Harbor Freight 13 drawer tool boxes $271.99

[TooTall]

I wanted mine to match my Craftsman boxes visually -- because, well... I'm kind of nuts that way. So today I painted the drawers with Rustoleum black semigloss. I planned on painting the new bench 'Craftsman red' as well -- but now I'm thinking that re-doing the red might be too nuts. The two reds are different hues, and the U.S. General has less gloss. But the more I live with it, the less I mind it.

Problem is, I already took the U.S. General badge off, which is secured with both pins and black glue. No idea which trash can I put it in.

So as a temporary measure, I pried one of the Craftsman badges off my regular stack, and covered up the glue. I'd be happier with no badges at all, but this gets rid of the black glob.

Goofy, I know. But it's how my brain works.

Looks great Jack. I'm planning on using the same cabinet for a bench base as well. What is your worksurface made from? And, is the worksurface supported just by the box or are there supports on either side of the box? If so, are they lumber?

Thanks,
Kurt O. (former Mulholland racer)

 

[Jack Olsen]

Thanks.

My bench surface is a 2" thick solid core door -- with some steel edging along the front of it. My plan had been to re-use some of the old understructure from the previous bench when I put this new cabinet in, but the cabinet seemed plenty strong all by itself. So I have some facade-type pieces on there (to cover up my air hose reel) and some steel L-brackets connecting the door to the wall and also from the door to the cabinet (so it won't lift up -- I used the threaded mounts that would normally support the push handle).

But yes, the cabinet is bearing the weight of the thing. I put 2" thick lumber pieces underneath it and 5/8" thick pieces on its top, since there's an edge piece that goes around three sides of the top of the bench that I didn't want all of the weight to rest on.

 

[W126C]

Thanks to Brad for starting this thread. I'm in. Pick it up today for my birthday present. We'll see how it goes, I may add another 7 drawer end cabinet come spring. I guess it all begins now. Need to hook up the 10 kw heater, build the work bench and so on. Good times ahead.

View media item 3102

 

[crashbumper]

Jack, if you need/want the original emblem, I have one for you. I already swapped mine out for an emblem off my car.

Free of charge.

 

[TONE]

I wish money wasnt tight right now............Id love to grab one, or two!!!

 

[srmc john]

I picked one up myself this weekend. I joined there insider club. $39 for the year and got $10 dollers mopre off the price. $263 total. Just over half price. Plus I can show up an hour early when they have big sales and do my bidding.

 

[Stick Figure]

Jack..... before you decide against painting the red portion, i'll warn you that the coating on it now is not easy to clean.

 

[Jack Olsen]

That's a very good point. The surface isn't as glossy as I'd like to see. It's a minor strike against the box.

 

[skeletonizer]

33-1/2" without the wheels.

I had to fill 35-1/2" under my bench top -- it's a strong enough cabinet to do most of the support for a bench -- and I cut wood sections to go underneath and on top of the bench.

This is still very much in progress, but you get the idea:

Looks great Jack.

I agree that it would look better without any badging at all.

 

[Daniel Dudley]

Looks great Jack. Do you feel like you are close to completing your shop ?

 

[drsifu]

got my raincheck today as well...now to figure out how to get it home when it gets here.

at this price, i'm sure HF is still making money. Do you guys ever wonder how much something like this costs to make? $50? $100?

 

[ripsnortMN]

**** I missed the sale. I wonder when it will be that cheap again.

 

[krooser]

got my raincheck today as well...now to figure out how to get it home when it gets here.

at this price, i'm sure HF is still making money. Do you guys ever wonder how much something like this costs to make? $50? $100?

Not much... several years ago I was buying those $59.00 Chi-Com hammerdrills for $9.00 from a dealer in Ohio... and he was making money. I also bought a case of Chi-Com grinders for a little over $3.00 each.... this was before I figured that if you buy a quality tool ONCE you'll be set for life...

