Metal Cabinets vintage or homemade and no name toolboxes. got any to show please do

[DaveT]

Old, so could be viewed as "vintage". Definitely "no name" as it appears to be homemade. Could be a "toolbox" although that might be a stretch. Regardless, it was too cool not to pick up.

It’s got a lot of nice character to it. It would look good sitting on any workbench. Nice find.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I missed out on this cabinet this morning by a few minutes apparently. These are military and were bolted on the bed of trucks. Probably 1950's. The wooden worktop flips up and there is a storage area under it. Inside the lid is a diagram of the drawer scheme. Really beat up and the base was rotted off. But still. Really nice to have. To add insult to injury, the buyer asked me if I would help him load it on his truck!

 

[Outlawmws]

Would something that large have fit the passage down to the lugzonian?

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I think so. It would've had to go through the Bilco, on its back, and end to end, but if it will make me feel any better, no, you're right, it wouldn't have fit.

 

[drivesitfar]

GENERAL FIREPROOFING really did make some very stout cabinets and this one has pretty long drawers too. I forgot to write down the dimensions of this 8 drawer cabinet, but a good guess is 42 tall, 29 deep and 22 wide.

the drawers open and close shut nicely and the big handles in front are actually levers to unlock and lock them in place.

LUG: i've seen a few of those old Military cabinets in person and had a chance to pick up a couple for not a ton of money, but I never had any place to put them. hope you find a good spot for it and i'm checking your new thread to see if you did or if you just used it as trading fodder for something better.

WRENCH: while i do like the look and style (very cool looking to say the least) of your old screw bin it wouldn't work for me mainly cause i don't have the space you do. best of luck with the repairs

hope you all have a great 2021

 

[Private Lugnutz]

LUG: i've seen a few of those old Military cabinets in person and had a chance to pick up a couple for not a ton of money, but I never had any place to put them. hope you find a good spot for it and i'm checking your new thread to see if you did or if you just used it as trading fodder for something better.

I did not buy it, Drives. I was a couple minutes late. Just posting the pics for information purposes. Good to see you pop in. I was wondering about you. I don't really get up on the other boards too often so if you've been busy elsewhere on GJ I wouldn't know it. Happy 2021!

 

[drivesitfar]

LUG: I do need to read your posts a bit better, but at the moment i'm practicing by reading your new thread (AWESOME BTW). i made a post on their a day or two ago you might not have seen cause you made a post about cleaning some tools at the same time. I'm loving your little museum and thanks for sharing. I don't think you would have been happy with that military cabinet even if you could get it in your museum cause as I recall it opens at the top.

I did take a 3 month break from GJ and just started reading threads and posting again a few days ago. feel free to click on the links of a couple threads I usually post on quite a bit. my DIY thread is in garage gallery and the Get Healthy thread in Free Parking. who knows you might learn to do something in the museum after reading a post of mine or take up Yoga so you can get down and up out of your cool basement when you're 90.

ALL: I forgot to take pics, but I will and post soon of some aluminum lockers I picked up that came from a Colonel's office that i'm trying to find a spot for. Kinda cool cause they might be 50+ years old and NO RUST.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

...or take up Yoga so you can get down and up out of your cool basement when you're 90.

I may need it. I am 60, my mother is 94, and I think my poor knees (originals) may have a harder time taking steps than hers. I've been thinking of getting a goat so I could do Goga.

 

[macgee]

GENERAL FIREPROOFING really did make some very stout cabinets and this one has pretty long drawers too. I forgot to write down the dimensions of this 8 drawer cabinet, but a good guess is 42 tall, 29 deep and 22 wide.

the drawers open and close shut nicely and the big handles in front are actually levers to unlock and lock them in place.


hope you all have a great 2021

Drives, Is that your General Fireproof in the pic and have we already spoken about this?

I have the exact same cabinet and it's awesome, I like it better than some of my Lista's and Vidmars. I've searched hard and never been able to find another example of it but Of course Drives has one. The long handle swivels up or down to unlock the drawer. Each drawer can hold a serious amount of weight with no problem.

Here's a couple of pics in the state I found mine in at the sellers location. It cleaned well and works awesome but no where near as nice looking as yours.

 

[drivesitfar]

MAC: i'm not sure if I posted it before I took a 3 months off from GJ, but i did just find/buy it this year. I agree it's a well built easy to use cabinet. Nice to see you own one and thanks for showing another way to divide up these huge drawers if i need to.

i'm guessing without any tools in it that it weighs close to 200 pounds?

