Let's see your toolbox.
- Thread starter wythors
- Start date
Well, maybe I will stick something up in "Free Parking".
By-the-way, that's one Hell of a set of tools you have there.
oh oh !!! chinese snap-on wrench holder .........!lol
Very nice setup Moose !!!
Its not really the end of the world but I can get ones that are US made (Ernst) which are also cheaper. Also I work in manufacturing so I kinda feel the need to help out my fellow manufactures (and Americans). It is not a total deal breaker for me, but I always try for USA made products first.
Sean
GDA
Well-known member
Damm... that's one sweet set up. You should post up some of the contents sometime for us to drool over...
I thought it was time to take some quick updated pics.
When my other stuff arrives and i actually get around to tidying the box properly i'll get some better pics.
In all its dented, well-used glory:
Ratchets and sockets. 40-something Snap-on ratchets, and 3 Blue-Point ones. Various sockets and drivers.
A close-up of the sockets and drivers. Need more rails:
-Moose.
Moose - nice set. I know from reading many of your posts you put this set together the old fashioned way by paying for them yourself. You should be very proud of your efforts and your great set of tools.
Question - I struggle too with storing torx, hex and other odd drivers on rails.... have you seen any other good ways to store them? I ask since the bigger and long ones force you to lay them flat in the box instead of standing them up.
Greg
pmohr
Well-known member
My meager 26" Craftsman stack, bottom two are 18" deep, top is a 16". Yep, it's rattlecanned flat black...looked awesome until I started using it and staining it with oil marks. Oh well, I plan on upgrading to a HF US General 41" chest in the very near future. As you can see the box is somewhat crowded the way I've got it organized, but not quite full yet.
Damn, these pics make my box and the work area look a lot dirtier/cluttered than it really is. As you can see, my box has everything from AmPro to SnapOn, mostly Craftsman and some HF 'goodies'.
Top box, top and top drawer.
Extensions, various on top, and tool truck paperwork, hex keys, electrical tape, random small stuff in drawer:
Top box, second drawer.
My meager hammer collection, looking to pick up a dead blow ball peen soon:
Top box, third drawer.
Chemicals and such, if kept in my cart they all tend to disappear rather quickly. Should be able to tell where I work from this pic alone:
Top box, fourth drawer.
Extra sockets, box on left has my less used wrenches (flare nut, thin, tiny combo wrenches, etc), box on upper right is a HF tie rod adjustment set, and of course my multimeter, some RTV, flashlights, and smaller air tools:
Top box, bottom drawer.
Personal stuff, where all of my stuff goes every morning:
Middle box, top drawer
Ratchet wrenches, drum/rotor removal bolts at upper left:
Middle box, middle drawer.
SAE and metric combo wrenches, along with some extra socket rails:
Middle box, bottom drawer.
Metric sockets, new Genius 3/8" impact socket set (going in a tray soon, along with the 12 points in the bottom right hand corner), HF/SO impact swivels, all of my hex/torx/screwdriver sockets, adapters, and of course all of my ratchets:
Bottom box, top drawer.
All of my SAE stuff, the 12 points are going in another tray as well, next up is some impact sockets. I rarely use my standard tools, so that's not a big priority right now:
Bottom box, second drawer.
Pliers, adjustable wrenches, pipe wrench, in an extremely disorganized, cluttered mess:
Bottom box, third drawer.
Another disorganized mess of screwdrivers and punches/chisels:
Bottom box, fourth drawer.
Various nut drivers, pry bars, picks, disconnects, and brake equipment. Top box is a Sunex torque stick set, middle is a HF impact driver, and bottom is a HF pick set:
Bottom box, fifth drawer.
HF wheel bearing set (which, by the way, kicks ***. Hasn't failed me yet), extended TDC indicator, and a strap wrench:
Bottom box, bottom drawer.
Catch-all (junk) drawer, and soda storage:
My cart, little Torin from Northern Tool. Tiny little thing, but has slide tops (which are far more useful than a flip top, IMO), and can navigate through most areas the bigger carts can't:
I try not to use it for storing tools, though my cordless and pneumatic impacts as well as torque wrench, hubcap hammer, and clipboard live in the top. Also some other stuff that won't fit in my box goes in here.
Top drawer.
My 25" HF breaker bar (which I've tried to break, and can't seem to) which doesn't fit in any of my Craftsman drawers as they are, a few screwdrivers and a prybar, and some oil change stuff:
Bottom drawer.
HF compression tester set (also works great), hood/trunk/hatch shock holder, and some extra snackage:
And some other tool shots for good measure...