I looked at those boxes last week... just couldn't justify buying one of those things knowing I wasn't going to be happy with it.... whether I changed the name or not.

 

[ripsnortMN]

I will say that the craftsman toolbox i have is definitely not higher quality. I truly believe they are no better than the chinese made boxes. I think the craftsman boxes are mader over seas.

 

[ncfireman1918]

Dang it. I just went through a tool box saga with Lowes yesterday (2 boxes damaged, I finally just returned it). I didn't see this site or thread until today. I could have made it yesterday to pick up the HF box for $40 more, with a lot more storage. Guess I'll have to keep watching them for another sale.

 

[Jack Olsen]

ncfireman1918, if I were in your shoes, I'd try calling your local Harbor Freight. Ask to talk to the manager, and say you missed the sale, but you'd like to buy one of the benches if they'll honor yesterday's pricing. He might say no, but I've gone in with long-expired coupons, been told they can't accept the coupons by the cashier, and then had the manager say it's okay after I (politely) asked him.

I'm sure the policy varies store by store, but if you want one of these benches, it's worth the effort of a phone call or (if it's close) a quick visit.

 

[ncfireman1918]

Good call Jack. I'll swing by on the way home from work today. I agree that it would be worth the effort, if they can honor the price today.

Chris

 

[Axis11]

I wanted mine to match my Craftsman boxes visually -- because, well... I'm kind of nuts that way. So today I painted the drawers with Rustoleum black semigloss.

Problem is, I already took the U.S. General badge off, which is secured with both pins and black glue. No idea which trash can I put it in.

Jack, did you brush the Rustoleum on or spray bomb it? I assume it was only the drawer front and edges, correct?

 

[ncfireman1918]

Woo hoo! Just got off the phone with the manager. He's going to honor the price if I join Inside Track today. I'm stopping by on the way home to join and get my raincheck.

Chris

 

[Jack Olsen]

Looks great Jack. Do you feel like you are close to completing your shop ?

That's a question my wife has asked more than once. The answer is yes -- this bench is the last big thing I wanted to change. Now I need to get everything put away, and there's a long list of details to finish.

Jack, did you brush the Rustoleum on or spray bomb it? I assume it was only the drawer front and edges, correct?

Yep. Quick and dirty. I lightly sanded the HF paint -- which fortunately doesn't have a lot of gloss on it -- then cleaned it with acetone, then masked off the handle, then put on a coat of self-etching automotive primer, then hit it with semi-gloss Rustoleum black.

I held up a piece of cardboard to control overspray. I know. But this is a garage. I don't care how clean the paint line is on the sides of the drawers at all.

Total work time: about two hours.

 

[kevncar]

Good work Jack! You got a real knack for making things look just that litlle bit better.

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Jack,
My brain is as goofy as yours...but it's older. It only "works" SOME of the time, ha..ha..

An idea for the badge? Make a high res color copy of the badge at Kinko's, (EDIT: Skip the black plastic part!) trace it onto piece of black plastic, cut it out, glue the color copy on. MY brain says to then, get a sheet of the magnetic stuff from Walmart & stick that on the back. Presto! Duplicated Craftsman badge for your new box.

BTW, I like the air line coming through the front of your bench w/ a blow gun. You don't leave your compressor on all the time do you? Water separator? I don't think I've seen your pictures of that setup. (C'mon, I KNOW you've got pix of it!)

 

[sjt78]

33-1/2" without the wheels.

I had to fill 35-1/2" under my bench top -- it's a strong enough cabinet to do most of the support for a bench -- and I cut wood sections to go underneath and on top of the bench.

This is still very much in progress, but you get the idea:

Jack,
I recognize that wall mounted storage cabinet above your bench...I bought two at an estate sale last summer. I need to clean them up/repaint them. What do you have planned to do with yours? I'm not sure what I will do with mine, but always on the look out for ideas. Bought the two for about $30 so not a lot invested. After a couple of cans of spray paint and my time cleaning them up, less than $50 in the two.
-Steve

 

[Jack Olsen]

Jack,
My brain is as goofy as yours...but it's older. It only "works" SOME of the time, ha..ha..

