The VINTAGE toolboxes of Garage Journal!

[lilredex]

Here are most of mine:

Beach upper and lower from early eighties.





Beach machinist's #201 and 207 probably from the sixties/seventies...........found on Kijiji a couple of years back.



And, a Gray combo, probably from the fifties.........also found on Kijiji this summer (with the help of others on here).









The doors lift off the hinges on that Gray lower box, and that flat box came inside one of the drawers along with a smaller box inside of it.

 

[PCO6]

lilredex - I'm a fan of Beach boxes too. You have a nice collection. I have the same top and intermediate boxes that you have and the shorter version of the roller cabinet that you have (see photo of my top and roller). Like you show, my top cabinet will fit on the intermediate and on the roller cabinet but the intermediate will not fit on the roller cabinet. One of my brothers has the same basic cabinet combination and they don't fit together either. There were some subtle changes made from time to time. The box corners were either square or rounded which either made them fit together ... or not.

I recently came across a good used short roller cabinet but it was the base model with the open cavity in the bottom. I figured I would take the 2 intermediate drawers and put them into the the good used roller cabinet but no luck - they weren't wide enough.

Beach boxes were good value for the money and could be picked up at Canadian Tire. They also sold indiviual drawers so you had some flexibility in how you finished off your box.

 

[johnnybentwrench]

Here are most of mine:

Beach upper and lower from early eighties.





Beach machinist's #201 and 207 probably from the sixties/seventies...........found on Kijiji a couple of years back.



And, a Gray combo, probably from the fifties.........also found on Kijiji this summer (with the help of others on here).









The doors lift off the hinges on that Gray lower box, and that flat box came inside one of the drawers along with a smaller box inside of it.

I love the grey combo. Great use of space.

 

[lilredex]

PC06...........actually doing a bit of fibbing here. I do have the Beach twelve on twelve, but no longer have that intermediate cabinet. I took it back (in the early eighties) when I experienced that non compatability that you out line. Something I regret to this day. Those are not my pictures, just some that are saved..........I couldn't get get in close to mine to get a clear shot......too much junk.

johnnybentwrench..........those drawers in the lower are a "unit" and can be moved around inside that cabinet. Hope to make more, with small drawers, to fill that empty space. It is on my "TO DO" list.

Here is the actual 12 on 12 I have.........excuse the mess, need a complete overhaul (of space) in my garage.

 

[PCO6]

lilredex - Funny you say that. I kept my intermediate cabinet and it's been a bit of a headache over the years. It's a good box but, because I couldn't use it with the other 2 peices, it's never found a permanent place in my garage. It's been part of a tool cart I fabricated, used as a recharge station for my cordless tools and even a "desk" for my computer. It's currently sitting on a shelf waiting for a new life of some sort.

 

[D50boy]

1967 "grey and red" boxes that I did a year ago. It used to belong to my dad. Wish I could find the keys to the locks. I remember seeing them 15 years ago, but no telling where they went!

 

[crewchief888]

1967 "grey and red" boxes that I did a year ago. It used to belong to my dad. Wish I could find the keys to the locks. I remember seeing them 15 years ago, but no telling where they went!

looks good

i think the red and gray CM boxes were the best looking boxes they had.
seemed like in the late 70's - early 80's the quality started to suffer.

 

[old salvage]

looks good

i think the red and gray CM boxes were the best looking boxes they had. ...

Agreed. The tools from that era are my favorite too.There was a beat to hell 6 drawer at the flea this fall. I should have grabbed it as a restoration project. Old too soon smart too late.

 

[bczygan]

I started reading this thread and realized I had a weird box that my wife bought me at a church sale for $9. Just went downstairs and realized it was a Waterloo. It seems to be a carpenters box as it has a slot near the end for a square to stick out of. Guess I'll have to refurbish it.

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Bill

 

[OSAO]

old SnapOn box

Here is my old (late 40's / early 50's) SO box. I use it for small stuff / clean stuff / electrical tools & supplies.

And my old Craftsman, which wasn't vintage when I bought it (top and bottom) brand new in 1988 (middle cab was bought in 1997)...

 

[crewchief888]

Agreed. The tools from that era are my favorite too.There was a beat to hell 6 drawer at the flea this fall. I should have grabbed it as a restoration project. Old too soon smart too late.

i snagged this 1970 dated CM top at a flea mkt for $25

 

[HookWorse]

An old SO box I have retired. Roll up door.

 

[lowbucktruck]

My Williams box. It had seen alot of use before I got it. Was originally red but got repainted Chevy orange some time back.

 

[SUHRsc]

I am not too sure of this box's original use... I found it at the Hershey PA swap meet this year, to use for my pinstriping supplies. Cleaned it up a bit and tried to letter it fitting the patina of the box.

 

[johnnybentwrench]

That pin striping kit is awesome, I love the box

 

[mkdive]

Here is my newest box

 

[flathead74]

That Toolmobile is about as cool as it gets. Do you have a top box to go with it?

