Garage sale Craftsman tool box

[cnyeco1]

Not bad for $5 bucks. I added carpet, love the patina.

Any Ideas where to have a new leather handle made? Saddle shop, Shoe repair shop?

UPDATE: It finally dawned on me that I live in the saddle capital of the world so I cruised down to one of the saddle makers down in the stockyard district and asked if they might make me a new handle. I found a gal at National Saddlery that was nice and did it for $25 bucks. Cheap compared to the ones that I found online. And this one is real beefy. She even put steel inside the hasps to keep it from tearing again. Should last me till I am dead.

 

[JasonW]

I think you're on the right track. I would start at a saddle shop if you have one around, though honestly if you have a real shoe repair shop near by it couldn't hurt to ask. If I asked my local shoe repair guy to pick up a needle I think I would get a really weird look. (He's good with glue though. ) Nice box by the way. Around here, even the plastic ones go for more than $5.

 

[LSU]

Find agood old time boot repair store. You know the kind, one that has shoes piled to the ceiling.

Bring the box in and show the guy in the back what you need.

If you can find original photos of how it looked new, a good soe repair shop, they can do it.

Real good shoe repair shops are getting scarce.

 

[Red Leader]

Nice box! Love the small details.

Great find at a great price.

 

[Sage55]

I can't tell you how many garage sales I've been to and all of them have junk or baby clothes. Great looking tool box, I'll give you $10 for it.

 

[jamesemery728]

A quick Google search for briefcase handles produced this. There were lots of others.

http://www.hardwareelf.com/elf/handles.jsp

 

[cnyeco1]

I didn't like the handles I found online so I had one made at a saddle maker. Cheaper than one like it online by $15 bucks and Heavy duty.

 

[nine4gmc]

nice handle, should last forever!

 

[JasonW]

Looks like it will probably hold up better than the original, and that one did just fine.

 

[camarotoolman]

That c-man emblem is worth $10

 

[A1an]

Nice box and that new handle is fantastic. I recently inherited one just like that from my grandfather's garage. Does it still have the tray in it?

 

[cnyeco1]

Yep the tray is in it and in great condition. Here is a pic or two.

 

[DanCo]

User belmarez has been reported

 

[Vise-Roy]

I recently acquired a metal Craftsman tool box. 30" long, 9" wide, 9" deep. 3 handles; top center and two side handles. Handles are bare aluminum. To close the lid - a large center draw catch with a small interior lock, two smaller draw catches toward the ends. No tray was with it. Don't know if it originally came without one or it has disappeared. The box is gray. No color in the Craftsman label in the front center. Can't tell if that's an original bare aluminum label or came painted.

There are two hooks in the back about 2" tall and extend out about 1/2" into the box. Rectangular in shape. There are two clasps attached to the bottom along the front which have 4 tabs each extending upwards about 1/2" and have dimples in each tab as if to snap into corresponding dimples in something.

Anybody know the purpose of these interior clasps and hooks? Yeah, I know "they are to hold stuff", but what? The clasps in the bottom especially seem to be pretty specific for something.

There is a narrow wooden board in the center of the lid inside which appears to have two slots for handsaws (my guess), but this appears to have been added, since the two holding screws coming outside the lid don't match. (Maybe replacements) It's painted aluminum in color.

 

[nine4gmc]

that's a cool 30", I can't say that I have ever seen a embossed logo like that one. nice!

 

[bgqkeneg]

Bring the box in and show the guy in the back what you need.

 

[Vise-Roy]

Okay, boys, I got it. This 30" Craftsman tool box is a carpenter's tool box. The 2 hooks on the inside back are for holding a level. The 2 clasps in the bottom close to the front are to insert 2 wooden pieces with grooves for holding handsaws in a vertical position. The blades are inserted teeth down in the grooves.

There is also a punchout in the top close to the front and all the way to one end which can be removed so that the short narrow side of a carpenter's framing square can be inserted, then the long side of the square rests in the box. The short side just sticks out of the top. Mine is not punched out, so I didn't notice it before.

The piece of wood with the slots and centered inside the top is a factory feature. Another place for handsaws.

Don't know when these were sold by Sears.

 

[bazzateer]

love the patina.

Any Ideas where to have a new leather handle made?

Huh? Love the patina but want to have a new handle? In the pics it looks fine to me unless I missed something, why change it? I IZ CONFOOZED!

 

[jeffmoss26]

This belongs in the garage sale season thread too!

 

[Vise-Roy]

How this 30" Craftsman carpenters toolbox looks now. I'm donating it to the local Boy Scout camp, and this is the color they use to mark their tools.

Interesting... I found one website that shows a brand new Craftsman tool box like this one, but black in color. It lists the retail price as $82, but below the price it says "obsolete". No longer available.