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Show me your mix-matched toolbox and top chests

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mrjaw14

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Joined
May 22, 2012
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Location
Nashville, TN
I have a black on black Snap-on KTL1022 similar to the stock Snap-On picture. I bought it used for ~2k. I want a top box for it, but buying new from Snap-On isn't in the budget as it'd be over 2x what I paid for the bottom toolbox. I can't find a lot of used top chests. HFT's blacked out US General is about the only option I can find in a similar color, but it's 56" and won't fit on top of the KTL1022 at 54". I may get the 42" US General to be the similar color scheme but I'd have space along the front and some off to the side. not sure if that'd be useful space or just wasted.

Show me your mix-matched roll cabs and top chests. Would like to see different size and color combinations. For those of you who have a smaller top box than bottom: how do you like it? Is the room along the front enough to be useful, or is it just wasted space? For those that are particular about your color schemes would it bother you to have a different color top and bottom?
 

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MidMoBob

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Not sure how useful this is to your situation, but I'll show you mine. Whatever works, I say . . .

Old Mac box atop a U.S. General base and a Gerstner chest sitting on a Craftsman bottom:
 

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Jgaz

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Dec 16, 2016
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Location
AZ
Sorry, no pictures but I had a Kennedy machinist chest on my Snap-on roller at times when I was working.
Mostly if I was working on something in our machine shop like a fixture where I needed both precision tools as well as my mechanic tools.

In my professional experience, ANY flat space on top of your roller can be useful especially if you’re taking your box to a job.
 
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crewchief888

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Dec 3, 2009
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13,750
Location
NW indiana
pic from my basement reloading/gun room

70's craftsman top, lyons mid box and a snap on roller
the roller is mostly hardware, boxes of screws ect.
a few hand tools in the other 2 boxes for a quick project/repair in the house
 

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Lookin4'67Galaxieconv

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Jul 2, 2008
Messages
16,632
Location
Atlanta, GA
Motorman55 said:
Just your typical Craftsman 8-drawer Top Box sitting sideways on a 52" Cornwell 12 drawer Roller Cabinet (w/Snap-On Decal) next to a Dayton 6 drawer Top Box sitting on a Craftsman 3-drawer Mid-Box sitting on a random 33-drawer cabinet with a Kennedy Machinists box on the floor. 1756341234144.jpeg
Click to expand...
Got a better pic of that Cornwell box? Not sure I've seen one like that before.
 
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mooman

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Joined
Jun 9, 2005
Messages
2,791
Location
CHICAGO, IL
This is my son's set up at the shop he works at part time while he goes to JR. College for Auto Tech.
The bottom box is an old 33" wide MAC box we found for him on Facebook with a matching top and middle box. We sold the top and middle box for what we bought the whole set for, so a win there.
Believe it or not, I was able to get him a new lock and some replacement slides from MAC.

The top box is my old Craftsman Professional 26" wide that was given to me by the manufacture while we were tearing out their building here in the Chicago area years ago. All of the guys on the crew got something at that job. It was like and Oprah giveaway. "You get a toolbox and you get a toolbox"!!!

IMG_4043.jpg
 

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F

Fixr

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Dec 23, 2012
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9,708
Location
SW VA
mrjaw14 said:
I have a black on black Snap-on KTL1022 similar to the stock Snap-On picture. I bought it used for ~2k. I want a top box for it, but buying new from Snap-On isn't in the budget as it'd be over 2x what I paid for the bottom toolbox. I can't find a lot of used top chests. HFT's blacked out US General is about the only option I can find in a similar color, but it's 56" and won't fit on top of the KTL1022 at 54". I may get the 42" US General to be the similar color scheme but I'd have space along the front and some off to the side. not sure if that'd be useful space or just wasted.

Show me your mix-matched roll cabs and top chests. Would like to see different size and color combinations. For those of you who have a smaller top box than bottom: how do you like it? Is the room along the front enough to be useful, or is it just wasted space? For those that are particular about your color schemes would it bother you to have a different color top and bottom?
Click to expand...
Space along the end is usable. Space in front of a drawer is trouble waiting to happen.
 
S

Semi-hole mechanic

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Feb 2, 2017
Messages
1,022
How about a mix matched center box. A 26” Perfomax 3 drawer middle box that I bought on clearance at Menard’s when I ran out of room in my CMan Homeowner’s box. Still use these boxes for more of my lesser used tools, and my bulkier items like my battery charger in the bottom cabinet.
 

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GrayFlattop

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Jan 18, 2018
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Location
Chicago
Here's one that sorta mismatched:IMG_6924.JPG
Earlier Remline Rem/XQL sandwiching a later Rem / XQL. The one in the middle has ball-bearing slides as opposed to the earlier friction slides. At the time, a "middle" cabinet made more sense to me than a legit "top" cabinet. IIRC these are 30" wide?
 