An idea for the badge? Make a high res color copy of the badge at Kinko's, (EDIT: Skip the black plastic part!) trace it onto piece of black plastic, cut it out, glue the color copy on. MY brain says to then, get a sheet of the magnetic stuff from Walmart & stick that on the back. Presto! Duplicated Craftsman badge for your new box.

BTW, I like the air line coming through the front of your bench w/ a blow gun. You don't leave your compressor on all the time do you? Water separator? I don't think I've seen your pictures of that setup. (C'mon, I KNOW you've got pix of it!)

For the badge, I'd honestly rather have no badge at all on the bench box. As soon as I find the time to re-paint the red part (which might be a while), I'll sand off the epoxy and fill in the two pin mounting holes. In the meantime, I'll just leave the Craftsman badge there. (It's kind of like putting a Kia badge on a Hyundai, but it blocks out the black splotch.)

Thanks for the compliment on the weathered wood front I put in front of the air hose. I keep the (current) compressor in the basement/crawlspace, and have one of those wireless switches that I use to switch it on from inside the garage. I've got my next compressor ready to go and sitting under plastic in the back yard. But I need to run a switched 220v line for it before I can swap out the old compressor. When I install the new compressor, I'll probably add at least one more outlet. You can be sure there will be pictures.

I recognize that wall mounted storage cabinet above your bench...I bought two at an estate sale last summer. I need to clean them up/repaint them. What do you have planned to do with yours? I'm not sure what I will do with mine, but always on the look out for ideas. Bought the two for about $30 so not a lot invested. After a couple of cans of spray paint and my time cleaning them up, less than $50 in the two.
-Steve

I have two of them, too. I've painted most of the one you see in that picture, pulled out the shelf/holder thing on the right side, and put pegboard in the center and right sections. I'll put frequently-used tools in it when I clean up that part of the wall. I put the other one over my steel-topped bench. I pulled the same shelf/holder thing from it, too (damaging the thin steel), and covered up my sins with old wood on the inside (with pegs for hammers) and another hammer rack on the right side.

I don't know if there's any real use to the fact that they close, in my application. But I put a strip of wood on the one that I'm still allowing to open and close. Here is is in the shut position. I guess if I'm welding on this bench, the hammers won't catch on fire if I keep it closed.

 

[sjt78]

Jack,
Thanks for the additional pictures. I bought mine not knowing exactly what I'd do with them, but knowing I'd find a use for them. Now I see that you added pegboard to the one over the wooden bench. The middle sections on mine have 'peg board' holes in the metal. Maybe mine are different than yours? I'm not big on pegboard, probably due to my dad using it over his workbench and seeing it warp or the pegs falling off easily. I'm building a garden shed (min. 8'x10', max 10'x16') that I may hang these cabinets in. I know you've heard this a thousand times, but you have a great garage there.

 

[Jack Olsen]

Thanks.

My cabinet had the inch-apart holes, too. I just didn't like the look of them.

You can get peg board hooks that are secured with screws. I used to have the generic hardware store kind, and they drove me nuts. Every time you grabbed a tool, it seemed, the hook would come with it. The improved hooks took care of that. And when I do resort to using one of the old ones, I secure it with a little 5/8" screw in the same hole as the peg.

I'm not a huge fan of the look of pegboard -- or tools sitting out in the open, collecting sawdust -- but it also drives me crazy to have to open a drawer every time I need a screwdriver, a pair of pliers or a pair of scissors.

 

[TooTall]

For the badge, I'd honestly rather have no badge at all on the bench box. As soon as I find the time to re-paint the red part (which might be a while), I'll sand off the epoxy and fill in the two pin mounting holes. In the meantime, I'll just leave the Craftsman badge there. (It's kind of like putting a Kia badge on a Hyundai, but it blocks out the black splotch.)