ALL: I had a tall General fireproofing cabinet that was sort of like a file cabinet with 11 drawers, but each drawer had two big bins that could be removed and they didn't have the holes in their bottoms like some did. unfortunately that cabinet needed some welding done and I don't quite have that skill so when a guy stopped by needing a nice cabinet he offered a nice trade deal and it's his (and he was a welder so i'm sure it still in his shop).

i'm not sure how long General Fireproofing was in business so anybody here know and want to say?

 

[macgee]

Drives: Ive haven't been on this thread since maybe summer or longer so I missed it. Nice job acquiring it and I want 1st dibs on it if you ever decide to sell it.

Mine came out of the basement machine shop of the headquarters of UnoCal oil company (Union Oil Company of California) in downtown LA. The wood grids were made by UnoCal and were full of parts for building out their gas station stores.

The weight is more like 350lbs, mine had casters on it. I had to remove all the drawers just to be able to load the cabinet and each drawer alone weighed a ton. I went though each slider, cleaned them thoroughly and Tri-Flowed them and they now each drawer slides open and close with one pinky while fully loaded with over 100lbs of tooling. I love it, and to everyone else: Hands Off! I have called 1st dibs

 

[drivesitfar]

Mac: no kidding 350 pounds. well it's nice to know I can still move around heavy stuff cause I was thinking about 200 was what it weighed while I was putting it in and out of my Honda Pilot. that said i did remove the drawers so maybe the body of this cabinet only weighs 200.

I might need some tips on how to clean it up cause it is a bit filthy, but OMG yes the drawers move in and out with a finger even without cleaning and TriFlow.

i suppose you can work out a trade type deal and who knows I might let it go, but I REALLY LIKE IT TOO. We do need to take a drive down to So. CAL this next fall, but my wife has been involved in more than a few too many road trips for tools and trades plus it took up the entire back of my Honda Pilot with it's seats down that i sort of use like a pick up. (I do own a small trailer though)

thanks for the good words and now i'm looking for another one.

 

[Stillgottimefor1]

Got a bolt bin yesterday. A blessing with a curse: about eighty pounds of miscellaneous car parts and hardware. Gonna take a long time to sort out. Paid six dollars.


Sent from my iPhone using Garage Journal

 

[RTM]

I got a deal like that once, $40 for a cabinet full of stuff. $60 without the stuff. Sounds like you did better. I am still going through it, years later, as I need more drawer space.

 

[brute84]

Here are some after-and-before pictures of metal boxes I picked up in 2020. From the looks of them, the cabinets definitely had had a useful but hard life. From left to right, there is a Wards Quality Master, Waterloo, Kennedy, and a Craftsman. In an effort to make them more uniform, I substituted the original drawer pulls with pulls that I had picked up at a ReStore shop in Tampa. I also added metal casters from Home Depot. Now I just need to remember what I put in each drawer,

 

[mikeinri]

Wow, great transformation! I like the color scheme you chose for the group as well!

Mike

 

[ooba tooba]

Found this a couple days ago on marketplace for $50. I was guessing 1930s or possibly 40s but the inside is dated 1923. With stand it’s 30” tall. Cabinet alone minus stand and drawers weighs close to 80 lbs my back is telling me. Not sure what I’ll do with it yet exactly...

 

[ooba tooba]

Whoa. Closest thing I could find to it online

 

[Outlawmws]

Do you have the drawers?

with a Pat. date of '23, I'd guess Wartime or just pre wartime based on the OD paint.

 

[drivesitfar]

Brute: most of the cabinets in this thread are not old toolboxes cause the vintage toolboxes have a thread of their own. that said thanks for showing yours here cause even though a good percentage of members like original everything it is nice to see a well matched and restored wall all your favorite colors.

OOBA: I wasn't aware that SteelAge made these old ADDRESSOGRAPH cabinets (another name to google if you are searching for your missing drawer). I'm doubtful if that little cabinet would sell for $1400 even if restored but you did make a good purchase even if it's missing a drawer. I've never found a small one with the stand.