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senlow

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Joined
Apr 26, 2008
Messages
2,237
Location
Wheat Ridge, Colorado
My work box is a perfect FrankenStack.
  • Starting from the bottom, we have a gray and red Craftsman. This 26" wide box has old school roller slides and the original key.
  • Next is a 28.5" wide Kennedy intermediate box. It was originally painted gray wrinkle. I repainted it with silver hammered Rustoleum. The union sticker was on the box when I bought it. I carefully removed it and stuck it to a magnetic backing, so that it can be removed if I choose. Note the file cabinet lock. I have the original key for it.
  • In between is the adaptor that I fabbed to fit a 28.5" box to a 26" box. The adaptor is made from 1" thick black UHMW.
  • On top is a red, 26" wide, Mac box. Yes, I have the original keys.
This stack has different brands, different colors, different ages, and different handle styles.
FrankenStack.jpg
 
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cody1325

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Apr 17, 2024
Messages
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Location
Southwest Virginia
GrayFlattop said:
Here's a "better " example from the basement shop
:
IMG_0126.jpg

Proper Kennedy stack on the left - complete with side cabinet. Masterforce 36" bottom and side cabinet with Kennedy mid machinist cabinet / Craftsman (Made by Kennedy) top machinist cabinet.
Click to expand...

Are those Craftsman machinist's boxes supposed to have round pulls on any generation? Mine looks EXACTLY like yours, but it has round pulls that suspiciously look put on at a later point (and poorly, I might add). Every other one I have seen has the Kennedy square/rectangular pulls as well.
 
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Banjorear

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Jul 22, 2013
Messages
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Location
Essex Co., NJ
Here is one on mine and the only "mismatch". Eventually, when we move in the next year or so, I plan to sell all my boxes and get two large Snap-On or Mac used tool boxes so all my tools are more organized and only in two boxes.
 

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GrayFlattop

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Chicago
cody1325 said:
Are those Craftsman machinist's boxes supposed to have round pulls on any generation? Mine looks EXACTLY like yours, but it has round pulls that suspiciously look put on at a later point (and poorly, I might add). Every other one I have seen has the Kennedy square/rectangular pulls as well.
Click to expand...
I can’t honestly say as I don’t claim to be an expert on craftsman boxes. I picked up the craftsman machinist box along time ago (late 70’s or early 80’s - can’t remember, but I remember it was around $75. Purchased at a sears store). it’s pretty pristine as I never took it to work - honestly the drawers are too small front to back to be much use. The mid box was added later, more drawers that were too tiny…

The Kennedy stack did live at work in an industrial environment - early 90’s ‘til 2006 when I changed jobs and moved it home. It fared much better than the 70’s craftsman stack did - that was gifted to one of the young kids that I hired.
 
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Vinny

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Jul 14, 2011
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633
Location
Simi Valley, CA
What are the 'middle' toolboxes referred to as, and foes anyone in the US still make them? I have two Craftsman stacks and could use a few more drawers to spread things out, and getting two middle boxes to add to these stacks would be perfect.
 
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dr_clyde

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Jan 7, 2009
Messages
6,451
Location
Holland, MI
Vinny said:
What are the 'middle' toolboxes referred to as, and foes anyone in the US still make them? I have two Craftsman stacks and could use a few more drawers to spread things out, and getting two middle boxes to add to these stacks would be perfect.
Click to expand...
Most will refer to them as either a "drawer section" or a "drawer riser".

As far as I know most makers still make them, but they're usually special order.
 
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baldy343

Active member
Joined
Feb 3, 2024
Messages
25
Location
Texas
I have a Matco 4S Triple bay with a CAT topper. The Snap-On equivalent CAT box (it's one of the rebrands) is the Heritage 4 drawer KRA4114FPC.
I quite like having the space for a computer and work top, as it lets me have a great middle stomach height work bench.
mrjaw14 said:
Is the room along the front enough to be useful, or is it just wasted space?
Click to expand...
The space is quite useful for setting small items, bolts, and usally pliers. I find that I stack things there that I have to move anyways, so it's a wash.
I don't have any head on pictures of my stack, but I think this conveys the idea:

20240925_214631.jpg20240925_215503.jpg
 
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Skellyii

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Skellyii

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Kscardsfan said:
I'm trying to find one for my Craftsman 42" stack myself. They're unicorns as far as I can tell.
Click to expand...
Did Craftsman actually make one for the 41 and 52 stacks?

I have one for my 26, and have located a few other 26".

I would *LOVE* to find an intermediate for my Craftsman 52". Don't care what brand, as long as i make it fit.
 
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Kscardsfan

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Apr 28, 2020
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The Little Apple
Skellyii said:
Did Craftsman actually make one for the 41 and 52 stacks?

I have one for my 26, and have located a few other 26".

I would *LOVE* to find an intermediate for my Craftsman 52". Don't care what brand, as long as i make it fit.
Click to expand...
Can't speak to the 52", but I have a 41" in the garage at home and I love it. I want another one so I can put all my ratchets in it.
 
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Buckeye93

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May 28, 2024
Messages
33
Here is my setup. Two mismatched top Matco boxes and the bottom is a Vulcan middle box. All on a custom made rack to wheel them around my garage.
 

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