Excelsior Tooling Company

[woodrail]

Love seeing these cabinets. They were the inspiration for the Rocket Shop construction.

 

[DynoDave]

Outstanding.

 

[excelsior tooling company]

Hey guys, just posted this on the HAMB.Hopefully answer any questions.

Hey guys, thanks for all the comments and feedback and thanks go to Ryan for the write up and support since we broached the idea with him. We, and i include my partners in this venture are dedicated hands on hotrodders, we generally have a passion for anything old and cool.
Since first becoming aware of these cabinets they have been a all consuming passion, and the search was on in earnest to find one. It became apparent that not only were these hard to find but when they did turn up they were well and truly roached. We looked at restored ones and they were going for 20k plus that put it way out of our budgets.We started exploring the idea of reproducing these, a no small feat due to the many curves and compound shapes that make these so unique. So, to clear up a few concerns, these are not made in China but made in Australia using Aussie steel.
We re designed the cabinets so they can grow and change to suit tastes and budget or build up to a complete unit.
Keep throwing questions fellas and i'll attempt to answer your questions.
Ps we did have a few web site gremlins overnight but all sorted now.

 

[excelsior tooling company]

Are folks prepared to pay 'top dollar' for a beautifully designed, well made, tool cabinet?

Oh yes! Guys like me almost crave a return to the era when as much work was put into the design of tool cabinets and garage equipment as it was to the vehicles themselves! That's the reason old Blackhawk sells for so much!

The big question is ... where are they made? If they are designed as well as they seem to be, are made as well as they look, and made in the U.S.A, then these things are probably going to end up on the wish list of just about every GJ subscriber! We're all realists here, and know what it costs to manufacture in the U.S.A. but that's o.k.

If, on the other hand, these things are being knocked up on the cheap in the Far East, then they are not quite what they purport to be, and you only have to read these forums to realise that this is not what enthusiasts want, or are prepared to pay for!

Made in Australia.

 

[excelsior tooling company]

They look fantastic.

Functionally, the rounded edges waste a lot of space inside and out, and they are going to be fragile cosmetically.

The price is above anything else I've seen. The bench is listed at over $1000, which even with premium materials and build quality seems awfully steep for something I might be hitting with a hammer.

16 gauge steel for cabinets, 12 gauge for bench top. Pound away!!

 

[DynoDave]

Thanks for joining and posting this info. Good to hear it straight from the manufacturer.

 

[excelsior tooling company]

Here's some pics of our demonstration cabinet, if anyone is in the LA area over the weekend we'll have it on display at the Grand National Roadster Show over the weekend.

 

[LXCam]

I'll be there and am looking forwards to checking these out.

Best regards, Cam

 

[James E]

Thanks for the answers and pics.

“Made in Australia” is something I don’t see very often in my neck of the woods.

Interesting.

 

[MrSurly]

I'm betting that you'll find that most folks around GJ are proponents of 'Made in USA' and would lose interest (given the pricing) if this were from, say, China.
"Made in Australia" however, seems surprisingly welcome to my mind...almost exotic.

Probably best to be specific when it comes up, don't ever call 'em "imported".

 

[Crossfire05]

Thanks for the answers and pics.

“Made in Australia” is something I don’t see very often in my neck of the woods.

Interesting.

That is so cool! It makes me want to but one. I try to never purchase anything from China that I can avoid (Milwaukee exception). I know that some think that is silly when you consider that its hard to avoid today. I have seen in my own life how the engineering jobs left our country so that corporations could reap huge profits. These cabinets look great! I would still like to see the quality of the interior (pics not clear). I sincerely hope that this venture is a success, not only for the fact that its not made in China but that it seems to be quality (something lacking today).

 

[Falcon67]

I build 351 Cleveland engines so there is a lot of "Made in Australia" around here LOL. Aussie's kick **** in the hot rodding world. If the continents would just drift closer together we'd save a ton on shipping. Only cost effective way to get from there to here is container full ocean freight.