 

[DaveT]

Found this a couple days ago on marketplace for $50. I was guessing 1930s or possibly 40s but the inside is dated 1923. With stand it’s 30” tall. Cabinet alone minus stand and drawers weighs close to 80 lbs my back is telling me. Not sure what I’ll do with it yet exactly...

ooba tooba: That is a great looking cabinet. Nice find! Do you have the one missing drawer?

 

[RTM]

Whoa. Closest thing I could find to it online

I've found a few things there as reference, at 10-20x what I paid, and 5x what any reasonable person would pay, IMO. They had a $1200 file cabinet that I got for <$60, only minor cleaning required.

But yours is still very cool.

 

[ooba tooba]

Brute: most of the cabinets in this thread are not old toolboxes cause the vintage toolboxes have a thread of their own. that said thanks for showing yours here cause even though a good percentage of members like original everything it is nice to see a well matched and restored wall all your favorite colors.

OOBA: I wasn't aware that SteelAge made these old ADDRESSOGRAPH cabinets (another name to google if you are searching for your missing drawer). I'm doubtful if that little cabinet would sell for $1400 even if restored but you did make a good purchase even if it's missing a drawer. I've never found a small one with the stand.

Thank you! It appears 11 of the 18 drawers are original and 6 are the right size (21” deep) so I have 17 total.

 

[ooba tooba]

I've found a few things there as reference, at 10-20x what I paid, and 5x what any reasonable person would pay, IMO. They had a $1200 file cabinet that I got for <$60, only minor cleaning required.

But yours is still very cool.

Thanks! Yeah I have no illusion of selling it and making a grand. There is a shop in town that prices things like that. Some folks buy like that. Not many though.

 

[ooba tooba]

Do you have the drawers?

with a Pat. date of '23, I'd guess Wartime or just pre wartime based on the OD paint.

It’s interesting as I was loading it into the garage i noticed it was the same color as my Snap On salesman’s cabinet from the mid 20s. Popular color for a number of years.

 

[ooba tooba]

ooba tooba: That is a great looking cabinet. Nice find! Do you have the one missing drawer?

Thanks Dave! She didn’t have the missing drawer unfortunately. 6 of them are of a slightly different style but fit perfectly. So far online I haven’t found any that are these sizes. Still happy with the find!

 

[mikeinri]

Ooba: Nice find, that thing is in incredible shape! I wonder if you can have replica drawers made for it?

Mike

 

[outofbounds]

Something that showed up in the Detroit area overnight. Looks like they might have gone fast..... https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/405316733894649/?ref=browse_tab&referral_code=undefined

 

[drivesitfar]

OB: those Lyon (or some other quality vintage brand) are not the same as the STEEL AGE (or Addressograph) cabinet we've been talking about, but honestly I like the Lyon drawers better for storing heavy nuts and bolts and stuff.

that said I do like the look of the Addressographs better especially the bigger cabinet style like this 133 drawer one.

 

[ooba tooba]

OB: those Lyon (or some other quality vintage brand) are not the same as the STEEL AGE (or Addressograph) cabinet we've been talking about, but honestly I like the Lyon drawers better for storing heavy nuts and bolts and stuff.

that said I do like the look of the Addressographs better especially the bigger cabinet style like this 133 drawer one.

I have what looks to be the same 18 drawer unit as the one in his pic (the deep one on the stand with the shallow unit on top). And I would trade the unit I just picked up for one of those 5 drawer map/ flat file cabinets.

 

[mikeinri]

I think I found the mother of all metal cabinets, LOL...

FREEBIE from a cleanout at work!!!

Saved from the dumpster: A 5-foot tall, 3-foot wide, 1-foot deep stainless automation control panel.

Weighs an absolute ton. Took a lift table cart and a few guys to get it out of work and onto my trailer.

The long-term plan is to gut it out, and re-purpose as a storage cabinet in the garage. I'll gut it on the trailer to make it (slightly) less heavy. I don't know how much weight I'll get out, but I'm figuring there's a few pounds in that UPS near the top.

I won't move it alone, but my wife hurts herself every time she helps with anything. My kids are too small. And my neighbor got taken out by rescue over the summer after his back quit.

So, mechanical assistance will obviously be required. May be able to use the cherry picker. Worst case, I'll go back to work and borrow the lift table.

Over the winter, I'll mount it and put shelves into it. Part of my overall garage makeover.

The base is a separate piece, just rests on it. It's 2-inch square stainless steel tubing, has adjustable feet.

