Let's see your toolbox.

[1MadeinUSA]

My new box

 

[idahochevy]

I'm going to guess a set of grey pneumatic impacts.

Yep, they are grey pneumatic. This is the 1/2 drive set that goes from 10mm up to 36 mm. They have held up very well and that is with them getting used constantly pretty much every day.

 

[Mr Ratchet]

Well today I was out in the garage kinda and my girl friend came out and asked me what was wrong. I said that I think I may have chosen a tool box that was too small for future growth, as i knew there were several tools I had yet to purchase and I was nearing capacity of my current (6 week old) US General Pro 26 incher.

So she says I told you to get the 44 incher Now I just checked harbor Freights return policy and evidently they have a 90 day no questions asked return policy So I may end up with a 44 incher by the end of the weekend.

I was never a fan of those huge tool boxes and have always worked out of a 26 incher. I have seen alot of guys that go way big on their tool boxes and they end up with a huge drawer with 5 pliers in them, or randomness that drives me bonkers. Even the 44 incher I am thinking of is gonna take some thinking to get organized the way I want.

I am hesitant to go with the 44 incher, but its looking to be a necessary evil.

Just make sure that the 44" does in fact give you the needed space. While you are going to a wider box, you are loosing height from you 26" combo. You may find the 56" is the better choice.

Once you get a wider box, you might ask yourself why you did not get one sooner. With a wider box and nothing on top gives you a great work surface. Much better than that fold up table you have there. The height is easier on your back as well.

 

[BearCuda]

Ok, I finally got around to taking a few pics of mine. The largest silver looking Snap On box is the newest one. Its an Epiq Series KERN682B0PUB Sierra Ice. From what I understand, the Sierra Ice color is pretty rare and not even listed as an available color in the Snap On catalog. The Older Craftsman stack beside it used to belong to my father. I just finally got it moved from my mother's house recently and brought it to work.

The Black Snap On Classic 78 was picked up recently at work. My co worker upgraded so I bought the bottom portion and another coworker bought the top portion. My wife does custom vinyl wraps so I am gonna have her do a wrap to mimic the black and red colors on my 73 Cuda. I like the flames so here's what I'm thinking: Red flames over black box, dark colored ghost images and logos in the black of mopar and Cuda logos. And on the sides, red hockey stick stripes to mimic the black ones on my quarter panels. I think it'll look sweet. That box is currently in my home garage.

Also in my home garage are the top and bottom Homaks. This was the first roller cab I ever owned and was purchased for me by my boss when I first started working for him years ago. The top Homak is sitting on a blue point cart with a craftsman three drawer underneath. On top of the Bottom Homak is an old Matco box.

 

[jeffmoss26]

Very cool!!!

 

[tmcowboy]

So she says I told you to get the 44 incher

I am hesitant to go with the 44 incher, but its looking to be a necessary evil.

Speaking as an old man (married 21 yrs.) she gave you permission, she will retract it and say she never did give permission. You should have exchanged it today, go to harbor Freight first thing in the morning before she wakes up, when you get the 44" home don't draw attention to it or say thank you or anything. When she brings it up, which she will, just say I was doing what you told me to do.

 

[BearCuda]

Speaking as an old man (married 21 yrs.) she gave you permission, she will retract it and say she never did give permission. You should have exchanged it today, go to harbor Freight first thing in the morning before she wakes up, when you get the 44" home don't draw attention to it or say thank you or anything. When she brings it up, which she will, just say I was doing what you told me to do.

Hilarious because it's so true. I've been married 22 years. That black box with flames of mine two posts up has been in my garage for over a month now and my wife doesn't know lol. When she does, it'll have been in there awhile and it was too good of a deal to let go. Needed more storage space in the garage and she gets to do an awesome wrap on it for me.

 

[Heavy Metal Doctor]

Hilarious because it's so true. I've been married 22 years. That black box with flames of mine two posts up has been in my garage for over a month now and my wife doesn't know lol. When she does, it'll have been in there awhile and it was too good of a deal to let go. Needed more storage space in the garage and she gets to do an awesome wrap on it for me.

yep - the first few years wrenching she asked a lot of questions about what / why on my tool purchases.....after a few years, she quit saying anything more about tools then "that's great Honey"......at 24years she just said "Nice box!", when the latest one showed up...of course I had to say something smooozy like "I only need to trade in the metal ones on a newer model"

 

[BearCuda]

yep - the first wrenching she asked a lot of questions about what / why on my tool purchases.....after a few years, she quit saying anything more about tools then "that's great Honey"......at 24years she just said "Nice box!", when the latest one showed up...of course I had to say something smooozy like "I only need to trade in the metal ones on a newer model"

That reminds me of another point: I got another $400 off in trade for my other blue point cart.

