I made a pocket EDC toolbox that matches 6 instruments (and attaches to my telephone)

Those of us who’re DIY-minded attain for a number of widespread instruments every single day. Screwdriver, utility knife, tape measure, pencil, tweezers, and extra. I wished to discover a solution to maintain these instruments close by, so I designed a pocket toolbox with magnets.

The thought for this challenge was sparked by a video titled “I Fit a Fully Functioning Toolbox into an Altoids Tin” from Maurice Moves. He was capable of stuff Band-Aids, cleaning soap sheets, tweezers, a flashlight, a multi-tool, SuperGlue, a pen, Post-It Notes, and a bit holder with additional bits contained in the 6.5 cubic inch tin. My objective was to trim it down right into a slimmer package deal with MagSafe skills.

How huge can I make this?

My first order of trade was to determine how a lot area I needed to work with. Ultimately, this may not stay on the again of my telephone full-time, however I wished to have that choice. I additionally wished to have the ability to supply the recordsdata for others to print, which meant not customizing them to at least one particular telephone measurement.

To discover a good common measurement to work from, I scoured Amazon for MagSafe organizers. I stumbled upon this Spigen magnetic pouch, and it appeared like a reasonably good measurement. After a fast measurement check print, I solely adjusted the scale by a number of millimeters.

Now, the onerous half: selecting the instruments. I knew that I wished some kind of screwdriver with the flexibility to make use of a number of bits. I additionally wished one thing with a blade, a measuring machine, and a writing utensil. Anything else can be a cherry on high.

The screwdriver was the hardest nut to crack. Maurice used one in every of these intelligent keychain bit holders, however I wished a thinner resolution. After a number of days of looking out, I discovered the Gerber Gear Driver Keychain. It’s skinny, but nonetheless presents ample torque mechanics (and it has a bottle opener inbuilt). At $16.99, it was the most costly factor I bought for the challenge.

I used to be ready to make use of a number of instruments from my very own assortment. The solely different instruments I purchased have been a compact tape measure with a retract button $(4) and the identical Uncle Bill’s Tweezers ($8) that Maurice included. I additionally already had a MagSafe ring that I’ve been holding onto for this precise sort of factor (2 pack for $15).

Tetris with instruments

With all of the instruments in hand, it was time to suit them inside. Nesting a handful of random objects collectively right into a small area and ensuring they’re all simply accessible shouldn’t be straightforward. I approached it from each a digital and bodily perspective.

First, I printed skinny partitions with out a backside so I might see the precise dimensions in actual life. This allowed me to place the instruments inside and see the place issues naturally match. The one factor I knew was that the tape measure wanted to be within the nook. The pocket knife I initially supposed to make use of did not match with all the things else, so I pivoted to a utility knife blade and barely modified this 3D model.

Once I had a common thought of the place the instruments ought to go, I took detailed measurements and positioned the objects in my digital drawing. From there, I imported the SVG into Fusion and began modeling. After many hours of tweaking, it solely took 4 prints to get all the things becoming excellent. The hinge and shutting mechanism have been probably the most troublesome, however ultimately, I simply went with a quite simple design.

The grab-and-go DIY package

Here’s the ultimate record of instruments in my little magnetic toolbox:

• Screwdriver
• Six 1/4-inch bits
  • Large Phillips
  • Small Phillips
  • Flat head
  • Square
  • Torx
  • Hex
• 5-foot/150cm tape measure
• Utility knife
• Bottle opener
• Tweezers
• Pencil and notepad

I’m actually very proud of how this got here out. These are instruments that I genuinely use typically. Even if I’m not holding the toolbox on my telephone on a regular basis, it is nonetheless nice to have them multi functional place. Plus, the magnets imply I can stick it to metallic surfaces throughout a challenge as nicely.

Admittedly, it might most likely be smaller. The tape measure is well the largest software of the bunch. When I noticed it, I used to be instantly obsessive about the thought of the button protruding by the lid, and the tape pulling out the aspect. I really like this characteristic, however there are actually smaller tape measures and other ways to measure things.

If you’d wish to print your individual mini EDC toolbox, I’ve uploaded the model to MakerWorld. You can discover hyperlinks to all of the instruments on this article.