The VINTAGE toolboxes of Garage Journal!

Bill Ramsey · Jul 8, 2015

Smokeshow69 said:
I checked my waterloo box dated '74 as well as my grey and red craftsman box dated '72. They both use the short clips. The clips I need are the long clips. They physically look similar but are longer. I tried using the small clips on my dad's box slides and they did not work because they where to short. I was hoping someone had some? This box I need clips for should be a '78 or '79...

For reference, I have that same Craftsman top chest you describe in Post 4595, dated '78. It's 1.5 inches from the front of the slider to the square hole, same as on my '82 (Waterloo) Matco. Although the Craftsman clip folds back on itself about 3/8 inch before inserting into the square hole, the front-to-hole dimension is the same on both boxes and the clips interchange.

I was able to get new clips from Waterloo about six months ago.

As zkling suggested, a picture of yours against a scale would help us help you.

Bill Ramsey · Jul 8, 2015

Bill Ramsey said:
For reference, I have that same Craftsman top chest you describe in Post 4595, dated '78. It's 1.5 inches from the front of the slider to the square hole, same as on my '82 (Waterloo) Matco. Although the Craftsman clip folds back on itself about 3/8 inch before inserting into the square hole, the front-to-hole dimension is the same on both boxes and the clips interchange.

I was able to get new clips from Waterloo about six months ago.

As zkling suggested, a picture of yours against a scale would help us help you.

The bottom clip here came from the '78 Craftsman (red and charcoal) 10-drawer chest.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk

Onedivinehammer · Jul 8, 2015

drivesitfar said:
ODH: thanks for the post and how do you like the creeper wheels on your Huot box or do you just leave it in a certain spot?

That set, I have the top box with the roller, is stationary for me. I don't ever really move it, aside from sweeping underneath. What color Huot badge is yours? I think the newer ones (maybe late 60's, definitely 70's) are silver. Mine are red. Well, the roller is still. The top one was red when I bought it, but upon first cleaning I accidentally wiped the color away.

taumac · Jul 8, 2015

While we are discussing clip and talks of replacement and making your own. I found a simple way of keeping the drawer in place.
This is my 86 craftsman with the top clip.

Now say you didn't have a clip you could use a zip tie or cable tie.

What your trying to do is to make a stop

Now make a bend at the end of the tie

And feed it through like this

And zip it down and

it keeps drawer from out too far off the slide and you still retain full drawer extension.

Same idea will work for others as well
My 1965 9 drawer.

My 1970 3 drawer bottom

The zip tie idea works on all 3 slides with 3 different clips.

beatcad · Jul 8, 2015

taumac said:

good tip man.

not sure about the top one, but the bottom clip is still available.
it was maybe 2 years ago. i had a proto/waterloo bult box that had one clip missing and one broken. a bunch of phone calls and a few emails w/ pix to waterloo i got a part #.
if i remember correctly i couldnt buy it from them, but they gave me a part # so i could order them from grainger.
i believe they were about 2 bucks each.

taumac · Jul 8, 2015

beatcad said:
good tip man.

not sure about the top one, but the bottom clip is still available.

it was maybe 2 years ago. i had a proto/waterloo bult box that had one clip missing and one broken. a bunch of phone calls and a few emails w/ pix to waterloo i got a part #.

if i remember correctly i couldnt buy it from them, but they gave me a part # so i could order them from grainger.

i believe they were about 2 bucks each.

Thanks, I don't like the top one myself cause seems like you have to remove whole clip to get drawer out still. When you pry it up it still hits the stop at least on mine that seems like the case. The bottom one a prefer cause I can remove the drawer without removing the clip plus don't need a screwdriver to do it.

Bill Ramsey · Jul 8, 2015

beatcad said:
not sure about the top one, but the bottom clip is still available.

That top clip is the one I got from Waterloo about six months ago.

taumac said:
Thanks, I don't like the top one myself cause seems like you have to remove whole clip to get drawer out still. When you pry it up it still hits the stop at least on mine that seems like the case.

I use a screwdriver to pry it out of the square hole and then just move the tip of the clip over a little so it rests on the slider. No need to remove it.

zkling · Jul 8, 2015

taumac said:

What tool box is that on? The drawer faces look red, but that side shot sure looks kennedy crinkle brown?

taumac · Jul 8, 2015

Bill Ramsey said:
That top clip is the one I got from Waterloo about six months ago.

I use a screwdriver to pry it out of the square hole and then just move the tip of the clip over a little so it rests on the slider. No need to remove it.

Maybe it's just mine I usually do that on my others but when I do it on that 86 it seems to get caught.

