Cgw1984
Banned
I have a big old kennedy box, looks like a welder or machinist used it. Its pretty dirty, beat up. Is it worth restoring, or should i just use it as is? It is fairly large for a kennedy.
Old kennedy box worth restoring?
- Thread starter Cgw1984
- Start date
Toolmaker65
Well-known member
It is hard to provide any input without at least a better description of said Kennedy box. How big is big? What one person considers big may be average to another. Kennedy has made a wide variety of boxes throughout their history that range in size from "small" hand carry boxes to "large" cabinets and chests in the 48" to 60" range.
Without pictures it is hard to determine anything. Posting them through Garage Journal is better than using other sites imo.
Sent from my LM-Q610(FGN) using The Garage Journal mobile app
Without pictures it is hard to determine anything. Posting them through Garage Journal is better than using other sites imo.
Sent from my LM-Q610(FGN) using The Garage Journal mobile app
Youre right, im very sorry i was vague. I snapped this pic, i can get more of needed. It actually seems to be pieced together. The base is i believe what they call "versa cart"? Im bad at pics, but hopefully this link thing works.
https://imgur.com/a/NOUxIBl
Thank you for any help!
d42jeep
Well-known member
I suggest cleaning it up, lubing the glides and using it. It looks really good to me. Here is my roller. I’m missing the lowest handle.
-Don
Attachments
bmwrd0
Well-known member
It looks like someone anodized the handles and stacked an extra side box on it, but other than that it looks good. I would clean it and use it as is.
Shootinok
Well-known member
Wow good looking box.
I'm in agreement with the posts above, the box looks good. I'd use it as is.
Whats up with those handles?
I have two old Kennedy boxes I cleaned up and painted. They were in MUCH worse shape than yours. I did not restore to original, but I'm happy with the results. They are two components in a work bench with mis-matched boxes.
The Kennedy's are good boxes but the drawer guides are dated. They are not ball bearing guides like newer boxes. They do not require much maintenance, but occasional lube is a good idea.
If your wanting a new restored look, Go for it.
I'm in agreement with the posts above, the box looks good. I'd use it as is.
Whats up with those handles?
I have two old Kennedy boxes I cleaned up and painted. They were in MUCH worse shape than yours. I did not restore to original, but I'm happy with the results. They are two components in a work bench with mis-matched boxes.
The Kennedy's are good boxes but the drawer guides are dated. They are not ball bearing guides like newer boxes. They do not require much maintenance, but occasional lube is a good idea.
If your wanting a new restored look, Go for it.
RTM
Well-known member
If OKC wasn't so far away, I'd suggest pushing it to the curb. Just give me notice in advance.
But as others have said, those look great, leave as is, lightly clean, or completely redo them. Your chests, your choices. But I would clean light and use.
But as others have said, those look great, leave as is, lightly clean, or completely redo them. Your chests, your choices. But I would clean light and use.
That is nice looking!
I think i will just lightly clean it as suggested. Thanks! As for the blue handles, i honestly dont know. I had guessed it was a protective film on it that was never peeled off, but i never looked into it.
No, i actually do value my time. Thats why i asked. I was interested in if it was worth my time to clean/fix/replace vs. Buying a newer box. Do you ask these questions on every "should i restore" thread here?
That is the route i will take. Thank you all for the input!
Does anyone know if it is possible to upgrade to ball bearing slides?
bmwrd0
Well-known member
No, converting to BB slides is not possible. Too many differences, such as drawer width, attachment points and so on.
Personally, I dislike BB slides. I have a Snap-on box out in one of my back buildings that needs the slides replaced, but it irritates me that they are a wear item. A good set of friction slides works just as well in my opinion. You have to do maintenance, but they will last a lifetime when taken care of.
Personally, I dislike BB slides. I have a Snap-on box out in one of my back buildings that needs the slides replaced, but it irritates me that they are a wear item. A good set of friction slides works just as well in my opinion. You have to do maintenance, but they will last a lifetime when taken care of.
Packard V8
Well-known member
FWIW, I've owned, bought and sold Kennedy boxes for nearly fifty years and never seen that combination of roller, mid, machinist's top and two side cabinets all stacked together.
It's an awkward combination, but one which will provide more small drawer space than any of today's top-and-bottoms.
The lock for the machinist's chest is still available from Kennedy, but they want a ton for it. There are replacements available on line for much less than Kennedy charges.
As to ball bearing drawers on smaller boxes, fuggedaboudit; friction slides have served us well for a hundred years.
jack vines
It's an awkward combination, but one which will provide more small drawer space than any of today's top-and-bottoms.
The lock for the machinist's chest is still available from Kennedy, but they want a ton for it. There are replacements available on line for much less than Kennedy charges.
