Input needed

[mrholeshot]

I'm about to build another toolbox to sell. I am going to make a few improvements over the original like better casters but I'm going to be building this one to sell. I want to build a nice common size and make it affordable. I need some imput on the size. I have a bunch of inquiries but I need one made that I'm willing to part with. I need one many people would like. Any input would be great.

 

[rsieracki]

id suggest also selling your "blueprints" seeing as im sure some of us would be interested in building our own.

 

[Seanbev24]

id suggest also selling your "blueprints" seeing as im sure some of us would be interested in building our own.

I think that's an awesome idea. I bet a ton of people would pay for blueprints that included materials, required tools, instructions, etc.

The thing that sets your box apart is you built it yourself. I'm sure a lot of people would like that experience but are overwhelmed on where to even begin.

 

[KEH]

If you are going to sell them, I would make the drawer fronts and the top out of solid wood. Also I wouldn't leave any plywood edges exposed.

I guess there is a lot of variation in the size box people would want, depending on the room they have and the tools they have. Just an opinion, 5 feet wide by 5.5 high sounds like a good possibility.

KEH

 

[sammm]

id suggest also selling your "blueprints" seeing as im sure some of us would be interested in building our own.

+1

10characters

 

[mdbeck1]

If you start selling the blueprints you might look into offering a "kit" for the drawer slides and other hardware. Sometimes finding that stuff is harder than actually building the project.

After you sell four or five kits it might be worth making a bulk buy of the components...

 

[mrholeshot]

If you are going to sell them, I would make the drawer fronts and the top out of solid wood. Also I wouldn't leave any plywood edges exposed.

I guess there is a lot of variation in the size box people would want, depending on the room they have and the tools they have. Just an opinion, 5 feet wide by 5.5 high sounds like a good possibility.

KEH

I've found a place I can get light oak for the drawer fronts. I coundn't find it when I did mine.

 

[lauver]

I'm about to build another toolbox to sell. I am going to make a few improvements over the original like better casters but I'm going to be building this one to sell. I want to build a nice common size and make it affordable. I need some imput on the size. I have a bunch of inquiries but I need one made that I'm willing to part with. I need one many people would like. Any input would be great.

mrholeshot,

OK, you've perked my curiosity, but...

Since you mentioned your original toolbox build, I'm assuming you've posted it somewhere on the GJ. Got a link?

Since you mentioned casters I'm assuming your proposed toolbox is a roll cab. Is this correct.

I'm also assuming the proposed toolbox is planned to reside in a typical two-car garage, say 400-600 sqft. Is this correct? If not,then where and how much floor space?

If you can answer these questions for me, I'll be glad to supply you with some suggestions for dimensions and my reasons for the dimensions.

 

[tonydanzah]

mrholeshot,

OK, you've perked my curiosity, but...

Since you mentioned your original toolbox build, I'm assuming you've posted it somewhere on the GJ. Got a link?

Since you mentioned casters I'm assuming your proposed toolbox is a roll cab. Is this correct.

I'm also assuming the proposed toolbox is planned to reside in a typical two-car garage, say 400-600 sqft. Is this correct? If not,then where and how much floor space?

If you can answer these questions for me, I'll be glad to supply you with some suggestions for dimensions and my reasons for the dimensions.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=72005&showall=1

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=73581&showall=1

 

[rsieracki]

MRHOLESHOT- You built a beautiful box, I'd love one, building one myself would be awesome and something to be proud of its why i suggested the blueprints.

what ive found is one of the hardest elements to designing and building something from scratch is the design part. what if for the dimentions it was a "modular" approach. lets assume the largest outside (footprint) dimentions were 60" wide, 30" deep, 40" high and double bank even width drawers (somewhere im sure a certain dimention yields the least amount of waste from a 4x8 sheet and i doubt the ones i suggested are them but play along) if one wished for a box X amount of inches smaller/larger not only the exterior panels but the drawers whould shrink/grow by that same number. so provided once can do simple math id venture to say that we anyone who buys your plans would be able to adjust the plans to a suitable size.

the material list or source kit is also ideal, obviously the drawer dimentions will vary with slides

 

[larry_g]

I'm a cheap SOB so I do a lot of planing to minimize waste as rsieracki alluded to. AS you set you box and drawer sizes lay out the cuts on your sheet goods. If all the sheet of material is consumed with no waste then your maximizing your material use and minimizing waste.

Three things I would change if it were my box.
1. I would inset the back a few inches for increased ridgity ofthe case and additional storage of cords, air hoses, and other items.

2. I would have put the center casters under the center divider. There is a possibility that the bottom will warp in time due to the load being off to the side of the support.

3. I would not have put a lid on the top. I think human nature is to place stuff on the nearest flat surface. That said you will have to clean off the top of box each time you want to get the kid out.

That is my opinion. I think that you did a wonderful job on the first box and I hope that you are sucessful on many more.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[mrholeshot]

I'm a cheap SOB so I do a lot of planing to minimize waste as rsieracki alluded to. AS you set you box and drawer sizes lay out the cuts on your sheet goods. If all the sheet of material is consumed with no waste then your maximizing your material use and minimizing waste.

Three things I would change if it were my box.
1. I would inset the back a few inches for increased ridgity ofthe case and additional storage of cords, air hoses, and other items.

2. I would have put the center casters under the center divider. There is a possibility that the bottom will warp in time due to the load being off to the side of the support.

3. I would not have put a lid on the top. I think human nature is to place stuff on the nearest flat surface. That said you will have to clean off the top of box each time you want to get the kid out.