My pride and joy:
Ratchet shots:
My favorite here? Obviously the FH80, but those HF Pittsburg composite ratchets are also very nice, and 72 tooth:
Damn, these pics make my box and the work area look a lot dirtier/cluttered than it really is. As you can see, my box has everything from AmPro to SnapOn, mostly Craftsman and some HF 'goodies'.
Top box, top and top drawer.
Extensions, various on top, and tool truck paperwork, hex keys, electrical tape, random small stuff in drawer:
Top box, second drawer.
My meager hammer collection, looking to pick up a dead blow ball peen soon:
Top box, third drawer.
Chemicals and such, if kept in my cart they all tend to disappear rather quickly. Should be able to tell where I work from this pic alone:
Top box, fourth drawer.
Extra sockets, box on left has my less used wrenches (flare nut, thin, tiny combo wrenches, etc), box on upper right is a HF tie rod adjustment set, and of course my multimeter, some RTV, flashlights, and smaller air tools:
Top box, bottom drawer.
Personal stuff, where all of my stuff goes every morning:
Middle box, top drawer
Ratchet wrenches, drum/rotor removal bolts at upper left:
Middle box, middle drawer.
SAE and metric combo wrenches, along with some extra socket rails:
Middle box, bottom drawer.
Metric sockets, new Genius 3/8" impact socket set (going in a tray soon, along with the 12 points in the bottom right hand corner), HF/SO impact swivels, all of my hex/torx/screwdriver sockets, adapters, and of course all of my ratchets:
Bottom box, top drawer.
All of my SAE stuff, the 12 points are going in another tray as well, next up is some impact sockets. I rarely use my standard tools, so that's not a big priority right now:
Bottom box, second drawer.
Pliers, adjustable wrenches, pipe wrench, in an extremely disorganized, cluttered mess:
Bottom box, third drawer.
Another disorganized mess of screwdrivers and punches/chisels:
Bottom box, fourth drawer.
Various nut drivers, pry bars, picks, disconnects, and brake equipment. Top box is a Sunex torque stick set, middle is a HF impact driver, and bottom is a HF pick set:
Bottom box, fifth drawer.
HF wheel bearing set (which, by the way, kicks ***. Hasn't failed me yet), extended TDC indicator, and a strap wrench:
Bottom box, bottom drawer.
Catch-all (junk) drawer, and soda storage:
My cart, little Torin from Northern Tool. Tiny little thing, but has slide tops (which are far more useful than a flip top, IMO), and can navigate through most areas the bigger carts can't:
I try not to use it for storing tools, though my cordless and pneumatic impacts as well as torque wrench, hubcap hammer, and clipboard live in the top. Also some other stuff that won't fit in my box goes in here.
Top drawer.
My 25" HF breaker bar (which I've tried to break, and can't seem to) which doesn't fit in any of my Craftsman drawers as they are, a few screwdrivers and a prybar, and some oil change stuff:
Bottom drawer.
HF compression tester set (also works great), hood/trunk/hatch shock holder, and some extra snackage:
And some other tool shots for good measure...
My pride and joy:
Ratchet shots:
My favorite here? Obviously the FH80, but those HF Pittsburg composite ratchets are also very nice, and 72 tooth:
Moose-LandTran
Well-known member
By-the-way, that's one Hell of a set of tools you have there.
Thanks! It's taken just about everything i've earned in the last 2-3 years, but i'm glad this is what i bought.
Moose, great collection of tools -- thx for posting! Those universal torx are awesome. What applications have you used them for? I've been trying to justify a purchase
Well, i haven't used them yet. But for things like under-dash work they're perfect. They're also good for some water and oil pumps.
Yeah, i understand that. I didn't know they were made in China. That *****.
Moose - nice set. I know from reading many of your posts you put this set together the old fashioned way by paying for them yourself. You should be very proud of your efforts and your great set of tools.
Question - I struggle too with storing torx, hex and other odd drivers on rails.... have you seen any other good ways to store them? I ask since the bigger and long ones force you to lay them flat in the box instead of standing them up.
Greg
Thanks, Greg. It's now completely paid off, with zero outstanding. (In fact, Snap-on owe me £11!) I'm glad it's all mine and all paid for, and i'm certainly proud of it. It might be largely second-hand, but it's all mine!
As for the long drivers, without a really deep drawer i haven't found a better way to store them, i'm going to make trays to lay them in.
bry@n
Well-known member
Nice set up Moose. Love all the hard handles.
Sparky240z
Member
Moose-LandTran
Well-known member
At last count I had 215 Snap-on hard handled screwdrivers. Total number of screwdrivers i guess would be around 245 or so.
Thanks! There's more on the way. Pics soon!