 

[Stooge]

Takes a lot for me to be in awe of something, but these are absolutely beautiful! I've always been a big fan of pre-war, industrial, art deco, and these seem to hit the nail on the head, and really look the part and sound pretty stout. The website is working for me as far as seeing the different color selections, and it looks like theres even a 5% discount code on their site now.

I wish Thommo and company the best of luck in this, and its very cool to see someone making stuff like this!

 

[Toolman12]

Thank you for posting this. These are beautiful love the retro art deco.

 

[Dave455]

Hey guys, just posted this on the HAMB.Hopefully answer any questions.

Hey guys, thanks for all the comments and feedback and thanks go to Ryan for the write up and support since we broached the idea with him. We, and i include my partners in this venture are dedicated hands on hotrodders, we generally have a passion for anything old and cool.
Since first becoming aware of these cabinets they have been a all consuming passion, and the search was on in earnest to find one. It became apparent that not only were these hard to find but when they did turn up they were well and truly roached. We looked at restored ones and they were going for 20k plus that put it way out of our budgets.We started exploring the idea of reproducing these, a no small feat due to the many curves and compound shapes that make these so unique. So, to clear up a few concerns, these are not made in China but made in Australia using Aussie steel.
We re designed the cabinets so they can grow and change to suit tastes and budget or build up to a complete unit.
Keep throwing questions fellas and i'll attempt to answer your questions.
Ps we did have a few web site gremlins overnight but all sorted now.

Guys at Excelsior -

Firstly - congratulations on going for this project! Though I realise you probably have doubts and concerns about your new venture, you are creating something 'aspirational' that I believe many people will want for years to come! Just give us all time to save up!

Secondly, I'm delighted you are enthusiasts! In my experience of manufacturing, the enthusiast will always trump the businessman, as the enthusiast will always get the product right!

Finally, I'm delighted these are not made in China! Country of origin is important, as it's the best indicator of quality we have. (And we don't mind paying the money, so long as we can see where it's gone). Made in Australia is great 'out of the box' thinking that few firms would have come up with. I have no problems with this at all, and hope to become one of your customers!

 

[PT Doc]

Interesting look. Unique for sure. Price is difficult to swallow compared to other lines. 6k would buy 30 Newage Pro cabinets. I guess getting a line up and running is hugely expensive. Might appeal to the older guys that like the vintage look. Maybe I shouldn't have posted.

 

[James E]

If the continents would just drift closer together we'd save a ton on shipping.

Be careful what you wish for. I'd love to visit Australia and while the distance has kept me from doing so, keep in mind that if Australia floated closer to the US, it would bring with it a bunch of venomous snakes, spiders and great white sharks. No thanks!

And who knew, but looking it up just now, it appears that the duck-billed platypus is venomous, too! Even the cute Australian animals will kick your ****.

From Wiki:
Australia is home to two of the five known extant species of monotremes and has numerous venomous species, which include the platypus, spiders, scorpions, octopus, jellyfish, molluscs, stonefish, and stingrays. Uniquely, Australia has more venomous than non-venomous species of snakes.

 

[Toolfool]

Beautiful products ! Add shipping cost and they become more unobtainable. In the meantime, these will go on my "someday" list.

 

[firebirdparts]

Outstanding.

Costs are on excelsiortoolingco.com (if I spelled that right)

 

[ollie]

These are terrific and if I had the money I'd buy one. I've been looking for an original Alemite, Graco, Shure, Natkin, Sioux, Kent Moore, or Lincoln cabinet for ages without success.

I've seriously thought of making one myself and found the dimensions somewhere online, it's only the curves that would require a lot of shaping... the rest is flat sheetmetal work.

Wish Excelsior best of luck this weekend and going forward, there's plenty of wealthy folks out there that would love to get one of these...

