Auto repair roll away idea

[bonneyman]

I want to float an idea past you guys that I've had rolling around my head for awhile. See if it makes sense, if you guys think it's do-able, maybe someone has done something like it.

I need a tool box to hold my auto repair stuff to make it easier to work on the cars. I have a 2 car garage separate from the shop, and when doing oil changes and minor repairs I'm constantly have to go back and forth to get a tool. I'm thinking of getting a bottom half of a roll away tool box - estate sale or Goodwill - and add a 2" butcherblock top to it. Have the top over hang the box on the two sides and the back by about 4 inches. If the total height comes out to about elbow level it should provide a great work top area. Plus all your tools are right underneath! Could roll it out to the street for the big work truck if need be.
Thinking fancy I though I could router a groove around the perimeter with a hole in the back leading to a container - to catch and funnel any small liquid spills.

What do you guys think?

 

[tslater1989]

I want to float an idea past you guys that I've had rolling around my head for awhile. See if it makes sense, if you guys think it's do-able, maybe someone has done something like it.

I need a tool box to hold my auto repair stuff to make it easier to work on the cars. I have a 2 car garage separate from the shop, and when doing oil changes and minor repairs I'm constantly have to go back and forth to get a tool. I'm thinking of getting a bottom half of a roll away tool box - estate sale or Goodwill - and add a 2" butcherblock top to it. Have the top over hang the box on the two sides and the back by about 4 inches. If the total height comes out to about elbow level it should provide a great work top area. Plus all your tools are right underneath! Could roll it out to the street for the big work truck if need be.
Thinking fancy I though I could router a groove around the perimeter with a hole in the back leading to a container - to catch and funnel any small liquid spills.

What do you guys think?

not bad, but for $170 you can buy a HF US General 5 drawer box, holds plenty of tools. load it up with cheap, secondhand or new store brand tools. I.E. HF, Tekton, Stanley. just my thoughts on it. I have that box at work, rolls around a 40,000 sq foot facility every day for the last 4 years.

 

[bradpac]

put some big wheels on it and it'd probably work really good.

 

[bonneyman]

I'd considered it for awhile now but recently saw a guy on U Tube make his own butcher block stock out of a bunch of exotic wood strips he'd saved over a couple of years. Alot of time planing and gluing but came out looking freaking nice and a fraction of the cost of ready-made butcher block.

 

[Doug Arthurs]

I don't have a butcher block top but my girlfriend received her fathers roll around. She keeps a few of his old tools in it and I will roll it out to the driveway with some tools of mine for a repair. Handy spot to set tools. Before this I was looking for an old school AV cart but they seem hard to find for a cheap price.

 

[gungatim]

not bad, but for $170 you can buy a HF US General 5 drawer box, holds plenty of tools. load it up with cheap, secondhand or new store brand tools. I.E. HF, Tekton, Stanley. just my thoughts on it. I have that box at work, rolls around a 40,000 sq foot facility every day for the last 4 years.

that's what I do, use the $99 black HF roll around cart in the house garage for spare set of tools so I don't keep having to walk to the shop. I find I end up doing quicky stuff like oil changes and what not right in the garage instead of dragging the wife's car over to the shop more and more. nice having a use for the cart and extra tools other than just in a collection.

 

[tslater1989]

that's what I do, use the $99 black HF roll around cart in the house garage for spare set of tools so I don't keep having to walk to the shop. I find I end up doing quicky stuff like oil changes and what not right in the garage instead of dragging the wife's car over to the shop more and more. nice having a use for the cart and extra tools other than just in a collection.

I love mine. I bought the side tray for it, not the strongest thing, but it does the job fine. If I really need to hammer on something or vise it up, I just go to the actual worktables set up. If he wants to keep it cheap, auctions and yard sales, pay attention for a plastic cart like this......

 

[bonneyman]

I love mine. I bought the side tray for it, not the strongest thing, but it does the job fine. If I really need to hammer on something or vise it up, I just go to the actual worktables set up. If he wants to keep it cheap, auctions and yard sales, pay attention for a plastic cart like this......

Yep, that's me. Cheap!

I was thinking a typical roll away as most have a metal lip around the tops' perimeter - and a piece of wood with a groove routered in the bottom would allow it to drop right onto that lip and make it stable. But if need be the top could be lifted off without much fuss.

 

[kbs2244]

I have a typical top tray 8x18 tool box that was all I had for years.
It had every tool I could cram into it inside.
It weighed well over 80 lbs.

When I finely got a shop, I got the 3 drawer end off an old "tanker" desk, put casters under it and a plywood top on it..

The drawers now carried the long and heavy stuff and the toll box was rolled ariund to wherever the work was,

That is much better than trying to bring the work to the tools,