Change drawers in C-man small rolling toolbox?

[NOMAD]

I have the bottom box with the four drawers. Two med sizes ones and then two really large ones. Other than piling tons of **** in the large drawers I don't see a use for them. Is there a way to get thin drawers to convert it into a more useful box or should I just look for a different bottom box for the future? it's a ball bearing rolling box.

 

[JRGSPE73]

I don't know of a way to do that, unfortunately...if the deep drawers had double slides, you could probably swap two shallow drawers for each deep one. However, I don't think I've ever seen a Craftsman box with double slides.

Other than that, you'd probably have to get additional drawer slides and find a way to attach them.

 

[Merkava_4]

Some boxes can have the deep drawers replaced with thin shallow drawers yes; but it depends on the box. The inner wall that the slides are attached to will have square cut-outs in the sheet metal; these square cut-outs are what the slides mount to. If the inner wall has multiple square cut-outs, then you can probably replace the deep drawers with shallow drawers like you want.

Post a link showing your box so that I can see what it looks like.

 

[Jbullfrog]

If the bottom drawer is 5" deep you can call Waterloo and order (2) 2" deep drawers and slides to swap them. I did this with the bottom drawer of my 40" top box when it was new. The catch with a base box is that the lock stip down the back may not have a tab to catch the extra drawer to lock it.

 

[NOMAD]

It's your basic 4 drawer
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00959299000P?keyword=four+drawer+ball+bearing
Looks like one slide per drawer.

 

[Merkava_4]

In order for you to do the swap, the shallow drawers would have to occupy the same space as the deep drawers they replace. . .

and. . .

the inside walls would have to have multiple square cut-outs (slots) to accommodate different drawer configurations.

 

[MAD]

If the bottom drawer is 5" deep you can call Waterloo and order (2) 2" deep drawers and slides to swap them. I did this with the bottom drawer of my 40" top box when it was new. The catch with a base box is that the lock stip down the back may not have a tab to catch the extra drawer to lock it.

As Jbulfrog stated, call Waterloo Industries. I have always received fast, friendly, competent service when inquiring about the toolboxes they make for Sears.


CORPORATE

Waterloo Industries, Inc.
P.O. Box 2095
100 E. 4th Street
Waterloo, Iowa 50703
Phone: 1-319-235-7131
Fax: 1-319-235-6408

Customer Service
Phone:
1-800-833-8851
Fax:
1-319-235-6408
Email:
[email protected]

Service Parts
Phone:
1-800-833-4405
Fax:
1-319-833-2350

http://www.waterlooindustries.com/index.asp

 

[Chris Adams]

Short answer. Yes.

Longer answer. I have one of those. You can 'mix' and match the drawers.
Problem is getting the drawers in the right color without paying full price for them.
The roller bearings cost a lot too. About twenty bucks a pair, but, get this, the shipping is also about twenty bucks a pair.

You can not use the really cheap roller bearing slides you can get on e-bay. I do have some 'american made' boxes with those cheap slides but you don't want to cobble them into the Craftsman box.

I may know a couple places you could buy drawers/slides from, scratch and ding sears places, but you would have to have them shipped.

 

[NOMAD]

I'd be interested in scratch and dent places as this is how I got all my boxes for cheap.

If I could pick up a mashed box for cheap enough I could salvage the drawers and slides to mix and match.

I'm also really interested in a full depth intermediate box as I quickly realized I don;t like the 12" versions. (I didn't have any boxes till a year ago and I'm already a snob, ha)

 

[Chris Adams]

Hi, just got back in.
I will PM you a couple places, if you don’t mind.
These places sell lots on e-bay, but I have found that if I contact them away from e-bay they make better deals.
On full tool boxes all three will NOT ship. Too many damaged units. But you may be able to get them to ship a drawer and rails. Or two or three drawers and rails.
On intermediates, I agree, deeper is better.

But I am really hooked on ball bearing drawers. One of my Black 3 drawer 18 deep is slide, don’t know why I bought it.


Watch the height on intermediates.
Mine run from 10-13 ¾ inches.
With a 20 inch top box on a 34 inch bottom it’s fine, but if you get any of the 41 inch bottoms it gets a little tall. And the one I have with a 50 inch bottom just can’t use an intermediate at all.



