Please help identifying this "Made in Canada" intermediary tool chest

[tool_scrounge]

I had the day off today and spotted a "Made in Canada" intermediary tool chest forsale. The seller identified it as made for Craftsman, but it has no Craftsman identification on it. I also went thru my Craftsman catalog collection and did not see an equivalent from 1970-2010. Being "Made in Canada", I looked for a Beach toolbox equivalent and found nothing. I did not see a Proto equivalent but I could not find many Proto catalogs online. Stanley owned Beach from 1987-2008 and used them to made Proto tool boxes.

So I drove over and had a look. It is not in collector condition but good enough for my use. I have a thing for 26" wide intermediate tool boxes for use at work and pick them up when I can find them (not often).

Here are a few photos of the tool box:



The Made in Canada marking is on the top surface, back left corner. I reality the photo should be rotated 90 degrees counter clockwise.









It is odd having the key lock on the bottom drawer.


To lock, you need to press in the bottom drawer against a spring, then turn the key.

When unlocked, you need to pull out the bottom drawer slightly as shown below to unlock the upper two drawers.


On the bottom drawer right side, there is the remains of the adhesive that held a label. If you look close, you can see "B-8"

It does not look anything like my Beach made Proto intermediate tool chest below.


Any thoughts of who made this box and approximate vintage? Thanks

 

[1Bad55Chevy]

Snap-On made tool boxes in Canada. Not sure when that started or ended but I know I have seen Snap-On boxes stamped "made in Canada ".

 

[mikedodge]

Unless the lock or key was replaced thats newer then when Beach stopped making boxes. But it's a Beach. Mine the lock works the same way and looks identical other then the front handle style. That B letter is also their style of code but I never seen it stamped. Mine has a sticker there. Beach rarely had 4 drawers.

Here is the deep Beach one on Mastercraft branded Beach bottom.

That looks like a Waterloo Proto. Beach didn't make their tops with the wider flange like that and they're key was usually in the drawer.

 

[KnurledNut]

Beach has made add-on boxes with a bottom lock.
Also, check that stamp again. Hard to see, but it looks like there is another number after B-8x? Which would correspond with Beaches model numbering system.
Here is a pic of similar style drawers and handles:

 

[tool_scrounge]

Unless the lock or key was replaced thats newer then when Beach stopped making boxes. But it's a Beach. Mine the lock works the same way and looks identical other then the front handle style. That B letter is also their style of code but I never seen it stamped. Mine has a sticker there. Beach rarely had 4 drawers.

I believe you are correct that the lock is a replacement. It looks like new and the cheap key is suspect.

 

[tool_scrounge]

Beach has made add-on boxes with a bottom lock.
Also, check that stamp again. Hard to see, but it looks like there is another number after B-8x? Which would correspond with Beaches model numbering system.
Here is a pic of similar style drawers and handles:

Those handles look identical to mine. It looks to be a Beach made box. Do you know the approximate vintage of the above tool box in the photo?

The "B-8" on the drawer is not stamped but is the residual adhesive from the label. It seems like the numbers were embossed in the label to leave that adhesive pattern. There is space for one or two more digits following the number 8.

 

[KnurledNut]

Those handles look identical to mine. It looks to be a Beach made box. Do you know the approximate vintage of the above tool box in the photo?

The "B-8" on the drawer is not stamped but is the residual adhesive from the label. It seems like the numbers were embossed in the label to leave that adhesive pattern. There is space for one or two more digits following the number 8.

I don't.
@isb cornbinder has a stack from that generation and may know more.

 

[mikedodge]

Probably 90s.

 

[1982fxr]

I had the day off today and spotted a "Made in Canada" intermediary tool chest forsale. The seller identified it as made for Craftsman, but it has no Craftsman identification on it. I also went thru my Craftsman catalog collection and did not see an equivalent from 1970-2010. Being "Made in Canada", I looked for a Beach toolbox equivalent and found nothing. I did not see a Proto equivalent but I could not find many Proto catalogs online. Stanley owned Beach from 1987-2008 and used them to made Proto tool boxes.

So I drove over and had a look. It is not in collector condition but good enough for my use. I have a thing for 26" wide intermediate tool boxes for use at work and pick them up when I can find them (not often).

Here are a few photos of the tool box:



The Made in Canada marking is on the top surface, back left corner. I reality the photo should be rotated 90 degrees counter clockwise.









It is odd having the key lock on the bottom drawer.


To lock, you need to press in the bottom drawer against a spring, then turn the key.

When unlocked, you need to pull out the bottom drawer slightly as shown below to unlock the upper two drawers.


On the bottom drawer right side, there is the remains of the adhesive that held a label. If you look close, you can see "B-8"

It does not look anything like my Beach made Proto intermediate tool chest below.


Any thoughts of who made this box and approximate vintage? Thanks

Are you sure Beach made that Proto?

Lots of bad info out there attributing boxes to Beach that weren't made by them. I've repeated some of it, regrettably.

 

[tool_scrounge]

Are you sure Beach made that Proto?

Lots of bad info out there attributing boxes to Beach that weren't made by them. I've repeated some of it, regrettably.

Pretty sure. It is marked “Made in Canada” and Beach made a two drawer version that looks the same. I had a separate thread on it previously.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/did-beech-canada-make-tool-boxes-for-proto.514657/

 

[mikedodge]

The one from that other post was name only. Beach didn't make theirs with extended tops like that or drawers with the crease across the bottom. That's a Waterloo thing.

 

[tool_scrounge]

The one from that other post was name only. Beach didn't make theirs with extended tops like that or drawers with the crease across the bottom. That's a Waterloo thing.

So Waterloo had manufacturing in Canada?

 

[1982fxr]

So Waterloo had manufacturing in Canada?

No.

But to further muddy things, there were made in Canada versions of Craftsman silver and red boxes like the 1970s.

Does anyone know who made those.

And those Mac and Husky 41" boxes from the 90s that many of us thought were Beach are not and still from an unknown maker. Stanley, yes, but specifically what factory is unknown last I heard.

 

[mikedodge]

There is Waterloo stuff thats labelled made in Canada here. So if they don't have their own factory in Canada its once again more of this name branding game 🫨

Here is a Waterloo 4 drawer version of that 2 drawer one labeled as Beach in that other thread.

https://www.northerntool.com/products/waterloo-4-drawer-middle-toolbox-26in-w-x-12in-d-x-12in-h-model-2w027w-44930?srsltid=AfmBOoqtyp5y4XjGzLFzci2SvMAUqxB352SxeneUXVOZSNppmWIpEc-i