 

[thelews]

The grey/red Craftsman was my father's and is original, unfinished. When he passed away in 2003, I took the box and tools. My dark grey Craftsman in the corner probably dates back to the later 70s. I've since added more boxes and pieces, but the original Craftsman stands as it is in the pic. The olive green unit on the bench is a fastener assortment and is an oldie of my dad's too.

 

[mkdive]

That Toolmobile is about as cool as it gets. Do you have a top box to go with it?

No, I wish I did! I will probably be on the hunt for the top for awhile!

 

[ZRX61]

I am not too sure of this box's original use... I found it at the Hershey PA swap meet this year, to use for my pinstriping supplies. Cleaned it up a bit and tried to letter it fitting the patina of the box.

Oddly enough, it looks like a SignWriters box...

 

[mkdive]

That is an amazing job on making the new lettering look dated & old. (Very well done)!

 

[off2aruba]

40's era Snap-on. It was free. PO had it in their front yard collecting rain water. It was / is beat up real bad. One of the drawer slides was bent to the point the drawer wouldn't open all the way. The locking hasp has been replaced, looks like it was brazed (goldish looking weld ). The same with one end of the lid.

I am waiting on parts, but I'll post more pics when its done.

 

[air]

My Snap On Roll Cab, KR557B. Craigslist purchase, I did the Rattle Can Job.

 

[Cliff McNeill]

Re: Vintage Antique Style 1939 Snap-On Tool Box, 1/2 Scale size by Snap On Tools

Vintage Antique Style 1939 Snap-On Tool Box, 1/2 Scale size by Snap On Tools

oooooo!!! That is pretty!!

 

[NJHandyGuy]

the red box was my dad's form 1978 older than me lol

 

[Tigwldr]

I am not too sure of this box's original use... I found it at the Hershey PA swap meet this year, to use for my pinstriping supplies. Cleaned it up a bit and tried to letter it fitting the patina of the box.

This resembles boxes that were made in the 60's for slot car racing. The original use was a tackle box for fishing.There were a couple of larger co. that made tackle boxes and the slot car racers took over them and started using them. I have several friends that still use boxes like that to race with today. There aren't many track around anymore.

If you would like for me to help you find some more info on it send me a PM.

A person that had a box like that in the 60's and in now older could be looking for one and willing to pay a lot of money for them.

 

[W650Mike]

Here are a couple of my vintage Snap-on boxes.

The K23 MechaniChest (on the C-Man stack) and the K77 Coaster Cab were stripped, primed and painted about a year ago. I used a single stage polyurethane Wanda automotive paint in an orange/red color. I know that the color is not original but I prefer it.

The K55 (?) was acquired later and as soon as I locate an appropriate KR420 intermediate chest I’ll strip and repaint them.

Enjoy!

 

[willy3486]

Here is a old Kennedy toolbox I just got in the last month. It had rust on it and the paint was gone enough that you couldn't save it. So I just redid it. I am not sure of the moodel , maybe c710. I found a one on ebay but forgot the number. I bought it trying to help a lady out selling her dads belongings. After he dad died another family member got his stuff and sold the best. She tracked it down and got the rest. Anyway I put it on my metal lathe to hold the stuff for it. So far it works good for what I need it for.

 

[W650Mike]

I’m not sure if it qualifies as vintage, but here is my very first tool box made by me in 9th grade metal shop – Spooner WI - around ’73 or ‘74

I was quite proud of it when I first built it – but later was embarrassed to show my friends. We would get together to ride and work on our dirt bikes; they would show up with their fancy store bought multi-drawer-flip-top boxes filled with shiny tools; me with a hand made box filled with hand-me-down tools. A lot has changed since then.

That little box has rolled around in the back of many pickups, and now holds my O/A torch and accessories.

 

[ironfist]

A old Bell Canada tool box I got for Christmas .

 

[ironfist]

Inside the Bell box .

 

[wxm]

Inside the Bell box .

Like those wrench rack. Where did you get them?

 

[ironfist]

They came with the Kobalt wrenches when you buy the set

 

[ironfist]

And the other Bell Canada tool box I got in the Fall .

 

[CoreyVanDine]

That thing is awsome, ive got the portable chest version out in the garage, but its beat.

An old SO box I have retired. Roll up door.

Retired? Looks good to me? Wanna sell it?

 

[sunny]

A few before and after shots of box a picked up at the flea market last summer. I am trying to build up a late 1940's-early 1950's collection of Snap on Tools to go in it.

 

[W650Mike]

I like your K-23 Sunny!

 

[lowbucktruck]

Sunny:

Nice job on bringing a classic toolbox back to life! I like the machine gray paintjob!

 

[sunny]

Here are a few shots of my vintage Hazet hand box that I picked up at the swap meet this summer. Building a collection of vintage hazet to go with it.

 

[CoreyVanDine]

Here's my "new to me" Snap On boxes. Top box is a 1967, Middle 1980, Bottom 1976, and the side box 1982. bottom box is a 'pit box' with a flip down storage compartment on the back. I got them several weeks ago. I started cleaning and prepping the top box for paint yesterday.