My toolbox rev...err evolution pic heavy

[justinmc]

So I sold my Matco box today to a younger kid in Vo-Tech school... got me to thinking about my tool box progression. So I'll post a few pics and just kinda take a jaunt down memory lane.

I started out working out of a couple of 16" steel craftsman portable boxes loaded with some of my dad and grandfathers "hand me down" tools. Then I progressed and picked up a Waterloo top/bottom chest when I was living at my parents. Covering it with stickers seemed like a great idea at the time ;)
http://www.garage-jdm.com/tools/waterloobox1.jpg

Then I picked up a "proper" toolbox with roller bearing slides and in a lovely shade of blue. Early style Kobalt box.. bought it new from Lowes.
http://www.garage-jdm.com/tools/kobaltbox1.jpg

I started going to auctions to feed my tool addiction... I had to fill that big box up somehow right? I managed to find this Snap On 26" bottom box from an estate auction. Retired chrysler mechanic who was also a gunsmith. This box looked like brand new. Date code was 82... sitting on the top of it was a small metal lathe and the drawers were full of machine parts... however neither looked used either. So I lug home the S/O box.. a couple weeks later at a shop auction I picked up the remline top box as a perfect fit.
http://www.garage-jdm.com/tools/snaponbox2.jpg

A bit later I picked up this Matco box off craigslist from a mechanic... I used it for about 3 years and just sold it today to the kid mentioned above.
http://www.garage-jdm.com/tools/matcorearrange5.jpg

Along the way I started buying toolboxes full of tools.... only have pics of a few..
Old cornwell bottom with a craftsman top... also got a MBC top box out of this deal.
http://www.garage-jdm.com/tools/cornwell-craftsmanbox1.jpg

I found a guy selling an old set of Matco boxes... everyone seems to drool on these. VERY well made heavy duty boxes. Date was '79.
http://www.garage-jdm.com/tools/matcoboxes2.jpg

That leads me to my latest and greatest (??) addition... the one that made me sell my Matco box. Cornwell 60" bottom I bought loaded with tools. Its 60" wide, 48" tall and 24" deep. The bottom drawer handle is messed up but I figured out how to fix it and am in process of cleaning up the entire box. I'm ordering new liners from my Matco guy (they sell the closed cell poly liners in 60x24 for $7 ea) that I'll cut up. Going to try my hand at a little woodworking and attempt to build a heavy wood top for it. We'll see how it goes... boy its kind of been a long road. I'm hoping this one will hold the majority of my tools (special tools can always be stored on a shelf or a cabinet) and serve me for a few years. I think next on my list will probably be a Snap On KRL or Macsimizer... but for the $$ I can't argue with this setup.
Anyone ever built their own butcher block top? :)
http://www.garage-jdm.com/tools/cornwellbox1.jpg

[bchee]

cool thread. The cornwell looks smaller than 5' wide in that pict.

BTW there was a local guy selling a huge 72" matco top AND bottom loaded with $22,000 in tools (according to the ad) for $5000.

I was going to try and swing a deal like you did with your Cornwell but his ad is gone.

[davestlouis]

One of the bodymen at my old work built a top out of 2x4s, lined them up, glued and screwed them together, then sanded the top flat. Once they were perfectly flat on all visible surfaces, he buried them in metallic black base coat. He then sprayed on the current Snap On logo in silver, and loaded up on the Standox rock hard clear coat. He baked the whole shebang, then flat sanded and buffed it until it was almost too pretty to use. Didn't look like butcher block, but he figured he had enough clear on it that when it got chewed up, he's just bury it in more clear, like one of those old bar tables with the thick polyurethane on it.

[davestlouis]

The top was on a black Snap On box, don't recall the model #. The only issue I had was that a black box shows every speck of dust, and a body shop is a dusty place.

[bchee]

One of the bodymen at my old work built a top out of 2x4s, lined them up, glued and screwed them together, then sanded the top flat. Once they were perfectly flat on all visible surfaces, he buried them in metallic black base coat. He then sprayed on the current Snap On logo in silver, and loaded up on the Standox rock hard clear coat. He baked the whole shebang, then flat sanded and buffed it until it was almost too pretty to use. Didn't look like butcher block, but he figured he had enough clear on it that when it got chewed up, he's just bury it in more clear, like one of those old bar tables with the thick polyurethane on it.

I wish you had a picture of that. That sounds cool.

