Hello from Baltimore

[steeleygreg]

Although I'm not new to turning wrenches, I am to buying tool boxes. I use to work in a machine shop and a marina. Lately I've collect some new tools and need something to store them in. Purchased a 50'ish snapon bottom box, with stuck drawers. Cleaned up the box and found 3 drawers to be very hard to slide in and out. Removed these three drawers but what is the trick to making the drawers slide easily.

Greg

 

[HOTFR8]

Welcome to the GJ.

 

[Neuswede]

Welcome to GJ.

Have a look at the slides and see just how straight and parallel they are. With abuse and time, the rails can become bent, filled with greasy gunk or suffer some mechanical dysfunction. A good cleaning should be the first move to assess the problem. You are working with old, friction style rails, so they won't work as nice as a modern ball-bearing style, especially once you pile a ton of stuff in them. If the rails prove to be in really bad shape, you may want to consider upgrading to some modern rails.

 

[zeeke]

Welcome to GJ.

 

[rburke65]

Is it possible to remove the rails and dunk them in a wash tank? And welcome to Garage Journal.....from Ohio!

 

[steeleygreg]

Thank you guys for the warm welcome to the forum. I have a collection of tools but have gotten into hobbies that required buying tools which over fill my existing boxes, which where already packed. I have plans to completely rebuild this snappy box, but that will be a future project. My initial goal is to clean up the box and get as functional as possible so I've got a place to put my body working and air tools.
I've done to date is removed three of the drawers which were stuck. I've cleaned the rails with a metal awe and screw drivers to clean the existing caked on grease from the rails. Next they got cleaned with a parts cleaning brush in a kerosene tank then brake cleaner and then dried off with compressed air.
The drawers are getting scrapped of caked on guck with a putty knife. Degreased with kerosene along with brake. The grooves in the rail track of the cabinet have been cleaned out with some strips of roof flashing and blown out with compressed air. So the next thing to tackle is the trueness of the rails.

Is the recommended method for correcting rail trueness a block of wood and a dead-blow hammer.

Although I like the idea of upgrading the rails to modern ball bearing slides, wouldn't the take away the authenticity of the box from being original and reducing it's value ?

 

[John Timmins]

From Balmer ?