Waterloo / Craftsman brown crinkle paint "Machinist" Toolbox thread

[1982fxr]

Not sure if this will get much traction but I know these boxes have a following. Here's one I'd never seen with a Waterloo badge. Did Craftsman ever badge this one?

Also, I assume they made a side cabinet, which I've never seen either.

And finally, I wonder if they ever made the highly sought after large single drawer intermediate chest in brown crinkle AKA Kennedy style paint?

 

[INSP380]

Don’t know the answer to your question, but I’ll join in on the Craftsman…

Steve

 

[rsanter]

Yes for a short period of time they had the brown crinkle craftsman toolboxes at OSH ( orchards supply hardware) .
they were bought by sears and started carrying the craftman line.
when I saw it I thought it was a Kennedy till I saw the craftsman badge and the fact that it looked like the Waterloo/craftsman box but in a different finish

 

[d42jeep]

I found this Waterloo made Craftsman Crown box at an estate sale in 2017.
Here is a Waterloo box I found at an El Cerrito, CA estate sale in 2021.
I found this Crown mid box at a Tahoe estate sale this year.
-Don

 

[Mintgrun]

I've got a Craftsman top box like Dons 2017 box and a Kennedy mid-box like his Craftsman example. All I'd like to add is that I appreciate that Kennedy added a middle pull to their long drawers. Pulling on one side handle tends to **** the drawers sideways, or at least add to the effort, unless it's a two-handed operation.

This seems like a good place to vent about that detail, with Don's photos to illustrate my point.

Thanks,
Tom

 

[d42jeep]

I agree. It’s interesting that the Waterloo branded box has the center pull. Probably due to making the Craftsman boxes to a price point.
-Don

 

[Mintgrun]

Or, due to the center-placement of the crowntop badge.

I find it equally annoying on smaller Kennedy boxes like the 620s. The tiny pull knobs aren't comfortable either, when you have to pull harder on them (and slightly sideways to not **** the box).

I'm glad I got that off my chest.

Carry on.

 

[1982fxr]

Craftsman Commercial version, I believe? Never seen one of these pop up locally before...

 

[Mintgrun]

I added a couple of aluminum center-pulls to my box yesterday. They just slip over the lip on the top of the drawer, so they're only good for pulling, since they'll come off when pushed on; but you don't need a knob for pushing anyway. They might look a little funny, but they're more comfortable than the sharp little rectangular pulls and make it easy to open the long drawers one-handed. Today, I'll add some tape to the equation, to keep from scuffing up the paint.



I put several of my boxes up on blocks recently, to make use of the space underneath them. It's like adding another drawer.



Tom

 

[1982fxr]

Did they ever make risers?

 

[Mintgrun]

Did they ever make risers?

Yes, this one was just posted in the Vintage Tool Boxes thread.

The VINTAGE toolboxes of Garage Journal!

That’s a nice one. Those were frequently used by the military during WW2. I have a couple of them. My wife suggested that I pick up this little possibly homemade gold box at a garage sale today. -Don

www.garagejournal.com

 

[1982fxr]

Yes, this one was just posted in the Vintage Tool Boxes thread.

The VINTAGE toolboxes of Garage Journal!

That’s a nice one. Those were frequently used by the military during WW2. I have a couple of them. My wife suggested that I pick up this little possibly homemade gold box at a garage sale today. -Don

www.garagejournal.com

I meant did Waterloo ever make them...

I don't think Ive ever seen one...

 

[OccupantRJ]

I shortened a Parent brand work table with a damaged top and added a booster for drawer clearance to it. It is used as a layout table. I gave my son this seven drawer and put a larger one in it’s place. It is longer and an 11 drawer.

 

[genog]

Took a pic of this Waterloo while on Photo Safari at the Flea Market today
I initially thought Kennedy......
No....Waterloo Industrial!

But Hoo Doggies! This chest has a very flimsy feel to the drawers compared to my similar Kennedy
Drawers are kind of loose and rattled a bit....

 

[ALLFAST]

I’m late to this party and can agree with the flimsiness but that paint looks VERY high quality! Nice catch Geno

 

[d42jeep]

Took a pic of this Waterloo while on Photo Safari at the Flea Market today
I initially thought Kennedy......
No....Waterloo Industrial!

But Hoo Doggies! This chest has a very flimsy feel to the drawers compared to my similar Kennedy
Drawers are kind of loose and rattled a bit....

Did you bring it home or just photograph it? Here’s mine.
-Don

 

[csp]

Are there any stamps on these? I have one with the same drawer pulls, but no badges or labels otherwise. I haven't been able to find stamps where C-man/Waterloo boxes are usually stamped.

