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Scored 2 Lista Cabinets, Questions About Restoration

Clemson13

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May 30, 2015
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426
I ran out of space in my US General 56 & 26" craftsman top box a while back and started having to pile tools on top of each other. That led to me starting a search for a Lista cabinet roughly a year and a half ago. Many cabinets popped up in the search, often not in the best shape and for $150 a drawer. I had almost forgotten the search and stopped looking for them all the time. Then this weekend I wanted to hang a picture and couldn't find my picture frame wire & hangers and just thought damn it, I wished my hardware was all neatly organized in bins in drawers lilscorpion style. So I jumped on FB marketplace with a cocktail that evening.

Surprisingly there were 2 Lista cabinet with mediocre pictures, that had just been put up an hour before. I reached out and was able to be there at 8am to pick them up. So now I have two 40x22.5x34 7-drawer cabinets (36x18 internal drawer dimensions, Bummer that they are not deeper), paid $600 for the pair of them. They had been in the back of an HVAC van for a few years, with light weight parts rolling around in them, boxes are square, not dented or tweaked. They are the old style slides, but the bearings seem to be in good shape, tight & smooth rolling. I think I did well price wise even though they are not deep & wont win any beauty competitions.

The negative: The paint on the outside of the box is falling off and peeling pretty badly & there are lightly rusty spots in ~4 of the drawers. I want to strip rust & repaint the cabinets, but with winter up here in New England, and time constraints on getting the garage space freed back up for the spouses car I knew I couldn't restore the cabinets right away.

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I hit the bottom of the cabinets & the other rusty spots with a wire wheel & slapped some rust reformer on for a short term solution, and cut up some 2x6 to make a pallet base for the cabinet. Pallet base >>>>>> casters. So much better, I have been converting as much of my shop as I can to them.

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The plan is to use the lista next to the red toolbox for expanded tool storage & the other lista for hardware storage. Now I have to figure out a new tool organization scheme so I can figure out if I want to switch any drawers between the 2 cabinets. Are 2" or 3" drawers better for hardware storage in bins? I can probably use either for tools.
 
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Clemson13

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May 30, 2015
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Now to the questions:
- Does anyone know the correct paint code for the drawers? I would like to get some of the grey paint for the drawers so that I can touch up the light spots of surface rust where the drawer paint was rubbed off through use. Is there any reason I cant just sand down the imperfect spots and spot paint the drawers? I checked Listas site for color codes, but they don't have the drawer dark grey color listed here.

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- 1 of the 14 drawers is missing the aluminum extrusion over the handle, does anyone know where you can buy that from?

- Do I need lista dividers for the drawers screwed into the bottom of the drawer to keep them strong & meeting weight rating? I only got 10 dividers for the drawers

- Is it worth swapping my 2x6 pallet bases out to steel channel in the future? Or just keep as is & paint the wood so its not as obvious. Wood cribbing is plenty strong and does fit the cabinet very well

- What are the benefits of Schaller bins for hardware over 3d printing bins like Lilscorpions. I have the printer, & im sure I can find the bin model. I plan on starting to 3d print tool organizers for the tool chests, I really like the tool organizers that 4 FN 27 & Grant Gunderson have for all their tools.
 
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Cruzan80

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Denver, CO
What are the benefits of Schaller bins for hardware over 3d printing bins like Lilscorpions. I have the printer, & im sure I can find the bin model. I plan on starting to 3d print tool organizers for the tool chests, I really like the tool organizers that 4 FN 27 & Grant Gunderson have for all their tools.
Time (and kind of money). Schaller bins are delivered now, and you can start organizing. Printing bins take quite a bit of time, and the cost generally isn't that much of a savings. Benefit is that you can go full-custom, however you want.
 

GrayFlattop

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Jan 18, 2018
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1,053
Location
Chicago
Well bought!

The big thing is the rollers on the drawer carriages being in good shape - mine needed hours of work to get rolling freely. Lube them up pronto.

For the rusty drawers, just clean up the rusty areas, use rust reformer and paint. IIRC, there is a rustoleum color that is close. At least there was when I did mine before Covid. I wouldn’t worry about painting the entire drawer. - just fill it up or use drawer liner. You’ll likely never see the drawer bottoms ever again.

The exterior, well I too spent much time on that as my unit had been painted several times. I’m not crazy about the way that turned out, but it’s good enough.

