In response to our post about Jeff’s new DIY red oak hex bit holder, Scott emailed in a few tips about which types of wood are best for similar steel-bit holder projects.
Making a bit holder from oak is not the best choice. Oak has tannin which rusts steel to beat the band. It is usually better to just pick another kind of wood. Walnut it nice, Fruitwod is fine grained, and Rosewood is gorgeous. There are lots of other suitable choices.
In fact, the only other woods I can guarantee will disappoint are pine, fir and white cedar. Cedar, fir and pine (much of it) ooz sap which will gum up your works.
I have personally made all these mistakes, and am currently using maple and birch for such projects.
Scott is not the first to let us know about oak’s steel-rusting tendancies, but his recommendations were appreciated and definitely worth sharing. Thanks, Scott!
You can check out some of Scott’s tool-making and woodworking projects over at his webpage.
So who conveniently sells small chunks of maple or birch?
I don’t think I’ve seen it at HD or Lowe’s
If they don’t carry these woods in the “hobby board” section (I don’t think I’ve seen birch there), you can probably find them at a lumber yard or any number of online sources. If you’re looking for a particular size for a project I can help you find it.