Show us your portable toolbox!
- Thread starter fitz11
- Start date
I use this cheap set as my "portable" box and supplement it with a tool bag containing a lot of other stuff. Got it for $50 on clearance after reading about it on GJ several years back. The pictures are about two years old. I would not recommend these to anyone that cares about the appearance of tools because the black chrome shows wear easily. The only actual complaint I have about these is that the laser etching is wearing off somewhat quickly. Just having the tool kit in the trunk of the car was enough to wear the laser etching to some degree since the sockets can rotate inside the recesses they sit in. All in all, I would say it's a very solid kit for the price. I haven't managed to break anything yet using them as intended. The same type kits are available from Stanley in a chrome finish by the way.
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mudflap
Well-known member
X2......like all the SK stuff..intresting tool box..never seen one.
Dave455
Well-known member
This is my current set up. It usually rides round in my least reliable vehicle, but comes with me whenever I’m fixing something away from home.
First picture shows the tools, second mostly consumables, but I’m seldom able to make a repair without both. Looks a lot but everything fits into two ex army ammo boxes, which are easily storable, and waterproof! I didn’t photograph those!
The red box holds bits specific to a one vehicle and gets left in that vehicle.
I’ll grab other stuff as I need it - usually a multimeter, or specific parts!
First picture shows the tools, second mostly consumables, but I’m seldom able to make a repair without both. Looks a lot but everything fits into two ex army ammo boxes, which are easily storable, and waterproof! I didn’t photograph those!
The red box holds bits specific to a one vehicle and gets left in that vehicle.
I’ll grab other stuff as I need it - usually a multimeter, or specific parts!
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Gedore-cobranded Sortimo L-BOXX, I think originally a Bosch power tool bonus (I bought it on eBay)
Interior has original Gedore toolkit (hammer, nips, hex and torx l-keys, water pump pliers, 5 VDE screwdrivers) in styrofoam on the bottom.
I added the Gedore tool card for the lid, and filled it with pliers, screwdrivers, and a pocket level.
I also keep a precision screwdriver set atop the styrofoam. It is shown with the bitholder from the lid card below.
Interior has original Gedore toolkit (hammer, nips, hex and torx l-keys, water pump pliers, 5 VDE screwdrivers) in styrofoam on the bottom.
I added the Gedore tool card for the lid, and filled it with pliers, screwdrivers, and a pocket level.
I also keep a precision screwdriver set atop the styrofoam. It is shown with the bitholder from the lid card below.
geartow
Well-known member
Any else?
tonync
Well-known member
I use a bluepoint two drawer chest kept in a plano box under my tonneau cover go my Tundra. I will post a pic later. Why I found in my garage is a new in the box made in the USA Porter Cable 16" tool box with tray. It is mint and I recall buying it 15- 20 years ago. We used to have a proper cable store nearby long before the dealt merger. In fact I have a lot of tools from those good porter cable days. Anyway anyone have any idea how I can find our=t what it is worth. Perhaps I will sell it since it is just sitting around. pic to follow.
e015475
Well-known member
Here's my version of a portable toolbox.
Took my old Sears blow-molded toolbox off the shelf the other day to throw in the truck anticipating a repair, and the sockets were so loose and falling out I decided I'd build a new portable toolbox for the truck, junkyard and dune trips. I work occasionally in a friends metal fabrication shop, and while his metal working tools are 'finest kind', his mechanics hand tools can be challenging. I always feel funny about using someone else's hand tools so I'll be able to take this with me to work on my projects there.
I started with the smaller Pelican knock-off from HF (Apache?) with interior dimensions of 9"x12" and about 6" deep. I used the interlocking foam they sell and some scrap aluminum to make a series of stacking trays to fit the box. I know a lot of people aren't crazy about foaming their tool box, but in this case it helped me get quite a bit of toools in a reasonably small box.
Here's the box. I took the foam that it came with and used the 1/2" anti-fatigue foam that they sell for like $8 for four squares.
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Two layers of foam are glued into the top of the box and that's were the tools that I need most frequently are located. About half of the things I come across can be addressed with a Leatherman, so I put that in the lid (it is usually in the console, door card or glove box in the truck where I have to look for it) One of the new HF Bauer LED lights is there too, and installed so you can swing the LED wand out and illuminate the toolbox. A pair of dykes. electrical tape and some single edge razor blades are handy there too. I keep about $4 of quarters too - always forget they want money to get into the junkyard. The dykes kept falling out when I opened the lid, so I glued a magnet into the foam to hold them in place.
