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The VINTAGE toolboxes of Garage Journal!

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RTM

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May 13, 2019
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SF Bay Area
JustVicingIt said:
Old English tool chest is very cool.

Offcuts will come in useful as well. The Stanley 92 was unused and I’ve been looking for a solid shoulder plane so that’s appreciated as well
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The heck with the 92, I wanna see the cool drawers in that chest. Ring pulls just look so cool, and buried in a chest 🥰. Mine only have sliding tills.
 
J

JustVicingIt

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I’ll take a photo in a bit. They’re dovetailed. They need some tuning and the whole thing needs a cleaning. One drawer had a ton of cut nails, more modern ones I think. Another drawer had tons of old hardware, hinges, locks etc. There were a smattering of tools (nothing in the photo as all those tools were separate from the box) and nothing of note so I didn’t go for the tools in the box.
 
A

alinc100

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Christmas 1967 was delivered today and Santa had keys for all 3 boxes. What surprised me most was the lower box has the (much easier to locate) LL series keys and not the WA series keys that are a ****** to find.
 

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D

d42jeep

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I was happy to find this Duplex cantilever box at a Washoe City, NV yard sale on Saturday. It apparently had been used by a slot machine repairman so I just bought the box emptied out. IMG_4089.jpegIMG_4088.jpeg
I started cleaning it up yesterday. IMG_4161.jpegIMG_4164.jpegIMG_4163.jpeg
IMG_8465.jpegI was pleasantly surprised by how well the cantilever system still works.
-Don
 
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Shelbylex

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Had a road trip last weekend...

Cross posted with 2 more pictures in the Spread the BonneyAffliction thread

Spreading the Bonney affliction!

Well, you found the earliest! :thumbup: I plucked five pairs of $2 from the bin yesterday and these felt like the trophy. I'd have brought them home even if they hadn't been marked, due to the unique jaw shape. They're not listed in the 1919 Bonney catalog, but are shown in the 1923 version...
www.garagejournal.com www.garagejournal.com
B1.JPGB2.JPGB3.JPG
 
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S

Shelbylex

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Outlawmws said:
Not exactly a practical box, but I love it anyway!
Click to expand...
Agree - it's rather small. I suspect mechanics used less tools in the 30s and 40s.
... That was the reason the gentleman who bought it decided to resell it.

It would look nice restored and full of tools in the library (next to my decapitated head once the wife discovers the box...)
 
P

Provincial

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Provincial said:
Exactly!

I think Tom has nailed this box, with the exception of the dimples inside the front cover. My front cover has matching hammered green paint, inside and out. I wasn't thinking of Waterloo because of the two dimples by the center lock, which was obviously a later development. Now to determine when this one was made. It must have been after the patents ran out for the clips in the slides.
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I saw a box like this listed on Offerup locally that had the Waterloo sticker on the front cover. I think this provides positive identification of this JL-70 box.
Waterloo Logo .jpg
 
J

Jay__Dub

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Nov 19, 2024
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Cold Country, Canada
JustVicingIt said:
For the life of me I can’t find that specific iteration of Mactools logo.
Click to expand...
Found this bit of info:

[IMG]https://www.rswarrior.com/d1/avatars/s/26/26103.jpg?1581004538[/IMG]

arizonawarrior
33,866 posts · Joined 2005

#4 · Jan 27, 2022
Those mechanic's roll-away boxes can be roughly dated by the drawer handles. Into the 1960's they were fastened with nuts and bolts. Early 1970's they went with blind holes meaning just screws from the inside of the drawer. Later in 1970's the drawer handles were still blind but were cast with Mac in them, which is what your box has. Maybe by the 1990's the drawer handles were integrated into the sheet metal (no longer a separate thing).

My bet is the back of the box was black-ink-stamped with the model info. That box might have a dolly-frame under it, a square frame with the four casters bolted into it, and the box sat on and was bolted to that frame. Some had sheet metal in the frame so it's a solid dolly and not an open frame dolly. I mention it because some bottom roll-away boxes were stamped on the bottom.

You can contact Mac Tools and send those pictures and suggest it's likely a 1970-1980 era box and you want to find parts. These days who knows if they will take the time.

If it were me, I would remove the tumbler (retainer clip underneath behind the box face) and take it to a locksmith. With the tumbler out you should see the locking rod and might follow it to be sure if you need any of those parts in order to make it lock.

Those style boxes were not known for having great drawer glides. But modern glides are sturdier. I would not buy old used glides. Unless you don't intend to stock very much weight in the drawers.

I think it might have been in that era when Mac also made a couple other brands or maybe got bought, and some parts were shared between brands (different color paint). One of the younger guys might remember better.

I think I remember seeing those style boxes in factory maintenance shops where they did not get moved very far. I think the automotive shop boxes had bigger (transport) casters. Again, maybe Mac will know. Sort out the casters before loading the box.

Woody might remember more.

If I'm remembering something wrong I hope someone sets the record straight!
Click to expand...

Mac Thread

Old eBay listing long gone but there is that logo. Clipboard01.jpg
 
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A

alinc100

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Dearborn,MI
Shelbylex said:
Had a road trip last weekend...

Cross posted with 2 more pictures in the Spread the BonneyAffliction thread

Spreading the Bonney affliction!

Well, you found the earliest! :thumbup: I plucked five pairs of $2 from the bin yesterday and these felt like the trophy. I'd have brought them home even if they hadn't been marked, due to the unique jaw shape. They're not listed in the 1919 Bonney catalog, but are shown in the 1923 version...
www.garagejournal.com www.garagejournal.com
B1.JPGB2.JPGB3.JPG
Click to expand...
hmm that looks vaguely familiar....
 

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S

Shelbylex

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This is a really nice combo with a CC roller, Alinc100! Extra points for the right lower trim piece!!!

It's more for advanced mechanics and fancy people. Us, simple folks, had smaller boxes : )
Yours is 4 inches longer, 1 inch deeper and whole 10lb heavier !

Are your locks original or you found a replacement?
 
A

alinc100

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Dearborn,MI
Shelbylex said:
This is a really nice combo with a CC roller, Alinc100! Extra points for the right lower trim piece!!!

It's more for advanced mechanics and fancy people. Us, simple folks, had smaller boxes : )
Yours is 4 inches longer, 1 inch deeper and whole 10lb heavier !

Are your locks original or you found a replacement?
Click to expand...
I believe they were replacement cam locks. I no longer own this box, so I can't whip a door open and measure.
 
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Shelbylex

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MA
alinc100 said:
I believe they were replacement cam locks. I no longer own this box, so I can't whip a door open and measure.
Click to expand...
Thank you.

I tried 2 extra ones I had (one no name one and one from 1930s Blackhawk roller) - they did not fit. I probably need to measure the hole and make a trip to Home Depot to see if they have something (in case it does not work, it's can be returned...)

Did you end up putting together a period correct or similar set for it or you got bored with the box prior to that?
 
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