ZRX61 · Jul 8, 2015

I was missing one of those small black clips on one of my boxes. Took about 1 minute to make a new one from a piece of sheet metal using tin snips & a hammer.

taumac · Jul 8, 2015

zkling said:
What tool box is that on? The drawer faces look red, but that side shot sure looks kennedy crinkle brown?

Good eye. It's a industrial craftsman I've been told cause it's a 1.5 inches taller and 29 inch wide using the standard size craftsman drawer.

I did a outside paint job to match my gray/ red boxes

You can see size difference when compared to normal bottom.

taumac · Jul 9, 2015

ZRX61 said:
I was missing one of those small black clips on one of my boxes. Took about 1 minute to make a new one from a piece of sheet metal using tin snips & a hammer.

Oh Okay. Never thought of trying to make one myself. I went the easy way with cable tie.

zkling · Jul 9, 2015

taumac said:
Good eye. It's a industrial craftsman I've been told cause it's a 1.5 inches taller and 29 inch wide using the standard size craftsman drawer.

I did a outside paint job to match my gray/ red boxes

Ah, that makes sense, I was scratching my head for a moment there. I think those were a direct competition from craftsman (waterloo) for the Kennedy 29" boxes. AFAIK Kennedy is the only one that really stuck with the 29" box.

taumac · Jul 9, 2015

zkling said:
Ah, that makes sense, I was scratching my head for a moment there. I think those were a direct competition from craftsman (waterloo) for the Kennedy 29" boxes. AFAIK Kennedy is the only one that really stuck with the 29" box.

I've only seen a few of those brown craftsman. They are buried on this thread somewhere. I got it off Craigslist and from writing on it its spent its life in medical field and also found medical supplies that fallen behind the drawers.

nine4gmc · Jul 9, 2015

I had a brown craftsman machinist box in the 526 style but it was much more flimsier than a Kennedy.

zkling · Jul 9, 2015

Yea, they tried and I think they found out Kennedy had that market cornered. :lol_hitti

taumac · Jul 9, 2015

nine4gmc said:
I had a brown craftsman machinist box in the 526 style but it was much more flimsier than a Kennedy.

I have 2 machinist boxes 520's Both crown top craftsman one in hammertone and one in Kennedy brown. In my case the hammertone one was finished better the the brown one even through they where different generations of the crown logo.

I actually have 4 now.
One 520 crown craftsman in hammertone.

One 520 crown craftsman in brown.

One 520 Kennedy

One 526 crown craftsman

All these I believe Kennedy made cause it does have the Waterloo bumps next to the lock. One really difference I seen is where the knobs attach and holes in drawer where those knobs attach

zkling · Jul 9, 2015

Some of the craftsman ones were built by kennedy, others (the not so sturdy ones) were built by waterloo.

drivesitfar · Jul 9, 2015

Taumac: thanks for the tip with the Zip tie because i have a couple top boxes that are missing their stops.

ALL: I can't find any name or markings on this carry box. it does have an interesting tray on top that is either made for huge sockets or maybe small nails and do dads. anybody have one like it?

twertsy · Jul 9, 2015

Drives, I'm going with "do-dad's" simply because they don't increase in size incrementally.

beatcad · Jul 9, 2015

drives- i'm w/ twertsy.
definitely storage for do-dads or maybe ge-gaws.
the spacing is to large for whatchamacallits or thingamajigs :lol_hitti

i dont think i'm "old", but the other day at work i used the word cattywampus(properly in sentence) and 2 coworkers looked at me like i was a weirdo.

Outlawmws · Jul 9, 2015

Drives, I've seen trays setup like that for fasteners or nails so they are easier to pick out (vs. little bits tucked in corners) it could also be for hole saws or large sockets, but is there lid clearance for something round?

Outlawmws · Jul 9, 2015

Beat, "cattywampus" = Old fart talking... :evil:

drivesitfar · Jul 9, 2015

Beat and Outlaw: we could change it to **** eyed instead of cattywampuss. or would that not be politically correct?

i just stuff a bunch of P & C wrenches and ratchets in the box for now and i tried sockets, but do dads and bits and pieces is probably what the tray was made for.

ALL: i found another one of the mystery tool boxes on CL tonight with a small price of only $160, but it does have the tray that i have and most of the other boxes don't. any clues where these boxes were made or by who or are we still leaning towards a tractor's tool box or a class project?