That is my opinion. I think that you did a wonderful job on the first box and I hope that you are sucessful on many more.

lg
no neat sig line

Thanks for the compliments, I didn't have enough Oak leftover to build a decent jewelery box so not much waste.

1. No need for an inset on the back as I don't need the extra storage and every part of the box is 1.5 inches thick so strength is no a problem. Plus I'm normally in a wheelchair so I'm not moving 6 feet of toolbox around to get to the back.

2.The bottom floor of the box has square tube thick wall tubing inset in between the two sheets of 3/4 plywood. The casters are bolted over the steel. The bottom also has 2 extra braces screwed to it. I would have worked even without the center casters but I couldn't help myself.

3. The lid on the box was designed around my needs. Like I've mentioned I am in a wheelchair most of the time and I didn't need it to be a work bench or work surface. I was going to put in a drawer but the way I designed the way to lock the box and all the room I had in the top It worked better for me. The top gives me storage for a lot of plastic box stuff that isn't used often.

 

[mrholeshot]

MRHOLESHOT- You built a beautiful box, I'd love one, building one myself would be awesome and something to be proud of its why i suggested the blueprints.

what ive found is one of the hardest elements to designing and building something from scratch is the design part. what if for the dimentions it was a "modular" approach. lets assume the largest outside (footprint) dimentions were 60" wide, 30" deep, 40" high and double bank even width drawers (somewhere im sure a certain dimention yields the least amount of waste from a 4x8 sheet and i doubt the ones i suggested are them but play along) if one wished for a box X amount of inches smaller/larger not only the exterior panels but the drawers whould shrink/grow by that same number. so provided once can do simple math id venture to say that we anyone who buys your plans would be able to adjust the plans to a suitable size.

the material list or source kit is also ideal, obviously the drawer dimentions will vary with slides

At 60 dollars a sheet for furniture grade Oak plywood every cut had to count and every sheet had to yeild the maximun use. I didn't have a big enough peice of Oak leftover to build a drawer front for one of the larger drawers. I missed the mark on one cut for the back of the box. It became the drawer fronts

 

[larry_g]

Thanks for the compliments, I didn't have enough Oak leftover to build a decent jewelery box so not much waste.

1. No need for an inset on the back as I don't need the extra storage and every part of the box is 1.5 inches thick so strength is no a problem. Plus I'm normally in a wheelchair so I'm not moving 6 feet of toolbox around to get to the back.

2.The bottom floor of the box has square tube thick wall tubing inset in between the two sheets of 3/4 plywood. The casters are bolted over the steel. The bottom also has 2 extra braces screwed to it. I would have worked even without the center casters but I couldn't help myself.

3. The lid on the box was designed around my needs. Like I've mentioned I am in a wheelchair most of the time and I didn't need it to be a work bench or work surface. I was going to put in a drawer but the way I designed the way to lock the box and all the room I had in the top It worked better for me. The top gives me storage for a lot of plastic box stuff that isn't used often.

I understand that the first box you built for yourself and your needs. I offered opinion if you were to build a second one forsale. I'd love your first box, but I also know that not a flat surface in my shop is empty, so the lid on top would not work for me.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[mrholeshot]

I understand that the first box you built for yourself and your needs. I offered opinion if you were to build a second one forsale. I'd love your first box, but I also know that not a flat surface in my shop is empty, so the lid on top would not work for me.

lg
no neat sig line

Yeah I was really thinking of something like a 26 to 36 inch bottom box. I was also thinking of a Butcher block top work surface.

 

[I_AM]

I like it. My suggestion would be something for a top work surface. No sure what, stainless would be cool, but might no look good with the wood. Other ideals are laminate and butcher block.

 

[09-JK]

The box turned out well. If I were to suggest an area to improve it would be in the material and construction of the drawers. I would recommend maple or poplar for the drawer sides and then use dovetail or box joints to join the corners this combo of material and joinery will make for extremely strong drawers. Box joints you can do pretty easily on a table saw, for the dovetail joints you'll need a router and dovetail jig.

 

[mrholeshot]

The box turned out well. If I were to suggest an area to improve it would be in the material and construction of the drawers. I would recommend maple or poplar for the drawer sides and then use dovetail or box joints to join the corners this combo of material and joinery will make for extremely strong drawers. Box joints you can do pretty easily on a table saw, for the dovetail joints you'll need a router and dovetail jig.

Woooooo It cost me 1600+ doing the inside with pine. I'm trying my hand at doing the box joints. I've just had a dozen or more people asking me to build a common size for their garage. I need to build one just to see if it will sell and be able to make a profit. If it doesnt sell I want to be able to use it. I built an extra long drawer (by mistake) and just out of curiosity I set it up on two stands holding by two bolts through the sides. I set a Cast Iron Big Block Chevy head(88lbs) in the center of the drawer and maesured from the floor to the bottom of the box after 3 weeks it has yet to sag. I think the box joints would look better but I worry about the cost of box going up a good bit

 

[09-JK]

Wow, $1600 that seems steep, where did you buy your wood? I 'm sure the drawer slides were not cheap either, I've bought these slides from wwhardware befoe and they were pretty decent for the $.
http://wwhardware.com/catalog.cfm?GroupID=Cabinet%20Drawer%20Slides&CatID=Drawer%20Slides%2C%20Full%20Extension%20Ball%20Bearing&SubCatID=KV%208400%20Series%20100%23%20Class%20