[davestlouis]

Aw crap Justin, that's the black MATCO box I was going to try to con you out of...now I have to go to Plan B.

[nissan_crawler]

No butcher block, but some guys at work used bowling alley lanes.

I used an old oak exterior door that I got at an auction for $15 for mine:

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f56/chevyman_57/toolbox/DSC00835.jpg

[davestlouis]

The kid who did that top had always worked out of a little tool cart, he was more of a painter than body man so he didn't have a whole bunch of tools. He finally broke down and got the Snap On box, and wantd to personalize it. It looked GREAT. This guy is a great production painter and has a tremendous eye...he'll have a great career if he just keeps doing what he's doing.

[davestlouis]

Crawler, I can read the C-Man lettering, but what's the other stuff visible beyond the C-Man?

[bchee]

Going to try my hand at a little woodworking and attempt to build a heavy wood top for it. We'll see how it goes...

see if you can find some bowling alley wood like in this thread
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=25299

[bchee]

Crawler, I can read the C-Man lettering, but what's the other stuff visible beyond the C-Man?

those are comic strip clippings. I pay attention:bounce:

[justinmc]

Aw crap Justin, that's the black MATCO box I was going to try to con you out of...now I have to go to Plan B.


Sorry man... I won't say what I sold it for then. LOL... I really didn't think you were serious or I woulda given you first shot. My bad :( Oh well its going to a kid who will get some serious use out of it. So I don't feel terrible ;) haha

[justinmc]

No butcher block, but some guys at work used bowling alley lanes.

I used an old oak exterior door that I got at an auction for $15 for mine:


Shoot I like that... I like that alot. I might see if I can dig one up off craigslist or something. Were the comic strips where a window was? I guess I just have to find one thats kinda plain vs. lots of decorative moldings, etc. Hmmm

[nissan_crawler]

Crawler, I can read the C-Man lettering, but what's the other stuff visible beyond the C-Man?

those are comic strip clippings. I pay attention:bounce:

Yep, that's my dilbert/get fuzzy comics. :thumbup:

Shoot I like that... I like that alot. I might see if I can dig one up off craigslist or something. Were the comic strips where a window was? I guess I just have to find one thats kinda plain vs. lots of decorative moldings, etc. Hmmm

Nope, it was just a slab door. It was a 36", so I had just enough room to cut the doorknob hole out and have a top for my 30" top. For the comics I just routered down 1/2", glued in some 1/4" oak plywood, then cut a 1/4" lexan cover to sit in it. I then cut some strips and routered them (like an upside down "J" to border it so things couldn't roll off. It works great, there's nothing I would change about it.

The door isn't solid oak, but it's a solid door. It's strips of 2x2 pine with particle board filled in between them, works great for when you're beating on things.

Really, even if you got a beat up door for cheap, you could take it, then cover it with some thin oak (as long as the door was solid core), and some trim on the edges like I did.

[davestlouis]

There's a retailer locally called Hood's that sells all sorts of off the wall stuff, including doors. I may take a ride over there tomorrow and see what they have, that would be a great top for a workbench too, if it was properly supported.

[billymade]

justinmc, I'm curios, were you able to get the replacement parts for your Cornwell box to get it back to new? Did you figure out who the OEM was? I never heard if you were successful in tracking that stuff down! Inquiring minds want to know! :)

[Diesel-Mech]

justinmc, I'm curios, were you able to get the replacement parts for your Cornwell box to get it back to new? Did you figure out who the OEM was? I never heard if you were successful in tracking that stuff down! Inquiring minds want to know! :)

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=25870&highlight=cornwell+box+info

[eschoendorff]

I wish you had a picture of that. That sounds cool.

Me too... sounds quite interesting....

[fourfeathers]

A good source for used doors is the Habitat For Humanity Restore if you have one. http://www.re-store.com/locator/index.php

A good countertop or bench top for shops is pressed oak truck flooring. 1-1/8 to 1-3/8 thick, in 12" widths.

[justinmc]

A good source for used doors is the Habitat For Humanity Restore if you have one. http://www.re-store.com/locator/index.php

A good countertop or bench top for shops is pressed oak truck flooring. 1-1/8 to 1-3/8 thick, in 12" widths.

Yup actually there are a couple in the KC area. I'll have to give em a shot. Thanks!

