Metal Cabinets vintage or homemade and no name toolboxes. got any to show please do

[mikeinri]

The exception being if it’s been listed for a long time. In that case I will start with ’”I know you said the price was firm, and I don’t want to get lumped in with the low ballers, but it has been listed for a long time”. Sometimes I’ll point out that these particular items normally sell pretty fast.

It’s worked a few times.

Interesting. You're right, there's no such thing as one rule for all such interactions.

I've developed my own set of rules (that I follow) with CL over the years, and have definitely missed out on items. My big one is not giving out my phone number until we've agreed on a place and time to meet. I have a "junk" email account that I use for buying stuff, and have never wrapped my head around what value that would have to a scam artist. However, my cell number, or especially house number, would be WAY more of a problem to have in the wrong hands, IMHO.

Funny story: The ONE time I broke my rule (because I really, really wanted this particular model of tractor, and the seller insisted on calls only), I ended up stuck on the phone with the guy for what seemed like an hour (was at least 30 minutes).

I really think he just wanted someone to talk to, because all I got was a runaround and eventually realized that he probably wasn't actually letting go of the tractor. Incredible conversation that went round and round: making dinner for his mother was mentioned, the tractor needed work before anyone could see it, etc.

I eventually got off the phone, completely bewildered, and went back to my email-only policy.

I always start with a list of questions to ascertain if the seller legitimately has the item. Not foolproof, but has been pretty reliable.

I don't do FB, but that's a whole different story.

Mike

 

[Old Man Roger]

Interesting. You're right, there's no such thing as one rule for all such interactions.

I've developed my own set of rules (that I follow) with CL over the years, and have definitely missed out on items. My big one is not giving out my phone number until we've agreed on a place and time to meet. I have a "junk" email account that I use for buying stuff, and have never wrapped my head around what value that would have to a scam artist. However, my cell number, or especially house number, would be WAY more of a problem to have in the wrong hands, IMHO.

Funny story: The ONE time I broke my rule (because I really, really wanted this particular model of tractor, and the seller insisted on calls only), I ended up stuck on the phone with the guy for what seemed like an hour (was at least 30 minutes).

I really think he just wanted someone to talk to, because all I got was a runaround and eventually realized that he probably wasn't actually letting go of the tractor. Incredible conversation that went round and round: making dinner for his mother was mentioned, the tractor needed work before anyone could see it, etc.

I eventually got off the phone, completely bewildered, and went back to my email-only policy.

I always start with a list of questions to ascertain if the seller legitimately has the item. Not foolproof, but has been pretty reliable.

I don't do FB, but that's a whole different story.

Mike

Ya, there are some real winners on cl..lol

 

[esben57]

If you're feeling adventurous, you could attempt to rekey the existing locks yourself. There are online resources and kits available for this purpose. However, it requires some patience and attention to detail. If preserving the original features is important to you, explore locksmith services that might be able to create keys for the existing locks.

#3,301.
Thanks, will have a look,

 

[FarmerWill]

Trash at work? Thank you! Small parts storage? Yes.

 

[Southern83]

I love free stuff from work! It's like your getting paid to take it home.

 

[mikeinri]

Trash at work? Thank you! Small parts storage? Yes.

VERY nice. You ****...

I love free stuff from work! It's like your getting paid to take it home.

Ditto!!! Free is always my favorite price, it's even better when it comes with history (family, friends, work, etc.)!!!


Mike

 

[zanyad]

Trash at work? Thank you! Small parts storage? Yes.

you ****!

 

[FarmerWill]

you ****!

Well, thanks.

 

[Outlawmws]

Yep Farmer gets suckage - that's a nice score.

 

[Mark in Indiana]

I haven't acquired any cabinets that would be worthy of this thread lately. However, I came across this desk/file cabinet/safe in FBMP. Unfortunately it's a little far for me to drive to get it, but I feel it's interesting.

 

[mikeinri]

Wow, that's different!

Mike

 

[Outlawmws]

I've seen a few of those posted Mark. definitely an interesting type with the integral safe

 

[Beerhippie]

More office trash!

It seems file cabinets are now a thing of the past, so these found their way to my shop:



Sanding, grinding and tape. Yeah, odd combo, I know.



A piece of 6" PVC drainline (sch. 20), cut to fit tightly then sawn in half makes for perfect organizers for 4 1/4"-5" angle grinder disks and wheels and for larger tape rolls. 4" PVC gutter work well for the smaller rolls.



Sandpaper full sheets in file folders. I wish I had the bars for hanging file folders. I need to do more organizing there. The folders were also being thrown out, so I grabbed a pile. The hard paper is perfect for making patterns when not being a folder.



Painting, drywall, concrete tools, etc.

 

[Outlawmws]

I bet the office has those bars ready to go as well...

 

[Beerhippie]

I bet the office has those bars ready to go as well...

Probably tossed already. I caught these on scrap-metal pick-up day, just ahead of the compactor truck.

I need to visit the local dump, as it probably has lots of old file cabinets. They "discourage" picking, but there isn't an attendant anymore, so who cares?