 

[ol'Red]

Here are some pics of my new box. I never used to like this green, but i had only seen it with the chrome trim. When the Snap-on guy had one decked out with black trim I instantly liked it.

pm sent

 

[NC-Shaun]

Just make sure that the 44" does in fact give you the needed space. While you are going to a wider box, you are loosing height from you 26" combo. You may find the 56" is the better choice.

Once you get a wider box, you might ask yourself why you did not get one sooner. With a wider box and nothing on top gives you a great work surface. Much better than that fold up table you have there. The height is easier on your back as well.

I just recieved my new bike lift today before I left for work, and the new arrangement only allows 48 inches, so the 44 incher is the max I can go.

I did however sneak off and call the store and confirm that they would take my old box back, and that they had the 44 inch top and bottom in stock. My buddy that works there said we are good to go on this deal if I want to make it happen. The 44 inch setup is 2 inches taller than my current 26 incher.

I would never really work on the surface of a lower roller anyway, I am too picky about how I keep my tool boxes to do that. Even though I can fit the 44 inch setup in my garage, I am still worried about the weight and how much harder it would be to transport compared to the 26 incher. I know I will be moving again, but I do have a 6x12 utility trailer with a ramp gate.

I know that most guys say that you need to visually inspect the tool box for damage, or issues prior to purchase, but my buddy said that the 44 inchers are crated and he couldnt allow me to bust open the crate for inspection. He did mention that he had one on the floor, maybe meaning I could take the floor model.

Speaking as an old man (married 21 yrs.) she gave you permission, she will retract it and say she never did give permission. You should have exchanged it today, go to harbor Freight first thing in the morning before she wakes up, when you get the 44" home don't draw attention to it or say thank you or anything. When she brings it up, which she will, just say I was doing what you told me to do.

Haha, nah.....She has been buggin me to get the 44 incher for over 2 months now. I doubt she will change her mind at this point. I been with her for the most part since I was 18, and I am 36 now. She works at the Harley shop, so she knows how things really are.

EDIT- I spent about an hour today at the local Harbor Freight fondling the 44 inch Setup. The drawer action was not on par with the smoothness of my 26 incher, nor as accurate.

The locks on my 26 incher use barrel keys as opposed to the 44 incher using standard style keys, and the locking system on my 26 incher had much smoother action than the 44 inch setup.

The lid on the 44 incher used the same lift struts as my 26 incher and werent up to the task of lifting the 44 inch lid nearly as well as my 26 incher.

The drawers also closed and opened more easily on my 26 incher compared to the 44.

It may have been just a because it was a worn and ungreased floor model, I dunno. I think I am gonna spend more time organizing my 26 incher better. I know there are many things I can do to better organize my stuff for example removing all of the extra nuts and bolts in one drawer and relocating them to a bolt bin that hangs on the wall.

I spent some time last night over at my buddies house, and he had his Cornwell 44 inch roller there. I messed with that for about 20 minutes. His latches had the handle that ran all the way across the drawer, and it also had the barrel style keys with a smooth locking mechanism.

The Cornwell drawers opened and closed much more smoothly than the Harbor Freight 44 incher, but not as accurately as the US General Pro 26 incher.

He purchased the Cornwell off the truck for $1900 just for the lower 44 inch roller.

Thanks for listening to my rants, I just enjoy talking about garage stuff.

 

[kool_BOY8323]

I just recieved my new bike lift today before I left for work, and the new arrangement only allows 48 inches, so the 44 incher is the max I can go.

I did however sneak off and call the store and confirm that they would take my old box back, and that they had the 44 inch top and bottom in stock. My buddy that works there said we are good to go on this deal if I want to make it happen. The 44 inch setup is 2 inches taller than my current 26 incher.

I would never really work on the surface of a lower roller anyway, I am too picky about how I keep my tool boxes to do that. Even though I can fit the 44 inch setup in my garage, I am still worried about the weight and how much harder it would be to transport compared to the 26 incher. I know I will be moving again, but I do have a 6x12 utility trailer with a ramp gate.

I know that most guys say that you need to visually inspect the tool box for damage, or issues prior to purchase, but my buddy said that the 44 inchers are crated and he couldnt allow me to bust open the crate for inspection. He did mention that he had one on the floor, maybe meaning I could take the floor model.