Nice looking setup! Normally not a huge stickers on the toolbox fan but the vintage and quality of those stickers seem perfect. Nice stuff!
Also digging the yellow hard handled stuff.. nice set of tools you've got going. What kinda stuff do you wrench on?
With most of my tools in now, I put together a photo page for it... BTW, pics like these saved my **** when the insurance claim had to be made.. if you don't have em, take em now!
http://web.mac.com/sjsamaha/Site/Tools.html
http://web.mac.com/sjsamaha/Site/Tools.html
Sparky240z
Member
Thanks Justin,Always loved the stickers when I was younger, not sure now but feel they're history. Work on all sorts friends and family cars, bikes anything. Day job is working for Land Rover in diesel calibration (proto engine testing/fitting) can be mundane day in day out or sometimes very interesting.
Heres a few more shots, the last is my lads bench (Start em young)
Cheers Mark
Heres a few more shots, the last is my lads bench (Start em young)
Cheers Mark
Attachments
Moose-LandTran
Well-known member
Joelfke
Well-known member
heres my rookie/new to automechanics box
The rest of the hard handles shipped out today. Expect more pics in about 2 weeks. And, as requested, your thread on them all.
I just want 1/2 as many screw drivers as you've got mate!
Moose-LandTran
Well-known member
I just want 1/2 as many screw drivers as you've got mate!
I like that you're not greedy, most people want all of them!
I like that you're not greedy, most people want all of them!
Well, since I only play with my tools on the weekends and in my spare time, it would look silly to have 245 of the darn things now, wouldn't it?
Moose-LandTran
Well-known member
Well, since I only play with my tools on the weekends and in my spare time, it would look silly to have 245 of the darn things now, wouldn't it?
Right now, that's the only time i use them too. But i got (almost) all bases covered. You can never have too many screwdrivers.
Joelfke
Well-known member
im fairly certain i just attained a newfound respect for moose
Moose-LandTran
Well-known member
Joelfke
Well-known member
Let me guess... it was this statement...
THAT...and the extreme collection of screwdrivers....i "would" say thats too many man....but that would be blasphemy
Moose-LandTran
Well-known member
Let me guess... it was this statement...
I do have a ******** screwdriver addiction. I don't know what it is about them, i just can't get enough. Not just Snap-on hard handles, but screwdrivers in general. I've got my eye on about 5 euro sets i really want to buy; Witte, Wera, Wiha, etc.
crewchief888
Well-known member
Damm... that's one sweet set up. You should post up some of the contents sometime for us to drool over...
i wish i could, this is the only pic i can find of the set up. we took pics of all the drawer contents, (for the shops insurance) somewhere in the last 12 years after leaving that job , moving 1200 miles, getting a new job and moving 3 more times in the area, i cant find 1/2 of what i thought i had.
i'm gonna try to get some pics of my snap on /harley boxes at the house, and the set of boxes and equipment at my shopand a few pics of my service truck.
crewchief888
Well-known member
My meager 26" Craftsman stack, bottom two are 18" deep, top is a 16". Yep, it's rattlecanned flat black...looked awesome until I started using it and staining it with oil marks. Oh well, I plan on upgrading to a HF US General 41" chest in the very near future. As you can see the box is somewhat crowded the way I've got it organized, but not quite full yet.
i started out with a basic set of SK tools wrenches to 1 1/4 1/2, 3/8, 1/2 drive sockets up to 1 1/4 and some misc hammers, screwdrivers, and a couple punches and chisels all thrown in a kennedy 10 drawer top/5 drawer bottom combo.
i kept adding tools and when i ran out of room i bought the biggest box i thought i'd ever need, a snapon kr550/555. working at various heavy equipment dealers led to needing different tools, and being "geared up" to do specific jobs, meant some specific tools. and the need for more storage
one dealer i worked almost exclusively on dozers for almost a year and then went into the rebuild room at that dealer. all the same nuts and bolts, but different tools
being back working on smaller equipment again, i havent used a wrench over 1 5/8 or a socket bigger than 1 13/16 in 11 years. i have some sockets that i bought 11 years ago while working on JD equipment that have never touched a bolt.
ive been buying tools for 30+ years, i'll probably never stop buying, the older i get the more selective i get... and hopefully smarter
my advise is buy what you need to do your job, dont buy the biggest, shiniest box you see on the tool truck. ive known several young mechanics that did, they're now unemployed and have had boxes and tools repo'd.
just my 2cents
pmohr
Well-known member
my advise is buy what you need to do your job, dont buy the biggest, shiniest box you see on the tool truck. ive known several young mechanics that did, they're now unemployed and have had boxes and tools repo'd.
just my 2cents
Indeed, that's what I've been trying to do. I could've financed a decent size SO box a few months ago, but have been reorganizing my current one to make more room instead. The HF box should hold everything I have and far more, and I can most likely sell this Craftsman stack for more than the $400 I'd pay for the new box.