 

[DaveAndStuff]

I have (I think) the exact same Waterloo roll-cab as in the OP's photo. I bought it from Enco, probably between 2005 and 2015.

We bought three for the plant, one in brown wrinkle for my office, one in blue for the plant superintendent, and one in red for the maintenance supervisor.

As I remember, they came with a nice, smooth, 1/2" particle board bench-top, but they may have been an option.

Waterloo Tool Storage : 2008-2009 Catalog : Waterloo Industries Inc. : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

36 p., illus., 27.9 cm, trade catalog

archive.org

 

[DaveAndStuff]

I found this Waterloo made Craftsman Crown box at an estate sale in 2017.
Here is a Waterloo box I found at an El Cerrito, CA estate sale in 2021.
I found this Crown mid box at a Tahoe estate sale this year.
-Don

It that a Corvair?

 

[d42jeep]

Yes. It’s a Corvair van. Here it is last year at the neighbors house.
-Don

 

[DaveAndStuff]

Yes. It’s a Corvair van. Here it is last year at the neighbors house.
-Don

When I was a kid, our neighbor across the street was a route driver for a saw sharpening service, and had one as his company vehicle, I'm pretty sure it was the same color.

 

[ecotec]

I’m sure that this box is in other threads, but here is my Craftsman top box. I got it for $20 with keys. The drawer liners are in very good condition.

Machinist boxes can be found for very little here, if you don’t need them right away. I realize that this varies by where you live.

 

[INSP380]

I’m sure that this box is in other threads, but here is my Craftsman top box. I got it for $20 with keys. The drawer liners are in very good condition.

Machinist boxes can be found for very little here, if you don’t need them right away. I realize that this varies by where you live.

Thats a great looking 8 drawer… at a killer price!

You ****!

 

[ecotec]

Thats a great looking 8 drawer… at a killer price!

You ****!

Thank you.

In this area, this is not a big deal. I live in the third biggest city in Michigan, right by the GM Tech Center. Within 10 minutes of my home there are hundreds of machine shops, huge auto plants, TACOM, factories for aerospace, factories for military weapons…

This area is a pretty easy area to find tools and boxes. I would argue that if you do not need a given common tool right away, that it is almost stupid to pay retail or even a “fair” price. You can pick any tool… let’s say a ball peen hammer. You may have to step up and pay the money for a dead blow ball peen… but, for a bog standard metal ball peen with a wood handle… you can have more than you will ever need for $1-3 each. Other common tools that go for very little money here are SAE tools, Channellocks, adjustable wrenches, pipe wrenches, Vise-Grips, files, air tools, punches, chisels, machinist tools…

Anyways… if you are not in any hurry to get a Kennedy… you could fill your garage, with Kennedy boxes in good or better condition… and for very little money… over a long enough timeline here. If you go past the suburbs into the x-burbs, and past that into the rural areas, the prices go up and the condition gets worse by average.

I am well aware that this is not the case everywhere.

 

[ecotec]

This is very obvious to most people… and it probably does not need to be pointed out… but, machinist boxes are great for a lot of non-tool related collector storage. The wood machinist boxes even more so.

Lots of thin drawers make collections, of all types, easy to manage.

 

[genog]

Did you bring it home or just photograph it? Here’s mine.

I left it for the next guy!

So far, there hasn't been The Next Guy........as of last month, I noticed that the Seller still has it.

Knowing this particular seller, it's priced fairly, but probably more than what our local Flea Marketeers want to pay.....

 

[d42jeep]

I watched my first Kennedy machinist box for quite a few weeks in 2015 at the Tahoe flea before finally wearing the seller down to accepting a price I was willing to pay. I‘ve gotten plenty of use out of it since then.
-Don

 

[WisJim]

Here's a Craftsman that I got at a suburban garage sale a few years ago. $15 and nothing else of interest at the sale. (The riser didn't come with it)
And another from a local on-line auction, paired with a leatherette covered Gerstner for under $30. Poor photos on the auction site and a lucky guess on my part.

 

[d42jeep]

Did you bring it home or just photograph it? Here’s mine.
-Don

I saw a Waterloo machinist’s box at this morning’s estate sale. It had quite a bit of machinist’s tooling inside. I asked how much for the box empty and was quoted $60.00 which seemed reasonable considering the condition and the front cover not being missing. Since I had no room for it, I left it behind.
-Don

 

[DaveAndStuff]

 

[toolman78]

Pick this up off marketplace place for 20 dollars. I’m happy!