[justinmc]

justinmc, I'm curios, were you able to get the replacement parts for your Cornwell box to get it back to new? Did you figure out who the OEM was? I never heard if you were successful in tracking that stuff down! Inquiring minds want to know! :)

Per the link posted by Diesel Mech... the OEM is Kennedy. They in so many words told me to go pound sand they couldn't (or wouldn't?) help me. Even though as pointed out by others their new "benchmark" line is a dead ringer for this box. I actually sent an email back inquiring about if they had a local stocking dealer for the benchmark series or if I could possibly order a benchmark handle (at my own risk of course) to try out. No response. I was a little miffed to be honest. They only thing they offered was to cut me a key for $25.

However I pulled apart the handle for the bottom drawer (still have it.. just the screws had pulled out, etc) I think I can fix it one way or another pretty easily. If not I'll just order a benchmark handle and modify accordingly ;)

[billymade]

Wow, thats a shame their response was so... "unresponsive"! Were you just asking if you could order parts, asking for warranty or what? Waterloo, in comparison has been really helpful for people with Craftsman toolboxes; thats too bad! :( Some companies don't respond well to email inquires; you might call them on the phone and see if you get a better result! The human touch, might be just what you need! I have emailed companies and many responses have been useless! :(

Lets try another option:
They have a parts line to call: 800-413-8665

I would have part # and serial #, any #'s on the part you need replaced on hand when you call!

Quoting one of the FAQ's: Replacement parts and accessories for you tool box can be purchased directly from Kennedy by calling out "Customer Service dept. at 800-413-8665 Customer Service hours are 8-5 Monday thru Friday Ohio time.


Here is a FAQ section that might be helpful:
http://www.kennedymfg.com/FAQs.htm

Contact info: http://www.kennedymfg.com/contact.htm

[justinmc]

Some companies don't respond well to email inquires; you might call them on the phone and see if you get a better result! The human touch, might be just what you need! I have emailed companies and many responses have been useless! :(


Yeah I'll probably just call them. I was just asking them to provide me part #'s or whatever I needed to order the parts. Nothing about warranty. :(

[justinmc]

A shot for bchee so you can see the size comparison between the Matco 42" proformance and the 60" Cornwell. The cornwell just dwarfs the Matco. I took this as I was cleaning the Matco out for the kid to come pick up. Loaded it up last night. I'll spend the weekend organizing the Cornwell. :)

http://www.garage-jdm.com/tools/cornwellbox16.jpg

[RickP330]

Awsome thread,
Just goes to show there is alot of value in our boxes still, even sitting on the shop floor. I had an old Kennedy set with a riser in between I got a few bucks for before I purchased my latest box - great way to upgrade.
Regards,
Rick

[MOPARHOUND!]

Last time I was at the old Cummins store about a month ago in Olathe, they had several Cornwell top boxes new/seconds(?) for $800.00. They were black and at least 60 inches wide, or more(?) can't remember?? :headscrat

Something to kick around............

[justinmc]

Last time I was at the old Cummins store about a month ago in Olathe, they had several Cornwell top boxes new/seconds(?) for $800.00. They were black and at least 60 inches wide, or more(?) can't remember?? :headscrat

Something to kick around............


Hmmm I'll maybe run out there tonight or something. I went by the "worldwide liquidators" (formerally cummins) off Shw Mssn Pwky and didn't see anything. They had some Lion and Remline stuff and one big Clarke setup but nothing great.

However.. they did have Bahco flare wrenches & wrench sets.. however they were all SAE. I noticed some mixed Bahco socket sets too.. but same deal SAE only. Plus some big IR air compressors.. 60 & 120 gal 220 stuff and one big sucker that musta been 3 phase or something.

[Lookin4'67Galaxieconv]

A shot for bchee so you can see the size comparison between the Matco 42" proformance and the 60" Cornwell. The cornwell just dwarfs the Matco. I took this as I was cleaning the Matco out for the kid to come pick up. Loaded it up last night. I'll spend the weekend organizing the Cornwell. :)

http://www.garage-jdm.com/tools/cornwellbox16.jpg

That Cornwell box is nice. Hold on to that one! :thumbup:

[bchee]

man, that IS a big difference when you put them next to each other.

[davestlouis]

This thread is making me want another box...I'm going to call my Matco guy and see if he has any repo's or trade-ins. I too looked at my local Worldwide Liquidators store, and they had lots of Remline and a few crappy-looking Clarke. The Remline looked decent, but it's tough to tell until it's loaded with tools. I'd be just as happy to buy a truck-brand box for resale purposes as much as anything.