Outlawmws · Jul 10, 2015

Drives, as many as have surfaced by now, I certainly am leaning to something "Mass Produced" but probably not highly produced, so a tractor box is certainly an option. finding one ON a tractor, or at least a frame on a tractor that fit the box would certainly help ID it's origins...

drivesitfar · Jul 10, 2015

Outlaw: the gal selling the one i just posted mentioned she heard the box was made in the 1920's. maybe one of us will find it in a tractor ad some day.

i'll let you know if i find out any more information. in the meantime mine is packed with old Ford wrenches and it might weigh close to 100 pounds now.

beatcad · Jul 10, 2015

i aint gonna look it up but i know cattywampus means askew/missaligned/crooked.
how do i know this? maybe from steinbeck or twain or hemingway or my dad :beer:

i had one of those "coffin" carry boxes but it was trashed so i gave it away.

drivesitfar · Jul 10, 2015

Beat: i'm sure you are correct and probably where i heard it too. to smash these "coffin" boxes as you call them you would probably have to run over it with a truck. i loaded mine up with about 100 pounds of wrenches and I've moved it several times and the latch and box are stout.

cheers

smschriefer · Jul 10, 2015

What the heck, I'll play too and add my coffin box to the mix. I've had it for 2-3 years now and picked it up for $5 at a yard sale. It has the tray with it. The previous owner thought it was from his dads old car, but he didn't know brand, or any other specifics. It is a stout little box, but mine is dented on the top just a little (easy fix). I think they are production boxes as the quality seems consistent for those I have seen.

smschriefer · Jul 10, 2015

Here is a person selling one on Etsy that she calls a cemetery grounds keeper tool box from the 1920's and has a funeral receipt with it. No idea if she added the receipt to give it a morbid appeal? Only $175!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/195203...u-EB786gwRKORisT3FcgMgQBq__7BWNV44aAsQX8P8HAQ

Onedivinehammer · Jul 10, 2015

Etsy, the true junkyard-to-gold site.

bagged89s10 · Jul 10, 2015

Onedivinehammer said:
Etsy, the true junkyard-to-gold site.

I love selling on etsy. You just have to find the right item.

MattVette89 · Jul 11, 2015

Was cleaning the garage today so I snapped a few pics:

My dad bought this for me used from a friend in 1999. It's been poorly repainted, but very functional. I've used it ever since then.

This is my beat up box I use for plumbing stuff:

Got this guy in a purchase a few months ago, haven't found a use for it yet. Very poorly repainted:

srr · Jul 12, 2015

The twins! Bought the one on the left in 1990 full of tools for 1K.

twertsy · Jul 12, 2015

drivesitfar said:
Beat: i'm sure you are correct and probably where i heard it too. to smash these "coffin" boxes as you call them you would probably have to run over it with a truck. i loaded mine up with about 100 pounds of wrenches and I've moved it several times and the latch and box are stout.

cheers

My brain may be going cattywumpus but I swear I remember those boxes on my great uncle's farm tractors. I think I have one of those boxes floating around here somewhere. Did I get that from you Beat? Don't recall but I think it's black.

jakemac · Jul 12, 2015

srr said:
The twins! Bought the one on the left in 1990 full of tools for 1K.

Twins ?

?
Like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito ? :lol:

drivesitfar · Jul 12, 2015

SRR: not exactly identical twins but i guess they came from the same mother. nice looking old SO's and probably have some cool tools inside them too.

also noticed you are a new member so welcome to the group and hope to see a few more of your posts. ask questions if you have any and always post pictures if you can.

cheers,

Matt: those older Craftsman carry boxes seem to be around and always get used. i have a hand carry older Craftsman i use daily and it's built like a tank. I've posted picture of it before, but here's one for you to keep a lookout for to add to your collection.

Twertsy: post a picture if you can of the black mystery box and find a relative to confirm where it might have come from if they know.

sgs236 · Jul 14, 2015

Picked up my first Craftsman heritage logo tool box at a yard sale for two dollars. Box is a shade over 12" long and a shade under 7" tall, and 6" deep. Box is dirty, but the metal is nice and straight. It was full of buffing supplies. I thought the Long C buffing compound was pretty cool.

Outlawmws · Jul 14, 2015

Cool box! it once held a hand drill. that buffing compound bar and original box is a very cool find! I'd say at least 75 years old!

twertsy · Jul 14, 2015

drivesitfar said:
SRR: not exactly identical twins but i guess they came from the same mother. nice looking old SO's and probably have some cool tools inside them too.

also noticed you are a new member so welcome to the group and hope to see a few more of your posts. ask questions if you have any and always post pictures if you can.

cheers,

Matt: those older Craftsman carry boxes seem to be around and always get used. i have a hand carry older Craftsman i use daily and it's built like a tank. I've posted picture of it before, but here's one for you to keep a lookout for to add to your collection.

Twertsy: post a picture if you can of the black mystery box and find a relative to confirm where it might have come from if they know.

Drives: I have one exactly like your Cman box but it contains a 1/2" drive Walden set I got in trade from Beat.

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