As to ball bearing drawers on smaller boxes, fuggedaboudit; friction slides have served us well for a hundred years.
jack vines
Toolmaker65
Well-known member
Looking at the photo closer , you do not have a Versacart set up . I am not seeing a large wheel at roughly the halfway point of the rig. What you do have there is probably one of the nicest combinations of machinists boxes possible.
The top box is a No. 3611 machinist chest. That is the largest machinist chest made by Kennedy and any other manufacturer with the exception for the Gerstner 2613 Pro Series chest ($2,395 msrp). It is 12"deep versus the standard 8" on other machinist chests.
The two drawer riser is a No. 5150 and it is also 12" deep versus 8" on other Kennedy risers.
The roller cabinet looks like it is either a No. 277 or a No. 297. The first two numbers are the width and the last number indicates the number of drawers, so you can determine the model number simply by measuring it's width.
The 5 drawer cabinets are side cabinets, the model number of the side cabinets is dependent upon the model number of the roller cabinet. Not all of them are interchangeable. Instead of having the 1 stacked on top of the other I would hang it on the right side of the roller cabinet to have things looked more balanced and give you some extra space on the top for working or holding a small surface plate, drill indexes, or T handle allen wrench sets. It will also make it easier to see what is in the top drawers.
From the overall appearance, everything looks like it is in very good to excellent shape with just a little bit of dirt and grime on the outside. That can be washed down what's some Dawn dishwashing liquid, a soft cloth and a soft scrub brush. Rub with WD-40 afterwards. Do not use any sort of Wax that dries and then needs to be wiped or buffed off. The wrinkle finish in the paint will make it extremely difficult to get rid of the dried residue.
I would not bother to try and repaint anything nor would I worry about putting in ball bearing slides. These are machinists chests and cabinets and were never designed to hold 600 lb of impact sockets, wrenches, air tools, and blacksmithing hammers in each drawer. The Kennedy slide system is extremely durable and is actually rated for a fairly quote large unquote amount of weight considering machinist tools.
There were no pictures included of the condition of the felt, but unless that is scraped off or really messed up, all I would do would be to blow out any dirt and chips with a low pressure blow gun and then maybe run a Shop-Vac over it to remove any remaining chips and debris. I know that Kennedy used to sell replacement felt kits for their boxes back in the 1990s. I do not know if they currently offers that or not. If the felt is really messed up oh, I would contact them and see if one is available. If not I would find a dark brown wool felt from a fabric store that is fairly heavy and just layout and cut for each drawer and the top till and glue it in.
For more info the Kennedy website is https://buykennedy.com
Sent from my LM-Q610(FGN) using The Garage Journal mobile app
The top box is a No. 3611 machinist chest. That is the largest machinist chest made by Kennedy and any other manufacturer with the exception for the Gerstner 2613 Pro Series chest ($2,395 msrp). It is 12"deep versus the standard 8" on other machinist chests.
The two drawer riser is a No. 5150 and it is also 12" deep versus 8" on other Kennedy risers.
The roller cabinet looks like it is either a No. 277 or a No. 297. The first two numbers are the width and the last number indicates the number of drawers, so you can determine the model number simply by measuring it's width.
The 5 drawer cabinets are side cabinets, the model number of the side cabinets is dependent upon the model number of the roller cabinet. Not all of them are interchangeable. Instead of having the 1 stacked on top of the other I would hang it on the right side of the roller cabinet to have things looked more balanced and give you some extra space on the top for working or holding a small surface plate, drill indexes, or T handle allen wrench sets. It will also make it easier to see what is in the top drawers.
From the overall appearance, everything looks like it is in very good to excellent shape with just a little bit of dirt and grime on the outside. That can be washed down what's some Dawn dishwashing liquid, a soft cloth and a soft scrub brush. Rub with WD-40 afterwards. Do not use any sort of Wax that dries and then needs to be wiped or buffed off. The wrinkle finish in the paint will make it extremely difficult to get rid of the dried residue.
I would not bother to try and repaint anything nor would I worry about putting in ball bearing slides. These are machinists chests and cabinets and were never designed to hold 600 lb of impact sockets, wrenches, air tools, and blacksmithing hammers in each drawer. The Kennedy slide system is extremely durable and is actually rated for a fairly quote large unquote amount of weight considering machinist tools.
There were no pictures included of the condition of the felt, but unless that is scraped off or really messed up, all I would do would be to blow out any dirt and chips with a low pressure blow gun and then maybe run a Shop-Vac over it to remove any remaining chips and debris. I know that Kennedy used to sell replacement felt kits for their boxes back in the 1990s. I do not know if they currently offers that or not. If the felt is really messed up oh, I would contact them and see if one is available. If not I would find a dark brown wool felt from a fabric store that is fairly heavy and just layout and cut for each drawer and the top till and glue it in.
For more info the Kennedy website is https://buykennedy.com
Sent from my LM-Q610(FGN) using The Garage Journal mobile app