Haha, nah.....She has been buggin me to get the 44 incher for over 2 months now. I doubt she will change her mind at this point. I been with her for the most part since I was 18, and I am 36 now. She works at the Harley shop, so she knows how things really are.

EDIT- I spent about an hour today at the local Harbor Freight fondling the 44 inch Setup. The drawer action was not on par with the smoothness of my 26 incher, nor as accurate.

The locks on my 26 incher use barrel keys as opposed to the 44 incher using standard style keys, and the locking system on my 26 incher had much smoother action than the 44 inch setup.

The lid on the 44 incher used the same lift struts as my 26 incher and werent up to the task of lifting the 44 inch lid nearly as well as my 26 incher.

The drawers also closed and opened more easily on my 26 incher compared to the 44.

It may have been just a because it was a worn and ungreased floor model, I dunno. I think I am gonna spend more time organizing my 26 incher better. I know there are many things I can do to better organize my stuff for example removing all of the extra nuts and bolts in one drawer and relocating them to a bolt bin that hangs on the wall.

Thanks for listening to my rants, I just enjoy talking about garage stuff.

ive got the 26 as well. I dig it. Id like the 44, or even the 56 now that HF has a top for it, but the shop I work in just doesn't have the room to support a box that big.

have you considered getting a second 26? sure, you'd be in it twice the price of the 44 and nearly the price of half of the 56, but maybe itd be easier to move around and fit your needs better?

 

[blackhawkdriver]

Heres my HF 44 incher with my little craftsman portable on top.



And my vintage craftsman.

 

[FOCUS.FREAK]

I didn't get all of the drawers, just the bottom cabinet.

We share tools my dads HF 44. Hes selling this to a buddy of mine and getting the 56.

 

[FOCUS.FREAK]

Continued...

 

[NC-Shaun]

ive got the 26 as well. I dig it. Id like the 44, or even the 56 now that HF has a top for it, but the shop I work in just doesn't have the room to support a box that big.

have you considered getting a second 26? sure, you'd be in it twice the price of the 44 and nearly the price of half of the 56, but maybe itd be easier to move around and fit your needs better?

Actually I would be in about the same as a 44 inch lower and top combo, with 2 of the 26 inchers. I had considered linking a pair of 26 inchers with the 7 drawer add on.

However I have decided to continue the organizing of my 26 incher. Over the last few days in between work, and general craziness I have been able to free up more space in my tool box by better organization. I have been able to free up almost 3 drawers (1 1/2 deep drawers, and 1 shallow) and some of the top socket area which will allow for the remaining sockets I need, and a few case tools I still need.

For some reason I am just really a fan of a perfectly organized 26 inch box. I guess I am a minimalist.

 

[crewchief888]

I had considered linking a pair of 26 inchers with the 7 drawer add on.

For some reason I am just really a fan of a perfectly organized 26 inch box. I guess I am a minimalist.

i'm not a huge "fan" of double/triple/quad bank boxes.

smaller (26", 33" & 35" wide) boxes IMO give better "flexibility" when trying to arrange boxes.
and are a lot easier if you have to transport them.


i have a 3rd 26" wide top, mid and roller stashed in the basement
additional 26" wide top and side cab in my service truck.
a vintage plvmb top, and 2 cantilever boxes "floating" around

 

[kool_BOY8323]

Actually I would be in about the same as a 44 inch lower and top combo, with 2 of the 26 inchers. I had considered linking a pair of 26 inchers with the 7 drawer add on.

However I have decided to continue the organizing of my 26 incher. Over the last few days in between work, and general craziness I have been able to free up more space in my tool box by better organization. I have been able to free up almost 3 drawers (1 1/2 deep drawers, and 1 shallow) and some of the top socket area which will allow for the remaining sockets I need, and a few case tools I still need.

For some reason I am just really a fan of a perfectly organized 26 inch box. I guess I am a minimalist.

i'm not a huge "fan" of double/triple/quad bank boxes.

smaller (26", 33" & 35" wide) boxes IMO give better "flexibility" when trying to arrange boxes.
and are a lot easier if you have to transport them.