Generally I'll buy HF or other cheapie stuff, and if I find myself using it often enough, I'll buy 'good' brands. Though my HF impact swivels have done every bit as good as my SO ones, interestingly.
Personally I can never see myself paying truck pricing on a box to hold tools, regardless of how good it is; I could replace the HF box every year for the next 10 years and still be under the price of a SO/Matco box of the same size.
But that's not to say that I don't desire an Epiq triple bay...
crewchief888
Well-known member
i bought some HF metric swivel impacts about a year ago, i needed a 15mm for something and figured why not? ive beat the hell out of those sockets, even had an 18mm on my 3/4 drive gun and havent broke one yet.
i buy craftsman, kobalt or HF tools to keep at my personal shop, and keep my snapon mac and matco tools in my service truck. ive abused my tools for 25 years on heavy equipment, and have rarely broken anything unless is was being severely misused. i used to break snapon 3/4 dr breaker bar heads at least once a month loosening bolts on large hyd cylinders, the 8feet of pipe and 600+ ft/lb of torqe wil do that.
the absolute best was the 5/8 12pt comb wrench i broke
nope didnt break the box end didnt break the open end
i broke the handle part of the wrench
i was trying to remove a 12point headed bolt from a crawler trans, after sevral swings with a 10lb sledge the wrench broke. my snapon dealer started to ask what happened, i told him dont ask........he didnt, and handed me a new wrench
shadow images
Well-known member
Cameronl
Well-known member
Guess I'll show off my modest setup.
Craftsman Quiet Glides I got as a gift a few years ago:
How many of you have a Binford Tools button?
Not thrilled with these little split drawers, but they'll do to sort my screwdrivers
Socket collection is kinda sad... Metric
SAE
They are from my original set I received on Christmas about 25 years ago.
I thought I had enough sockets until I got the trays from Harbor Freight. Now I have an urge to fill them up...
Some other drawers:
Got the idea for the yoga pad drawer liners right here on GJ!
Cheap air tools that came with my Husky compressor. They do the job.
And the workbench:
Craftsman Quiet Glides I got as a gift a few years ago:
How many of you have a Binford Tools button?
Not thrilled with these little split drawers, but they'll do to sort my screwdrivers
Socket collection is kinda sad... Metric
SAE
They are from my original set I received on Christmas about 25 years ago.
I thought I had enough sockets until I got the trays from Harbor Freight. Now I have an urge to fill them up...
Some other drawers:
Got the idea for the yoga pad drawer liners right here on GJ!
Cheap air tools that came with my Husky compressor. They do the job.
And the workbench:
scrubcakes
Member
- Joined
- Apr 16, 2009
- Messages
- 20
My toolbox is just a Harbor Freight three shelf cart, but I do have this bad boy for A/C work:
Joe69
Well-known member
That looks identical to the a/c unit I cut my teeth on so many years ago. Back in the good ole R12 days.
Joe
Joe
krusty the clown
Member Emeritus
used that one too.......around 1981
crewchief888
Well-known member
harley/snapon boxes in my garage
main box & air tool/prybar storage in my service truck
pics from my messyazz shop
Attachments
Moose-LandTran
Well-known member
My toolbox is just a Harbor Freight three shelf cart, but I do have this bad boy for A/C work:
That's cool!
Is that a W123 in the background? My friend accross the road from me has an old 230E, in that same colour (he refers to it as "Jewish Racing Gold".) She's known as Gertrude (the car, that is.) My friend's 25-year-old German lady!
Did you buy that Harley box from our member fatfillup by any chance? I want that top box. Been looking for one for ages. Any idea what the colour name is? I'd love to have one in cranberry.
crewchief888
Well-known member
i bought them new when they came out for the 90th aniversary, a year or so later i ordered the center section to match. according to my dealer at the time, snappy built and painted the centers, but never assembled them, the top and bottom have friction slides the center has rollers. from what i remember they made 7500 set of them @ $3400 top and bottom, the center box cost me $600 or so back then
the color is cranberry, these were some of the 1st "non red" boxes that snapon made
ive seen several sets of them on CL and ebay over the years, most sold in as new condition for $1000
jteck75
Well-known member
I pasted this off of the Napa website,still haven't replaced my broken digital camera. It is a Napa SS series combo,made by Kennedy. It's the same as the Kennedy Maintenance Pro series except for a different plastic emblem. It's been a darn good box,better than any I've ever had,including my Snap on KRA that I lost in a fire.