 

[LaneRover]

Cabinets look great . . . but do they come shipped in excelsior?

ex·cel·si·or
ikˈselsēər/Submit
noun
used in the names of hotels, newspapers, and other products to indicate superior quality.
"they stayed at the Excelsior"
NORTH AMERICAN
softwood shavings used for packing fragile goods or stuffing furniture.

 

[Mr. D]

I could build a garage for what those things cost. I'm out.

 

[ptgarcia]

Totally bitchin! Definitely not for the every-day-man (I'd have to sell one of my kids to afford them), but sweet nonetheless!

 

[Hephaestus29]

I like the art deco look but the prices
are rediculous. All the antique cars seem
to distract you from the product too.
I like more bench space than closet style
space, but maybe that's why my work
surfaces are always full of stuff, I don't
have enough storage.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

Beautiful stuff, indeed, but I'm so money, wall and floor space limited that they just won't ever find their way into my little garage. If I had a shop and some real dough, I'd have them.

Tommy

 

[bluebolt]

These are gorgeous. Would love to build a garage/man cave around these.

 

[n20junkie]

Cool idea, but like most, the price limits the customer base to the obscenity rich who happen to like cars as well. Thats a pretty damn small subset of the population.

 

[cazin678]

OMG take my money!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Xporter]

These look awesome, I see these as functional pieces of art.

 

[356vintage]

These are beautiful and do have a place in my garage. I've been looking for one of the original types for years but they've become very difficult to find. Let's remember that quality in materials and craftsmanship does cost more than mass produced tool cabinets that are made for, well.... the masses.
These are unique and something new to the marketplace.
Congratulations guys on the concept and guts to go for it.
Just invest in a well healed web site showing lots of details, and you'll quickly see more activity and less nay sayers.
Good luck on your venture.

 

[kelpaso1]

I'll be there and am looking forwards to checking these out.

Best regards, Cam

Well??? did you make it there? Pics?

 

[Alienbaby17]

It looks like 2018 will mark they year that two products on my, “Why doesn’t anyone build these now?” list will finally go back into production. First it was skip-tooth bicycle chains and now these.

Beautiful! If the build quality matches the appearance then I don’t think their price is that out-of-line. My current KRL series Snap-On box at work would cost me over $11K to replace, and that’s not counting the contents. I’m not going to pretend this could replace that but at half the cost for a (hopefully) quality built product not made in China it doesn’t seem unreasonable.

Everyone seems to want quality products but at made in China prices. You can’t have it both ways.

I’ve been looking for originals for years. I finally found one at a swap this summer. It was complete but in rough shape. The guy was asking around $2500 for it and it sold within a few hours. Factor in the time, money and effort that guy would spend to get that looking as nice as these and the price doesn’t seem so ridiculous to me.
That said, sadly it is definitely not in the budget for me anytime soon.

I wish them well. I think this is super cool!

 

[Dzlpete]

Agreed, the looks are great. However, the website is sorely lacking any detailed pics and especially interior layouts, etc.... Looks like you get a shiny box, but , what can that box do, what can it store, what is it's function???
Art is one thing, usefulness is quite another.
I'm not bashing, but the website as it stands now is almost devoid of any good info- you got a half dozen styles, about a half dozen colors, and some pricing.
Lets see some construction detail, lets see some storage benefits- I don't wear a robe, and wouldn't in a garage, like the pic shows- makes me think its a wardrobe closet-
I thought it was supposed to be a tool cabinet???
It's great that your jumping into the market, but WHAT are you selling?

 

[Ridge Runner]

I could build a garage for what those things cost. I'm out.

Knock yourself out.

While not ideal, I think the price is quite reasonable considering the quality, shipping, new start-up costs, etc. The only thing that will keep me from buying one is the lack of usable space. Last year, I was looking into duplicating Alemite cabinets, and would gladly pay for a quality cabinet that saves me from having to make my own. However, if I'm spending that much money, it has to be functional. That means drawers. As beautiful as the opening doors are, they just don't work well for tool storage.