i have a 3rd 26" wide top, mid and roller stashed in the basement
additional 26" wide top and side cab in my service truck.
a vintage plvmb top, and 2 cantilever boxes "floating" around

ive got my 3 small boxes too. my waterloo 24", my craftsman 26" and my HF 26". ive never had the chance or need to put all 3 next to each other, but if I could aside from the long drawers, id have about the same amount of space as the 56".
ive got the 5 drawer cart with the 7 drawer end cab attached to it. its what I mostly work out of all day. occasional trips to the HF 26" for stuff that just doesn't fit in the cart.
ultimately what I need now though is something like the 56 at home, but with bigger drawers. ones big enough for stuff like skill saws, routers, and big bulky stuff like that. id rather it in a rolling box than in a cabinet, but that's just me. also I think mounting a butcher block with a large vise on one side, and a small one on the other on top of the 56" would make an awesome work surface.
im with you guys on the minimalism thing though. the 26" and smaller box sizes just make for easy mobility and versatility. but, in my home garage, once I get one, I want and need work surface and storage. but being able to change the layout once I see fit would be nice too, that's why cabinets are out.

 

[crewchief888]

ive got my 3 small boxes too. my waterloo 24", my craftsman 26" and my HF 26". ive never had the chance or need to put all 3 next to each other, but if I could aside from the long drawers, id have about the same amount of space as the 56".
ive got the 5 drawer cart with the 7 drawer end cab attached to it. its what I mostly work out of all day. occasional trips to the HF 26" for stuff that just doesn't fit in the cart.
ultimately what I need now though is something like the 56 at home, but with bigger drawers. ones big enough for stuff like skill saws, routers, and big bulky stuff like that. id rather it in a rolling box than in a cabinet, but that's just me. also I think mounting a butcher block with a large vise on one side, and a small one on the other on top of the 56" would make an awesome work surface.
im with you guys on the minimalism thing though. the 26" and smaller box sizes just make for easy mobility and versatility. but, in my home garage, once I get one, I want and need work surface and storage. but being able to change the layout once I see fit would be nice too, that's why cabinets are out.

i dont have any woodworking type tools in any of my boxes..

god help me if /when i'll have to have all my tools in one place.
i'd definitely have to get rid of my (dedicated) off road rig, just to make room in the garage for the boxes

 

[90zcar]

Here is my hf 56" box. I got it around the end of august/beg of September. I love the thing. So much better than any craftsman box that I ever had thru the years
If anyone notices I made a lip/edge for the front up top. This helps the front edge from getting beat up and creates an edge to keep any bolts/bearings etc. from rolling off the front
Made it out of a 3/4X3/4 piece of 1/8" angle aluminum and notched it out for the locks and box trim
Before

After





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[90zcar]

Here's a bigger pic sorry



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[rhuff86]

I had outgrown my red classic 78 I have had for 9 years. Got a heck of a buy upgrading to this 96 with some promo trim. I love it and now have a little bit more room. https://scontent-b-dfw.**.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/1461227_640209396024995_1718303488_n.jpg

 

[zkling]

i'm not a huge "fan" of double/triple/quad bank boxes.
SNIP

Crew, can you give a little detail on that 1st photo? I've seen it before, and just wondered about it, at work, at home? It looks like a pre digital age (no offense)

 

[arms1970]

I had outgrown my red classic 78 I have had for 9 years. Got a heck of a buy upgrading to this 96 with some promo trim. I love it and now have a little bit more room. https://scontent-b-dfw.**.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/1461227_640209396024995_1718303488_n.jpg

My next box, getting a free riser with it also. Can't wait

 

[mds47588]

Extreme Green KRL1023 Drawer Tour....

I work as an A&P mechanic in southwest Mississippi and our hangar is approx 100' x 100'. Also very fortunate enough that I pretty much have free reign after hours and weekends to be able to use the hangar as a garage so to speak for any vehicle maintainance that's needed.

With that being said, yes I'm a professional airplane mechanic, but at the same time do my share of vehicle wrenching also. My box has ALOT of open space as I'm more comfortable having things organized in several drawers than thrown together in a few drawers.

Sockets: Metric on the left, standard on the right. Sockets are USA Craftsman and most of the ratchets are as well with the exceptikon of the Taiwan Craftsman units which are surprisingly good. There are also a few Snap-On pieces in here as well (flare crows feet, swivel sockets, wobble plus extensions, ball-head sockets. For whatever reason, I never got the 1/2 drive metrics nor the 1/2 drive impact standards. Hmmm...black Friday sales???

Wrenches: Again standard on the right, metric on the left. Still needing the USA Craftsman stubby's to complete this drawer. All the wrenches are USA Craftsman except the offset wrenches are unfortunately the Chinese Craftsman. I used the floor tiles from HF to cut the slots for the wrenches to slide in. Took ALOT of time, but the result was worth it in my opinion.

