam on the bottom, a stiffener (thin plastic) in the middle, and another thin layer of craft foam on top.
Top layer:
A thicker (~20mm) foam with cutouts for various wrench sizes
The basic stack-up is like this:
Bottom layer:
A thin craft foam on the bottom, a stiffener (thin plastic) in the middle, and another thin layer of craft foam on top.
Top layer:
A thicker (~20mm) foam with cutouts for various wrench sizes
Step 1: Obtain All Supplies and Tools
Tools:
laser cutter
band saw
hot glue gun
Materials:
wrenches to put into case
case
craft foam
thick foam
plastic stiffener (to put in-between craft foam, for backing)
Small pieces of plastic which labels can be engraved onto
hot glue stick
One of the most important tools in this project is the laser cutter, it is used to create the custom foam cutouts. I spent a long time choosing a case, and eventually I bought a case on amazon for ~$20 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000TMFNLK/ref=oh_o02_s00_i00_details). The inner dimensions of the case are approximately: 395mm wide by 290mm tall by 40mm deep on the bottom, and 25mm deep on the top. I already had 1.5mm craft foam in several colors available, along with 40mm charcoal colored foam. I used some two-layer engravable plastic for the label under each wrench.
laser cutter
band saw
hot glue gun
Materials:
wrenches to put into case
case
craft foam
thick foam
plastic stiffener (to put in-between craft foam, for backing)
Small pieces of plastic which labels can be engraved onto
hot glue stick
One of the most important tools in this project is the laser cutter, it is used to create the custom foam cutouts. I spent a long time choosing a case, and eventually I bought a case on amazon for ~$20 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000TMFNLK/ref=oh_o02_s00_i00_details). The inner dimensions of the case are approximately: 395mm wide by 290mm tall by 40mm deep on the bottom, and 25mm deep on the top. I already had 1.5mm craft foam in several colors available, along with 40mm charcoal colored foam. I used some two-layer engravable plastic for the label under each wrench.
Step 2: Cut Various Materials
I only had 40mm thick foam on hand, so I had to cut it down to the correct thickness on the band saw. I put the now 20mm thick foam into the laser cutter, and made the cutouts for the wrenches (top layer). I then used the laser cutter to cut several pieces of craft foam and plastic stiffener material to act as a bottom layer. I also used the laser to etch and cut labels out of some "laserable" material I had on hand. I have included the files which I generate to cut the foam an labels in .dxf format.
Step 3: Glue Everything Together and Assemble
I glued the black layer of craft foam to the stiffener. I then glued the red layer of craft foam to the opposite side of the stiffener. This created a bottom which was black on one side, red on the other, and was plenty stiff. I did the same for the blue material. I then glued the 20mm foam cutout pattern to the backing, one for SAE, the other for Metric. Here is the final product, with all the labels beneath each wrench.