I’ve got 2 listas on skid bases and 2 on heavy duty casters. casters win if you can deal with the extra height.
 

T45

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Nov 20, 2014
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The18-20in depth as you mentioned are pretty mainstream, so they shouldn't be a problem to find liners for.
 

RichieP_MechE

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Jun 23, 2021
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Near Pittsburgh
Now to the questions:
- Does anyone know the correct paint code for the drawers? I would like to get some of the grey paint for the drawers so that I can touch up the light spots of surface rust where the drawer paint was rubbed off through use. Is there any reason I cant just sand down the imperfect spots and spot paint the drawers? I checked Listas site for color codes, but they don't have the drawer dark grey color listed here.
Stanley Black and Decker owns and fabricates the Lista brand in the US, as far as I know they are no longer affiliated with Lista AG in Europe (which is the color page you linked to). You'll most likely want to contact SBD directly for the specific color codes

1 of the 14 drawers is missing the aluminum extrusion over the handle, does anyone know where you can buy that from?
That's an older cabinet, and I don't think the aluminum extrusions are made any more. So your best bet is likely getting lucky on ebay. The newer versions of the cabinets use a plastic cover. They look similar enough but are technically different if you care about that kind of thing. Photo below compares extrusion (left) to plastic cover (right). Any Lista distributor should be able to order the plastic cover for you.
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Grant Gunderson

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May 17, 2013
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Bellingham, WA
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Between my home shop and my new shop I’m building out I have accumulated something like 20+ lista, Vidmar, Lyon and equipto cabinets. The Listas are by far my favorite. I’m partial to the older Listas over the newer style, but I have a mix of both.
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I’ve been repainting them with an automotive paint system and a 2k polyurethane. That holds up very well.

For the drawer slides I’d strongly recommend flushing all of the bearings with brake cleaner, then relube with Super Lube grease packed into the bearings and on to the drawers lips.

You can often find drawer parts etc on EBay, granted it seems easier to find parts for Vidmar. You can also order parts from Dmark, etc.
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The schaller bins are cheap and work great. That being said I’ve spent $1000’s on them outfitting my cabinets, but it’s quicker to order than 3d print. For large amounts of hardware storage it’s the way to go.
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For bulkier parts the internal dividers work great.

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I’ve been using foam for tools, however, I am going to switch the tool storage over to gridfinity tho, as it would be nice to be more modular with tool storage.

The pallet feet are great for moving them, but they really **** for having parts etc roll under them and that does happen! So I’ve been pulling them off and having the cabinets sit directly on the floor. I have a few Vidmars where you can’t pull the feet so I screwed some aluminum kick panels on. I’d highly recommend that.
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Looking for screws etc that roll under gets real old real fast!
 

matt_i

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Mar 14, 2008
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SE Michigan
nice score! I would just recommend being careful when you get to filling them, they eat up a tremendous amount of stuff. But to that end the individual loaded drawers (and the sum meaning the entire cabinet!!) can get really heavy. I don't think its a good idea to move a wider cabinet like that, while loaded up, with a pallet jack as I think one could tweak the frame in the center.

Agree with many excellent points Mr Gunderson made above. I have used Mobil gear oil (ISO460) to lubricate the open-complement-bearings which is a viscous, honey-style oil and that instantly makes it pleasing to use again. I did run across a bearing which went bad in a Vidmar once, but I have to think that was extreme abuse while non-lubricated.

I believe Vidmar does make an accessory, its a stamped sheetmetal channel which does the same work as your kick-plate. I have them on a few cabinets that I got.

Last thing would be to make sure the floor is level, in part of my shop the previous owner poured the floor with very slight slope towards a central floor drain, but this makes the cabinet slightly unstable on a few of the drawers on the edge of self-opening. This can get bad quickly, I used some aluminum shims to counteract and get back to level.
 