Thanks for the compliment on the weathered wood front I put in front of the air hose. I keep the (current) compressor in the basement/crawlspace, and have one of those wireless switches that I use to switch it on from inside the garage. I've got my next compressor ready to go and sitting under plastic in the back yard. But I need to run a switched 220v line for it before I can swap out the old compressor. When I install the new compressor, I'll probably add at least one more outlet. You can be sure there will be pictures.

I have two of them, too. I've painted most of the one you see in that picture, pulled out the shelf/holder thing on the right side, and put pegboard in the center and right sections. I'll put frequently-used tools in it when I clean up that part of the wall. I put the other one over my steel-topped bench. I pulled the same shelf/holder thing from it, too (damaging the thin steel), and covered up my sins with old wood on the inside (with pegs for hammers) and another hammer rack on the right side.

I don't know if there's any real use to the fact that they close, in my application. But I put a strip of wood on the one that I'm still allowing to open and close. Here is is in the shut position. I guess if I'm welding on this bench, the hammers won't catch on fire if I keep it closed.

On the bottom pic, is the bench vise on the left mounted on a receiver hitch? Is it removeable?

Cheers,
Kurt O.

 

[Jack Olsen]

Yes, and yes. It's a dual hitch.

 

[TooTall]

Yes, and yes. It's a dual hitch.

Brilliant! I am going to shamelessly steal that idea!

Thanks,
Kurt O.

 

[Jack Olsen]

No shame needed. It's a pretty common way to mount vises/grinders/etc to a bench. My only addition was to use a double mount, because I found them on sale at Harbor Freight.

 

[Jack Olsen]

Not done, but getting closer.

Here's the HF box painted with Rustoleum Pro Enamel -- semigloss black on the drawers and 'Regal Red' gloss for the rest. I also stripped and re-stained the wood above it.

 

[drsifu]

after you are done adding your little touches, it's hard for anyone to recognize what the box looked like originally.

That is where I step in

Here ya go:

i personally think it is a great box for a beginner. hard to justify paying $1000 for a 56" Montezuma when both boxes are made in China. Would have loved to buy American, but not ready to take out a second mortgage to finance a big name tool box.

 

[Ensuelall]

view all

The past few days when I hit "view first unread", I get sent to the very last post on the thread, even if there are pages of posts I have not seen since my last visit.

ARe others having the same problem?

Anyone know how to fix this?

 

[ripsnortMN]

Lets keep this going until they go on sale again. You guys gotta remind me when it does. I missed the sale by one day dang it!

 

[hyisbm]

Lets keep this going until they go on sale again. You guys gotta remind me when it does. I missed the sale by one day dang it!

if you still really want it, it may not hurt to go in and ask. my store has been pretty lenient regarding coupons, sale prices, matching online prices. It may be a while if ever that this price comes around again. I have a rain check that I will be using the end of this week.

 

[M900]

My store still has the sign saying 339 on it.

 

[Colonial Cobra]

Has anyone been able to get more at the sale price? I'm debating on a third.

 

[rickairmedic]

GUys worst case is you join the inside track club ( ask them if they have a current flyer for the club). The box is $329.00 in the current inside track club flyer . I dont know that you could double coupon but its still a deal at $329.00.


Rick

 

[trailwart]

i was just in hf today to get a floor jack. while i was there i told them i called last week about the box and they were sold out(i lied, they had them in when i was there) so i didnt waste the trip. they asked if i had the rain check and i told them no because it was to far for me to travel for a piece of paper. the manager said if i wanted it today they had them in and she would give me last weeks price + 20% coupon. but the kicker for me today was that i didnt have the extra cash and she wouldnt give me a rain check for my next time in.

 

[Mickey O]

I will say that the craftsman toolbox i have is definitely not higher quality. I truly believe they are no better than the chinese made boxes. I think the craftsman boxes are mader over seas.