How about a cart in this style? It would probably be affordable for a lot of people, relatively easy to make, look sharp, and be functional in a modern garage!

 

[LXCam]

Well??? did you make it there? Pics?

Nooo, my daughter changed up the 2nd Bday plans for my grandbubby and we went to the monster truck event this weekend instead of next week as originally planned. That sucked only because I planned on taking him with me to the roadster show too.

 

[excelsior tooling company]

Thank you all for the feedback so far and i will try and answer most of the questions posed. From the outset and initial planning of our cabinets our goal was to provide people with another option to have a service merchandiser (correct name) in their home shop, games room etc without searching far and wide, often without success for an original.

We designed our cabinets to similar dimensions and functions of the original ones, but, incorporating modular design enabling the ability to expand, change, etc to the desired combination of the user.

The steel we used is a heavier gauge than the original units, 16 gauge on the cabinets and 12 gauge bench top, we designed these to last. Powder coat finish is standard. There is considerable work involved in creating the compound curves, we feel this is worth it as it represents the beautiful art deco period of the time.

As a mechanic by trade i understand the need for tool storage, we are working on different options to include a roll cabinet and/or draws.

I have had a number of questions regarding shipping, the prices shown on our website include shipping from Australia to Long Beach, we are currently in discussions with a number of logistics companies for internal shipping to the lower 48 and Canada.

We are continually reviewing and refining our website and hope to include further detailed pictures of our cabinets soon.

This has been a labour of love for myself and my 2 partners, our aim is to bring style, function and quality back to manufacturing, dispensing with the throw away, poor quality items and providing a product that will last a lifetime.

Once again, thanks for the feed back and keep posting the questions, ill do my best to respond.

Mark

 

[Dzlpete]

Ok, now I understand.
It is not a toolbox type setup.
It is metal storage cabinetry.
The name of your company suggests the idea of toolboxes, or tool storage, but that is not it at all.
It appears others here, including myself thought they were toolboxes.

 

[Dzlpete]

The other suggestion I would give in regard to the website is, if you want to sell in the US, it would serve you well to do the dimension pages in better detail, in IMPERIAL measurements.
Mostly, we don't do metric here, and don't want to do metric.
Having to write down the millimeters, then go find a chart, then convert, to understand the sizes will turn people away.
American's are somewhat lazy, and set in their ways.
I could see an expansion to a retro kitchen cabinet line being a huge boon to your efforts so far.

 

[A**holes Garage]

Thank you all for the feedback so far and i will try and answer most of the questions posed. From the outset and initial planning of our cabinets our goal was to provide people with another option to have a service merchandiser (correct name) in their home shop, games room etc without searching far and wide, often without success for an original.

We designed our cabinets to similar dimensions and functions of the original ones, but, incorporating modular design enabling the ability to expand, change, etc to the desired combination of the user.

The steel we used is a heavier gauge than the original units, 16 gauge on the cabinets and 12 gauge bench top, we designed these to last. Powder coat finish is standard. There is considerable work involved in creating the compound curves, we feel this is worth it as it represents the beautiful art deco period of the time.

As a mechanic by trade i understand the need for tool storage, we are working on different options to include a roll cabinet and/or draws.

I have had a number of questions regarding shipping, the prices shown on our website include shipping from Australia to Long Beach, we are currently in discussions with a number of logistics companies for internal shipping to the lower 48 and Canada.

We are continually reviewing and refining our website and hope to include further detailed pictures of our cabinets soon.

This has been a labour of love for myself and my 2 partners, our aim is to bring style, function and quality back to manufacturing, dispensing with the throw away, poor quality items and providing a product that will last a lifetime.

Once again, thanks for the feed back and keep posting the questions, ill do my best to respond.

Mark

 

[GTO]

Real nice stuff...like other have said,small market.
I actually work in my Garage,I would not want to spend that kind of money and risk punking up those cabinets.