Magnetic Socket Organizers

thingiverse

Do you have sockets rolling around in your tool bag or tool box? Do you like magnets? Then I have a solution for you. I got tired of searching for the socket I needed while working on a project (usually it was the ever-elusive 10mm) and decided to remedy that through through 3d printing. These holders use neodymium bar and disc magnets encased inside the print to hold your sockets to the tray, as well as hold them to the frame rail or any other metal member you may be working on/near. I modeled this project off of a Craftsman Mechanic set my father gave me for Christmas a couple of decades ago. I have lost a few pieces along the way and replaced them with newer Craftsman pieces. They all seem to have roughly the same outside diameter. These even worked with my friends snap-on and bluepoint sets....as well as my no-name socket set I keep in my truck for emergencies. The driver/extension/swivel holder trays are modeled after my Craftsman set, so chances are they will not work with your set if they aren't the same as mine. I am adding my Fusion 360 files just in case you need to tweak or remix them. I used these bar magnets: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DFZH4WT/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I used these disc magnets: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BDFPX6K/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 But any 60x10x3 bar or 6x3 disc magnet should work. I made the pockets a bit oversized to account for any tolerance between different magnets. These holders WILL require you to pause the print to insert the magnets. I made a video (found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Z4r2KL3P0Y ) explaining how I did this using Cura and Octoprint. If you are using S3D or some other slicer, or do not use Octoprint, your process will vary, and will require some research on your part. The driver/swivel/extension trays will require multiple pauses to insert all of the magnets at their different depths. I used a tiny dab of CA glue in each of the magnet pockets, and brushed them with a cotton swab soaked in CA glue activator to keep the magnets in place until they were covered. I also laid all of the magnets out on my bench to help align them and keep polarity issues to a minimum. I hope you find these magnetic socket holders to be as useful as I do. I spent many evenings designing, tweaking, and refining these. I am an absolute novice when it comes to Fusion 360, so if the workflows look a bit ignorant, that is why. I did learn a lot during this project, and I think that was one of the most rewarding aspects of this entire endeavor.