Hardware cabinet and surface plate

[WhoWhatNow]

I hit a local tool auction two weeks ago and picked up a nice bolt cabinet with drawers. $70. Other than the sticker there are no markings on it. I am guessing that it is for some type of specialty bins because of the rods running down each section of the drawers. I am going to remove the rods and find some plastic bins that fit and load it full with hardware.







I also got a surface plate for $20. It has some surface rust but is in pretty good shape otherwise. Would the plate be useful for a beginner hobby machinist with the surface rust gently removed or is it just a slab of steel now? Best way to get the rust off? Electrolysis, steel wool?

 

[upndown]

That's a cool looking box..Nice find!!

 

[justanengineer]

Either the pic is very misleading or that isnt a surface plate. Not to say they dont exist somewhere, but Ive never heard of a steel surface plate only cast iron or granite with the iron ones having a very heavy ribbed or honeycombed surface underneath to give the plate some measure of rigidity and resistance to distortion/accuracy swings with temperature. These ribs underneath usually are 3+ inches thick on a small plate and yours looks anything but small.

+1 on the very nice box.

 

[Outlawmws]

Nice finds! I've seen that style bar as keepers for dividers, and those tray widths are likely the right size for slides so it might be an old microfilm cabinet?

 

[Nosferatu]

That's nowhere near thick enough to be a surface plate. There's now way that thing is flat.

 

[WhoWhatNow]

That's a cool looking box..Nice find!!

Thanks!

Nice finds! I've seen that style bar as keepers for dividers, and those tray widths are likely the right size for slides so it might be an old microfilm cabinet?

Interesting thought. A quick Google image search didn't turn up this exact cabinet, but did find cabinets with a similar arrangement. I need to figure out how to get the bars out without damaging the drawers. They seem to be riveted in

 

[WhoWhatNow]

Either the pic is very misleading or that isnt a surface plate. Not to say they dont exist somewhere, but Ive never heard of a steel surface plate only cast iron or granite with the iron ones having a very heavy ribbed or honeycombed surface underneath to give the plate some measure of rigidity and resistance to distortion/accuracy swings with temperature. These ribs underneath usually are 3+ inches thick on a small plate and yours looks anything but small.

+1 on the very nice box.

That's nowhere near thick enough to be a surface plate. There's now way that thing is flat.

Two votes for not a surface plate. So I guess the question is what is it? I'll have to take a better look at it tonight. I'll get better pictures.

 

[CD1]

Nice finds! I've seen that style bar as keepers for dividers, and those tray widths are likely the right size for slides so it might be an old microfilm cabinet?

I agree. Look at the lock on that cabinet. The contents were made to be secure, so I doubt it contained fasteners.

I hope someone else can enlighted us.

 

[jeffmoss26]

Maybe the cabinet went into a service truck? Hard to say.