Hooterville

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Apr 9, 2021
Messages
82
Location
Northern California
I bought my first Lista this week (I also have 1 Equipto, 1 Vidmar, and 1 Bott-Kennedy). I have to say I really like the Lista over the others. Just last weekend I was sketching ideas to build a drill press stand and I found this Lista almost exactly the size I was planning. This mobile cabinet is 22-3/16" wide x 28-1/2" deep x 36" tall. Includes a side shelf and 3/16" steel top plate, and Colson 6"casters! I may paint the top and side shelf only. Maybe add a handle in the front.1.JPG2.JPG3.JPG4.JPG5.JPG6.JPG
 
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Hooterville

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Apr 9, 2021
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Northern California
Update: after posting the small Lista MP600 (my new drill press stand) I went back to the same shop in Oakland CA and purchased this beauty Lista SC750 (Lista label hidden in this pic by the handle). Both purchased within 2 days and both were very low price. This one is 28-1/4" Wide x 28-1/2" Deep and 43-1/4" tall with 6" Colson casters and butcher block top, and Lista handles. The butcher block is in rough shape and the only dent I see is front panel door. I purchased this one thinking I would resell it but I stayed up late last night playing with my garage layout (in Excel) and now I have a plan to rearrange items in my garage to make it work!

I am excited to have the large storage area underneath for storing future projects that are currently cluttering up my workbench. I will take more pics after I clean it up and free-up the roller bearings for the drawer.

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LXCam

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Apr 23, 2013
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AZ
Welcome to the GJ lista collection support group. It’s a damn good thing you kept that third cabinet or you’d have risked a permanent ban from this joint.

And one last thing. Be careful about mixing lista and excel, it can get out of hand PDQ.
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Hooterville

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Apr 9, 2021
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Northern California
You may be able to flip the top to expose a clean surface.
I like your idea to flip it. Especially after today: I scraped the surface with a razor blade and it did well in some areas but the dark spot is gummy-wet sawdust as if they spilled oil and it soaked into the wood. I will try orbital sander tomorrow to see what happens. My guess is it will need more material removed than I am willing to do with an orbital sander!

Hand plane is something I could try next, assuming I can get through the gummy stuff first. I would be nice to get sharper corners before I flip

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tarbellb

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I prefer a good card scraper when a top is in that condition

Grab some 16g steel or similar, put a heavy burr on the edges and go nuts
 

Hooterville

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Northern California
I scraped as "tarbellb" and "Pexto" suggested. I had a 12 x 12 x 3/8" plate that had two sharp corners/burrs where it was sheared. Heavy but it worked very well and gave me an upper body workout as a bonus! I then used a hand plane followed with an orbital sander. I succeeded in the goal to remove the majority of the gummy film on top.

Next step: before I cave to flipping it, I decided to build a router sled/fence and plane the surface down ~ 1/4". The sled is easy to build but now thinking about the best solution for rigging the fences. I ordered the router bit and it was expensive, but I figure buy once = cry once + risk hearing the wife complain more than once. So far she complained once.

Here is what it looks like after the scraping, hand plane, and some sanding with 80 grit. Takeaway: scraper is good, hand plane in the hands of a metal worker is not good, orbital sander not so good either. I am looking forward to the router method which, in my mind, is akin to a fly cutter on the mill and is more in my wheelhouse.IMG_0152.JPGIMG_0155.jpg
 
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rsanter

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visalia ca
I like your idea to flip it. Especially after today: I scraped the surface with a razor blade and it did well in some areas but the dark spot is gummy-wet sawdust as if they spilled oil and it soaked into the wood. I will try orbital sander tomorrow to see what happens. My guess is it will need more material removed than I am willing to do with an orbital sander!

Hand plane is something I could try next, assuming I can get through the gummy stuff first. I would be nice to get sharper corners before I flip

IMG_0148.JPG
Surface planer at the local high school,or college
 
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Recoveryman

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Aug 18, 2015
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Southern indiana
Clemson13: Congrats on a great score. You are fortunate that the drawers are not deep, that way you get more drawers. Deeper drawers are much easier to come by.
Recoveryman
 

tarbellb

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For the fences- remove the handles and simply clamp two parallel boards to the cabinet itself. May need to shim or use L shape to clear the wood top. Reference the bottom of the wood top for appropriate Z axis on your fences.
 

Hooterville

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Apr 9, 2021
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Northern California
For the fences- remove the handles and simply clamp two parallel boards to the cabinet itself. May need to shim or use L shape to clear the wood top. Reference the bottom of the wood top for appropriate Z axis on your fences.
Lol, we are thinking the same ...I thunk of it and then read your post hours later! I happen to have 2 pieces of Unistrut for the rails. I will secure angle iron with two 1/4-20 screws per side in front of cabinet, and in the rear of the cabinet I will use a bar/pipe clamp to the angle iron.

sketch courtesy of my brain, GJ member input, and Lagavulin 16!

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