Funny thing is, everyone at work (except one guy) thinks I'm nuts for wanting this. I think they're all nuts for being willing to scrap it!

Last pic shows the cabinet on my (6x10) trailer. I put it on cardboard to make it (slightly) easier to slide around.

Mike

Well, after getting through the leaf (cleanup) and holiday seasons, the garage doors forced me into action. I had one dead opener, a broken spring on the other door, and they were both water-logged (20-year old cheap Masonite).

So, I finally cleaned out the garage (OK, 90%) so we could have the doors replaced. The long-term goal is to reorganize enough such that we can park one car and a tractor/snowblower in the 2-car garage.

Anyway, this weekend, I grabbed the lift cart from work, and along with some cardboard, 3 iron pipes, a hand truck, some blocks of 2x4, and with my wife's help, we got the panel off the trailer and into the garage. This was a huge victory, and I spent a LOT of time figuring out each step to minimize manual lifting.

It's currently resting on its original stainless frame, which I'll probably keep. I'd thought about trying to place it onto the foundation/ledge, and screw it to the wall (studs), but I couldn't think of a safe way to get it up there without finding at least 2 more guys.

Anyway, there's an 8-inch gap behind it (between the panel and studs). I need to get some lumber to fill the gap so I can secure the top to the studs so it doesn't fall and kill someone. I'll level it as well (the base has leveling feet).

Mike

 

[drivesitfar]

Mike: I love these old cabinets that sit off the ground on their own stands and stainless is very cool. any pics of the inside cause I can't recall what the space looked like? and are you going to build extra shelving or what are you going to store in it if you don't mind sharing?

ALL: any of you use a JOB BOX at home or work and want to mention your favorite type and/or brand?

I like the way Greenlee and Knaack are built, but Jobox has maybe a better locking system.

speaking of that before I try to find a thread or start one any of you know how to remove a combination master lock from a jobbox where you can't get at the shackle of the lock? I was thinking of just drilling through the guts of the lock and hoping it released it enough so I could remove the lock from the inside. I put in the combination and I think it is unlocked, but it sat too long so i'm guessing it's just needing a little extra pull. maybe before drilling grab a tool with a hook on it that I can maybe squeeze in the lock's hole and over the top of it to pull it a bit harder?

 

[jeffmoss26]

oof...good luck on that!

 

[mikeinri]

Mike: I love these old cabinets that sit off the ground on their own stands and stainless is very cool. any pics of the inside cause I can't recall what the space looked like? and are you going to build extra shelving or what are you going to store in it if you don't mind sharing?

Here's a pic of the inside. I never got around to gutting it. I'm planning to put some shelves in there, not entirely sure what I'll store in there, possibly miscellaneous cans and bottles of garage potions (carb cleaner, lubes, spray paint, etc.).

Mike

 

[drivesitfar]

MIKE: if welding isn't your skillset you might make a wooden cabinet to fit inside your cool stainless cabinet to hold all your flamables and liquids.

GOOD LUCK

JEFF: my first attempt before drilling out the lock will be to try and slip a sort of hooked tool (think bent screwdriver) over the main part of the combination lock and hopefully turn it inside the middle of the lock to pull the cylinder towards me to maybe get my jobox open without cutting it apart. the stuff inside it isn't worth a hole lot more than the box, but I'd still like to use some of it.

if you might know of any tricks to get a combination lock to spring open better do tell.

thanks

 

[Provincial]

Drives, have you soaked the lock with penetrating oil yet?

 

[drivesitfar]

Provi: thanks no I hadn't thought of that. Kroil ok on locks? or should I use TriFlo?

 

[Provincial]

I don't let Kroil sit in anything for long periods. If you are actively working on the lock, it should be just fine. I generally follow up Kroil with ATF. Liquid Wrench is good, too.

 

[ooba tooba]

Heads up on lots of storage near Strongsville Oh. FB marketplace

 

[mikeinri]

Thanks Drives. I honestly haven't had much time to think about how I'll build shelves, but now that it's in the garage, I'll need to start gathering ideas. Any and all are welcome! Welding is unfortunately not my thing, but I have a good local guy if needed.

As for the padlock, I'm not a locksmith, but have saved a few with various lubes over the years. As much as I hate WD40, I've even used that. Unless (even if?) your padlock has sentimental value, I wouldn't worry about hurting it.

Ooba: Nice find, wish I were closer!!!

Mike