 

[FarmerWill]

I haven't acquired any cabinets that would be worthy of this thread lately. However, I came across this desk/file cabinet/safe in FBMP. Unfortunately it's a little far for me to drive to get it, but I feel it's interesting.

That's pretty cool.

 

[gatewaysysop]

I can finally contribute here, at long last.

I've been on the hunt for quite a while to find a 24" deep cabinet, as tall as possible, to better optimize my modest, so-called 2-car garage. Lo and behold, this beauty recently came into my possession after the stars aligned:



It's a W.H. Harper / Devon. Seems really well built: shelves supported at 7 points each, doors lock top, bottom and middle. Should have some keys for it in a couple days.

Badge:



Pretty happy with it for what I paid. It's strangely difficult to find anything 24" deep, most seem to be 18" or maybe 20" at best. Go big or go home, right?

 

[Outlawmws]

24" will swallow a ton of stuff for sure. I have one full of lantern stuff for the most part, an 18 we use a a second pantry, and another in the garage that I think is also a 24. I'll have to check tomorrow.

 

[Old Man Roger]

I can finally contribute here, at long last.

I've been on the hunt for quite a while to find a 24" deep cabinet, as tall as possible, to better optimize my modest, so-called 2-car garage. Lo and behold, this beauty recently came into my possession after the stars aligned:



It's a W.H. Harper / Devon. Seems really well built: shelves supported at 7 points each, doors lock top, bottom and middle. Should have some keys for it in a couple days.

Badge:



Pretty happy with it for what I paid. It's strangely difficult to find anything 24" deep, most seem to be 18" or maybe 20" at best. Go big or go home, right?

I have that exact same cabinet, think I got it about 20 years ago at an estate sale for like $20 bucks. One of my favorite deals..lol

 

[Provincial]

I have a similar one that came from a moving sale. It has a tag from the JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) and is heavy as hell. My wife appropriated it to store cooking and table gear at our camping area. The huge capacity attracted her interest.

Something corrosive had leaked on one of the upper shelves and dripped down, causing fairly extensive rust. I introduced my wife to the rust-removing abilities of Vinegar, and she was very diligent in using it to attack the rust. We etched those areas with Phosphoric Acid and repainted it.

 

[Outlawmws]

I measured the one in the Garage - 19"

 

[FullRaceMerc]

I found a dead stainless 2 door fridge behind a restaurant awhile back. I checked, & yes, they were glad to have me haul it off. It's going to serve as a no-freeze storage cabinet in my shop up at the retirement place. I need to hook up a light bulb or such to add a little heat inside.


It still smells like pizza sauce inside. The aroma takes me back to when I worked for a restaurant equipment service company.


Complete with thermometer.

 

[antman213]

I've been finding some great deep storage cabinets lately but wish I knew more about them.
I'm leaning towards the smaller drawered cabinet being Lyon brand but only because I had picked up some other Lyon cabinets with them.
Both came out of shops in northern NJ.

 

[TexTJ209]

I've been finding some great deep storage cabinets lately but wish I knew more about them.
I'm leaning towards the smaller drawered cabinet being Lyon brand but only because I had picked up some other Lyon cabinets with them.
Both came out of shops in northern NJ.

I've got a different cabinet with those style drawers and it was made by Hobart. Cool finds!

 

[Mark in Indiana]

Hello GJ Friends:
I won these bolt bins at an auction. They are promotional cabinets from The Associated Spring Co. A manufacturer/supplier of springs, hardware and other supplies. Unfortunately, the original cabinet stands were rusted too bad to save, but the important part was very clean.
I'm happy to have found them a good home. Another bonus is that I was able to salvage enough bolts, nuts and washers to fill a shoe box.

 

[Pileit]

 

[Beerhippie]

I found a dead stainless 2 door fridge behind a restaurant awhile back. I checked, & yes, they were glad to have me haul it off. It's going to serve as a no-freeze storage cabinet in my shop up at the retirement place. I need to hook up a light bulb or such to add a little heat inside.


It still smells like pizza sauce inside. The aroma takes me back to when I worked for a restaurant equipment service company.


Complete with thermometer.

Oh, man!

I scrap out things like that from the kitchen for the SS sheet metal--somehow "cabinet" never occurred to me.

Great idea! I'll bet a 40 Watt light bulb will keep it from ever freezing! Now to convince the kitchen that they need a new upright 'fridge... perfect place to keep latex paints.

Biggest problem will be trying to figure out how to know if the light stays on when I close the door....

 

[Old Man Roger]

GoPro.

 

[RTM]

Biggest problem will be trying to figure out how to know if the light stays on when I close the door....

Put your little brother inside.

I personally throw my phone in there.

 

[Beerhippie]

Damn, you guys go high-tech---except for the little brother thing... maybe that's why he grew up capable of kicking my ***. Most of the time.

 

[FullRaceMerc]

Damn, you guys go high-tech---except for the little brother thing... maybe that's why he grew up capable of kicking my ***. Most of the time.