[justinmc]

This thread is making me want another box...I'm going to call my Matco guy and see if he has any repo's or trade-ins. I too looked at my local Worldwide Liquidators store, and they had lots of Remline and a few crappy-looking Clarke. The Remline looked decent, but it's tough to tell until it's loaded with tools. I'd be just as happy to buy a truck-brand box for resale purposes as much as anything.


Haha... go for it Dave! To be honest if you can hold off til spring I might have a couple local deals I can point you at. We have a new building being built for one of our MB dealerships in KC and the new shop will have all built in tool boxes. I know two of the guys have already expressed they will be selling their boxes (as they already have other boxes at home). I know for a fact that a newer 65" (I think its 65) black cornwell will be up for sale and possibly one or two Snap On's in the large variety.

[davestlouis]

I'm in no mad rush, whenever I stumble on a deal I'll jump, but it's not like I have a real NEED for another box.

[justinmc]

Long day in the garage rearranging stuff... I fixed the bottom drawer handle (mostly) and got it rettached to the box. The "latch" portion still doesn't work right but I'll mess with it again at some point right now its fine.

I went to lowes, hd, etc looking for some of the rubber floor runner stuff to replace the top mat however I put that on hold thinking I'm probably going to just try to find some 1/4"+ thick rubber (bed mat or something) I can hack up for a top mat. I also looked at replacing the drawer liners with some closed cell poly stuff like comes OEM in S/O, Matco, etc. However none of the tool drivers had any with them this week and I couldn't find any locally otherwise. No biggy.. the "open weave" drawer liner stuff is working for now. I just removed it and cleaned out the drawers before putting my tools in.

Welp here's some pics....
http://www.garage-jdm.com/tools/garagedec2008-11.jpg

Sockets, Ratchets, Impacts & Torque wrenches.. all in one drawer!
http://www.garage-jdm.com/tools/garagedec2008-1.jpg

Metric wrenches
http://www.garage-jdm.com/tools/garagedec2008-2.jpg

SAE wrenches
http://www.garage-jdm.com/tools/garagedec2008-4.jpg

Screwdrivers
http://www.garage-jdm.com/tools/garagedec2008-7.jpg

Shot of the box in its new resting space...
http://www.garage-jdm.com/tools/garagedec2008-10.jpg

Poor man's stool :)
http://www.garage-jdm.com/tools/garagedec2008-12.jpg

Welp.. thats about it for now. Tomorrow I get to put it to use as I've got some work to do on one of my projects. Weeeee fun. Can't wait!
:beer:

[64merc]

Everything looks great Justin!!!

[mkdive]

That is one Nice box!

[Lookin4'67Galaxieconv]

Long day in the garage rearranging stuff... I fixed the bottom drawer handle (mostly) and got it rettached to the box. The "latch" portion still doesn't work right but I'll mess with it again at some point right now its fine.

I went to lowes, hd, etc looking for some of the rubber floor runner stuff to replace the top mat however I put that on hold thinking I'm probably going to just try to find some 1/4"+ thick rubber (bed mat or something) I can hack up for a top mat.


Justin, I assume you have a Tractor Supply store nearby? Go there and get this mat for the top of your toolbox...


http://www.tractorsupply.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay_10551_10001_53378_-1______?rFlag=true&cFlag=1


You won't be sorry. I WANT your Cornwell toolbox! :beer:

[Deafautotech]

Justin,

You won't be sorry. I WANT your Cornwell toolbox! :beer:

me too!!!:beer::bounce::beer: as for home use....

[eschoendorff]

Anyone else find all the Matco, Cornwell and MAC tool boxes filled with Snap On tools (esp Screwdrivers) a LITTLE ironic????

[wrenchr]

Anyone else find all the Matco, Cornwell and MAC tool boxes filled with Snap On tools (esp Screwdrivers) a LITTLE ironic????

Well he has a few cornwell ratchets:thumbup::pimpflash

[eschoendorff]

Well he has a few cornwell ratchets:thumbup::pimpflash

Gotta represent. Doesn't means he has to use them though.... :lol:

[wrenchr]

Gotta represent. Doesn't means he has to use them though.... :lol:

True dat!!!:lol_hitti:lol_hitti

[bchee]

the kobalt looks so cute next to the cornwell