Screwdrivers: This drawer used to be 100% Craftsman but it's now going Snap On. I have a set of the longer handled screwdrivers on the way and then maybe possibly not sure on the nut drivers.

Pliers: Again, mostly USA Craftsman, but liking the Snap On's more and more. Just not the price.

Next drawer down is still in a "transition" as several others are. Still fine tuning where things are gonna end up, but here is where alot of that extra space for growth starts to appear.

Air "stuff"

Extra hardware from every project I've done in the past umpteen years on the left, and electrical on the right and front. We get alot of UPS/FEDEX shipments and some of the smaller boxes are great for organizing small parts and they're FREE! Great for the multi-meter, tie-wraps and lots more stuff in remaining drawers if you're not bored yet.

Bottom drawer. Kinda a "catch-all"

Mostly aviation stuff and a few flashlights.

A few drill bits, some dies and lots of extra room.

Drills. The corded Craftsman drill is around a 1990/91 vintage and has the torque to twist your wrist off. The craftsman drill will be replaced soon by a Milwaukee M12 as the Craftsman batteries are all but dead. Also, a cordless Dremel resides here.

Bottom drawer. In here I have a toolbag that's ready to go on a "road-trip" to fix another plane at another airport or the Saturday/Sunday junkyard excursion. There is another Craftsman toolbag in here that's empty and the always handy binocolars.

On the right hand side top is the "pantry" and phone, checkbook...etc. Oh yes, the wishbook too.

Next down is the "administrative" .. Yep, I actually use the writing thingy from Snap On

Hammers with ALOT of room yet

More room for stuff.

Automotive "Quick Disconnect" fittings, brake tools...etc.

The clear box has the now retired Craftsman screwdrivers and again, yet more room.

 

[Ft.ValloniaStreaker]

I see that you work on airplanes.......but you sir are suffering form a severe hammer deficiency......lol Nice box though.

 

[-Brent-]

Brent, that is a sweet setup!!

Thanks! I daydream of having a big pro-type box but I can't see this stuff ever leaving, now.

 

[NC-Shaun]

I had some time to do as I wanted today, so I went to the Hobby Lobby and snagged a sheet of poster board. I had a piece of drawer liner laying around and wanted to reline the top of my US General Pro 26 incher.

Here is what it looked like before.



Then I went to work making an accurate template. Here you can see how tiny the original liner was.



Fresh Liner



Much more room now. I was worried that I was not gonna have room for a new set of large Metric 1/2 drives, a larger set of Metric Hex Sockets, and my 3/8 Impacts I have yet to buy. Now I think I have plenty of room.

 

[NC-Shaun]

Where can I find some 1 inch thick, maybe 2 inch thick foam material similar to the drawer liner material? I would like to cutout my own tool holders. I dont want to use the floor pad shown above, but a very similar smooth style that I can cut to fit my drawers.

Great looking setups guys!

 

[warmpancakes]

Where can I find some 1 inch thick, maybe 2 inch thick foam material similar to the drawer liner material? I would like to cutout my own tool holders. I dont want to use the floor pad shown above, but a very similar smooth style that I can cut to fit my drawers.

Great looking setups guys!

http://foamforyou.com/

 

[NC-Shaun]

http://foamforyou.com/

I assume the best foam for a tool box application would be the neoprene foam shown here?

http://foamforyou.com/neoprene.htm

This looks like it would work nicely and I could even have it precut to my drawer sizes.

 

[pieceofwork]

Had this for a while, a constant work in progress:

 

[Procareauto]

Had this for a while, a constant work in progress:

You, sir have great taste.

 

[MattPersman]

Nice snap on stuff guys!

 

[McRae]

Bought a toolbox for work earlier this year, thought u might like it.

 

[rmsg0040]

Info on box^^, what are those things on the side?

Thanks

 

[McRae]

It's a Quentor, all the big boys have em...

I think you're refering to the wheelguns, 1 black and 1 yellow?

 

[GTA Matt]

It's a Quentor, all the big boys have em...

I think you're refering to the wheelguns, 1 black and 1 yellow?

That thing is pretty slick looking! I like it

 

[s14kev]

It's a Quentor, all the big boys have em...

I think you're refering to the wheelguns, 1 black and 1 yellow?

I've seen some quentor boxes before. I assume you work in motorsport. I think I remember them being made of plastic although just as tough as any steel box I've seen.

 

[rmsg0040]

It's a Quentor, all the big boys have em...

I think you're refering to the wheelguns, 1 black and 1 yellow?

cool stuff!