My little brother used to help me check for spark. He'd hold a screwdriver, stuck into the plug wire, held near ground, & watch for spark. I'd crank the engine. When he'd jump & holler I knew we had spark.

Worked a lot better than any store bought tester.

 

[Beerhippie]

My little brother used to help me check for spark. He'd hold a screwdriver, stuck into the plug wire, held near ground, & watch for spark. I'd crank the engine. When he'd jump & holler I knew we had spark.

Worked a lot better than any store bought tester.

We used a similar tester back then.

You know that neighborhood kid who always wants to hang out and ask a million questions a minute when the "grown-ups"--teens--are working on a rig in the driveway? Yeah, we'd use him.

Back on-topic!

I've fallen into the card file rabbit hole recently--and unintentionally!

This box showed up on my desk a week or so ago:





I really had no idea what I could use it for, but knew I'd come up with something.

An interesting thing with the Case file box is the fittings on the bottom to lock it into a stack with other boxes--if I ever run across another.



There's a hook at the back that fits into the slot at the rear of the other box and a tab that locks into a slot in the front top.

I put it to use:



Well, today I went out to look for something in my storage shed and ran across these:



Ignore the rest--we're talking old cabinets and boxes here.

Anyhow, what was immediately obvious was that the lower tow boxes have the same slots and tabs--even though they're two different brands!

I swapped the light gray one for the one I had before, storing my spare M18 batts, so I could check it out.

All three stack and lock:



Making for a perfect small-parts storage pyramid! I also brought out a fifty-pound range bag entirely full of .22 ammo, most of which is in the slide-top plastic boxes that we all know make great little storage boxes for small parts/tools. I figure I can consolidate enough ammo to free up a dozen or more of those to fit inside the pyramid.

Now to find somewhere it fits....

 

[Beerhippie]

I found a place to put them, and they fit!



They'd look better sitting on top of something, but I'm plumb out of tops of things. Bottom to top, brands are Steel Master, ABCD Card Cabinet and Cole Steel. I'd bet the lower tow are made by the same manufacturer, as they're identical in construction. The Cole differs some, but not greatly, and they do all lock together.

Now the plan is to move the contents of this:



into the pyramid. That Test Rite is the worst POS cabinet in my shop and I'll be happy to see the backside of it.

Here's one drawer used already:

 

[Outlawmws]

Well done Timm!

 

[Beerhippie]

I'm working on populating the Great Pyramid of Parts. First is to find sub-compartments to fit. I thought of something last night, so I grabbed a range bag I thought was full of .22LR to the shop today so I could steal as many as possible of the nice slide-top 50 rd boxes.

They fit the single-wide drawers nicely:



You can see that twelve of those boxes fits perfectly. If one wanted to tack some 1/2-3/4" high extensions on the sides, eighteen boxes will just fit:



It's easy to remove the drawers from the files, so stacking the boxes won't make it too hard to find small parts therein.

Then it occurred to me: If I use those little parts boxes for ammo and find a locking card file... locking ammo cabinet!

 

[Outlawmws]

Timm, you can add a flip hasp to one and add a lock. If wide it will lock two drawers.

 

[Beerhippie]

Timm, you can add a flip hasp to one and add a lock. If wide it will lock two drawers.

True, that, but there are locking card file cabinets out there. Right now, my ammo lives in USGI ammo boxes and range bags stuffed into odd spaces around the cabin. A cabinet that could be locked and bolted to the floor would be nice.

 

[Outlawmws]

Maybe one of the bigger 20MM ammo cans, and cut a slot on the flip hasp, and add a U bolt to the can so it becomes a hasp? I did that to my main "Hunting ammo" box so the ammo could be locked while traveling (I have no trunk in a Samurai, or the T-van for that matter...)

You might could find a box that will take the 30 & 50 cal. boxes?

I'd post a pic of the modded box, but its in my power blacked out garage...

 

[southalabama]

I found a place to put them, and they fit!



They'd look better sitting on top of something, but I'm plumb out of tops of things. Bottom to top, brands are Steel Master, ABCD Card Cabinet and Cole Steel. I'd bet the lower tow are made by the same manufacturer, as they're identical in construction. The Cole differs some, but not greatly, and they do all lock together.

Now the plan is to move the contents of this:



into the pyramid. That Test Rite is the worst POS cabinet in my shop and I'll be happy to see the backside of it.

Here's one drawer used already:

I’d put something between them and the concrete floor.

 

[Mark in Indiana]

This past weekend I bought a homemade cabinet at the end of an estate auction for $1. I wasn't really interested in it at first because I thought it was a 100% wood cabinet, as wood cabinets don't resell very well. However, I was impressed with the overall quality of build and how the casters were built.
While loading it onto my trailer with my other auction wins, I noticed that this cabinet was really heavy. I looked closer and realized that it was built with a steel frame and a 3/8" steel plate top. The wood was only used for the shell and shelves.
Another design feature is that on the bottom frame, near all 4 corners, were stop bolts that when extended out would raise the cabinet high enough to keep it from rolling.