Toolboxes can be addictive….

This is my ‘wall o tools’.
There are more that don’t show, and there are others in other buildings.

 

[Merkava_4]

This is my ‘wall o tools’.
There are more that don’t show, and there are others in other buildings.

Holy freaking smokes.

 

[Phatsub]

Wow dude. Very impressive.

 

[Chris Adams]

Um, should I get a picture of ALL of it? I had to lean over the darn bench to get these.

Cheap setup compared to the guys with the big Snappy and Mac boxes, but I have upwards of 120 tool drawers and nothing over 18 inches deep. You see how close my truck has to park. A nice 24 inch box and I couldn't get into the dang garage.
Wish I could get a freestanding garage in the back, but with the shop and other things the city doesn't want me to build anymore stuff.
Still, I keep trying for an exception.

 

[rsanter]

I recomend you buy a replacement bottom box that has the drawer configuration you are looking for.
the box you have is very usefull to keep and use for a dedicated purpose. it can be used as the base for a power tool and hold accessories for the tool or the toolbox can be used for storage of specific diagnistic tools or nut/bolt staroage

bob

 

[Chris Adams]

I recomend you buy a replacement bottom box that has the drawer configuration you are looking for.
the box you have is very usefull to keep and use for a dedicated purpose. it can be used as the base for a power tool and hold accessories for the tool or the toolbox can be used for storage of specific diagnistic tools or nut/bolt staroage

bob

That is true. I have two of the 4 drawer units. Cordless saws, cordless Sawzalls, Oscilloscope (small Pentron unit) airless sprayers, Porter Cable buffer, sanders and grinders, all go nicely in the big drawers.

I considered replacing one of the 4 drawers but dang, that big bottom drawer is too handy.

Getting another box is probably cheaper.
Of course you could get like me and have no where to put another box...

 

[JRGSPE73]

the box you have is very usefull to keep and use for a dedicated purpose. it can be used as the base for a power tool and hold accessories for the tool or the toolbox can be used for storage of specific diagnistic tools or nut/bolt staroage

wow...i can't believe i never thought of that. I've been looking for something decent to put my 10" mitre saw on. I currently have a non-mobile Craftsman benchtop power tool base, which works, but is a b*tch to move around, so I've been looking for a decent mobile base (other than just slapping some casters on the existing stand). That's a damn good idea

Of course, ideally, i'd have a "real" mitre saw stand, but my garage is far too small for that right now.

 

[rsanter]

over the years I have upgraded to progressivly larger toolboxes, but I have always found the older smaller toolboxes still too valuable to get rid of.
if you have the room to keep it, you will make good use of it.

bob

 

[JRGSPE73]

And by the way, Chris - how the hell do you find anything in all of those boxes?

 

[youm0nt]

Um, should I get a picture of ALL of it? I had to lean over the darn bench to get these.

YES!!

 

[Aggressive1]

I see you were wanting to change out drawers, and I saw mention of looking on ebay for bearing slides which I found. But where do you get the drawers from? I found this post when searching for supplier of drawers so I can integrade some drawers into a rolling bench and welding cart. So I just want bare drawers (and get slides from ebay) or drawers and slides. Does anybody know of any sources?

 

[Chris Adams]

I see you were wanting to change out drawers, and I saw mention of looking on ebay for bearing slides which I found. But where do you get the drawers from? I found this post when searching for supplier of drawers so I can integrade some drawers into a rolling bench and welding cart. So I just want bare drawers (and get slides from ebay) or drawers and slides. Does anybody know of any sources?

Contact the scratch and ding guys on e-bay. They will sometimes sell you a drawer by itself, or a badly smashed up unit.
They get them in container loads and until they open the container they don't know what they have. They keep some of the broken parts to rebuild other tool boxes but sometimes they will sell just a section for a cheap price.

 

[NOMAD]

I'm on hold for now as I'm building cabinets and will do a shed out back in the spring.
I guess I need to stop getting tools and start using them!

I have three steel filing cabinets that I store a decent amount of stuff in so I can't justify a new/revised box just yet.