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The first layer is screwdriver, allen and Torx bits. I didn't want to load the box up with bulky screwdrivers, so they are almost all .25" hex that I can drive with a 1/4" socket. The HF digital calipers were cheap with a 20% discount, so I threw one in the top tray too, and just pried the foam out of the case and put it in my toolbox.
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The next layer is the 'brute force' tools - vice grips and crescent wrench along with a pair of long needle nose pliers I found once in one of my junkyard adventures. Note the finger holes in the trays to facilitate getting them in and out of the box.
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Next are the box-open wrenches - they're cheap HF sets, but they seem to work well and get good reviews. At $7 a set, if I lost one or the whole tray it wouldn't be any big deal
The metric............
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The SAE...........
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The bottom of the box contains sockets. I seldom use anything other than 1/4" or 3/8" drives, so that's all that's there. The sizes overlap with one or two sockets to keep the socket count down, but I do have regular and deep, I splurged and bought two of the HF flex head 72T ratchets as they seemed a step or two above the Craftsman I'd been hauling to junkyards for years. Didn't have enough socket size labels for everything so I'll have to order a couple more sets.
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Here's all the removable trays laid out on the shop toolbox.....
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I suppose all-in I have about $100 in the box. None of the tools are too expensive, and if I lost a tool, a tray or even the whole thing it wouldn't be the end of the world.
Took my old Sears blow-molded toolbox off the shelf the other day to throw in the truck anticipating a repair, and the sockets were so loose and falling out I decided I'd build a new portable toolbox for the truck, junkyard and dune trips. I work occasionally in a friends metal fabrication shop, and while his metal working tools are 'finest kind', his mechanics hand tools can be challenging. I always feel funny about using someone else's hand tools so I'll be able to take this with me to work on my projects there.
I started with the smaller Pelican knock-off from HF (Apache?) with interior dimensions of 9"x12" and about 6" deep. I used the interlocking foam they sell and some scrap aluminum to make a series of stacking trays to fit the box. I know a lot of people aren't crazy about foaming their tool box, but in this case it helped me get quite a bit of toools in a reasonably small box.
Here's the box. I took the foam that it came with and used the 1/2" anti-fatigue foam that they sell for like $8 for four squares.
View media item 83459
Two layers of foam are glued into the top of the box and that's were the tools that I need most frequently are located. About half of the things I come across can be addressed with a Leatherman, so I put that in the lid (it is usually in the console, door card or glove box in the truck where I have to look for it) One of the new HF Bauer LED lights is there too, and installed so you can swing the LED wand out and illuminate the toolbox. A pair of dykes. electrical tape and some single edge razor blades are handy there too. I keep about $4 of quarters too - always forget they want money to get into the junkyard. The dykes kept falling out when I opened the lid, so I glued a magnet into the foam to hold them in place.
View media item 83460
The first layer is screwdriver, allen and Torx bits. I didn't want to load the box up with bulky screwdrivers, so they are almost all .25" hex that I can drive with a 1/4" socket. The HF digital calipers were cheap with a 20% discount, so I threw one in the top tray too, and just pried the foam out of the case and put it in my toolbox.
View media item 83461
The next layer is the 'brute force' tools - vice grips and crescent wrench along with a pair of long needle nose pliers I found once in one of my junkyard adventures. Note the finger holes in the trays to facilitate getting them in and out of the box.
View media item 83462
Next are the box-open wrenches - they're cheap HF sets, but they seem to work well and get good reviews. At $7 a set, if I lost one or the whole tray it wouldn't be any big deal
The metric............
View media item 83463
The SAE...........
View media item 83464
The bottom of the box contains sockets. I seldom use anything other than 1/4" or 3/8" drives, so that's all that's there. The sizes overlap with one or two sockets to keep the socket count down, but I do have regular and deep, I splurged and bought two of the HF flex head 72T ratchets as they seemed a step or two above the Craftsman I'd been hauling to junkyards for years. Didn't have enough socket size labels for everything so I'll have to order a couple more sets.
View media item 83465
Here's all the removable trays laid out on the shop toolbox.....
View media item 83466
I suppose all-in I have about $100 in the box. None of the tools are too expensive, and if I lost a tool, a tray or even the whole thing it wouldn't be the end of the world.
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KnurledNut
Well-known member
e015475, that seems very functional and well laid out.
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing.
bobcatdan
Well-known member
chohdog
Active member
Here's the bag I use for track days. I have an old Toyota I take to a lot of events. I've been doing it for a while and know most of what I need, so I've gone through several iterations of this kit. I used to use a metal 3 drawer box, but this weighs a lot less and is far more mobile.
Still hard to believe this all fits in there!
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/18401040@N00/40647691550/in/dateposted/" title="20180529_193454"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1760/40647691550_33fcac5b5e_z.jpg" width="640" height="360" alt="20180529_193454"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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Still hard to believe this all fits in there!
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/18401040@N00/40647691550/in/dateposted/" title="20180529_193454"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1760/40647691550_33fcac5b5e_z.jpg" width="640" height="360" alt="20180529_193454"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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What kind of socket rails are those? I'm looking for a set for my portable toilbox. Thanks
chohdog
Active member
The short blue one is an Ares from Amazon. I had lived with the standard steel pressure clip one for a while for the deep socket set, and they kept falling off. I moved onto the harbor freight plastic ones and they kept breaking. I decided to try these aluminum ones and so far so good.
The other ones are actually the rails that came with the socket, namely they're from GearWrench. They are plastic but flexible, unlike the harbor freight ones which are extremely brittle. I'm going to try them out on the road before switching to aluminum.
The other ones are actually the rails that came with the socket, namely they're from GearWrench. They are plastic but flexible, unlike the harbor freight ones which are extremely brittle. I'm going to try them out on the road before switching to aluminum.
Rarified27
Well-known member
Is the yellow/black screwdriver the gearless? I have a very similar one and can't get it to feel comfortable no matter how much I use it.
chohdog
Active member
Yup, I think i bought it at northern tool or something. Its gearless.
customh
Well-known member
How are the aluminum ones holding up? I'm thinking of switching from blow-molded craftsman drawers to a foamed pelican as in post 410. Stuff is getting a little rust riding around in the truck bed.
jonesg
Well-known member
Mine came lined with caribou fur.
jimreed2160
Well-known member
I had a few small toolboxes in the kitchen but always seemed to be running out into the shop for more when I was working on household projects. So I pulled the trigger on a Milwaukee mobile Packout. Still loading it up but it has been nice to use on projects. I just roll it to where I am working and everything I need is in one place.
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This is my Japanese TRUSCO steel cantilever toolbox. Nice and solid. Love the blue color!
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mudflap
Well-known member
Thats a nice box..thanks for the pics.. I have always had a thing for cantilever boxes.. Have a bunch of them stashed in the barn loft..never pass them up at swap meets.. They always end up too heavy to really be "mobile"...lol. so i dont use them..just like them.. Wish they could talk..
I have a nice cantilever toolbox, but as mentioned above you fill them up with tools and they become so heavy they remain a permanent fixture in your tool shed. I end up either taking a zip up tote or plastic toolbox when on the road. I wonder if someone makes a light canterlever like aluminium or something?
Stuart in MN
Well-known member
Reminds me a lot of this old toolbox I picked up some years ago, it's a Derby made in Poland
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Yeah, mine got so heavy that it wasn't portable anymore, so I used it as a fixed tool cabinet and took out only the tools I needed and put them in a plastic carry tray. I think it would serve well as a "transportable toolbox" rather than a "portable toolbox", maybe in the back of a van or something.
(After reading way too many posts here at GJ and buying way too many tools, I finally ended up getting a small rolling tool cabinet.)
I think it's one of those classic designs that will live on forever. Odd but true, I believe a Trusco cantilever toolbox is actually on display at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC.
rick carpenter
Well-known member
I use two rainproof plastic boxes, one for chainsaw maintenance tools and a 16" ammo style Plano box for drill bits. I have auger and tapcon bits in pvc pipe so they don't bang around. Other than that, I use a couple of 16" tool bags and the most impressive invention of the 20th century: a 5-gal bucket with a Husky bucket boss.
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jimreed2160
Well-known member
True that on the Husky bucket liner. That liner fits perfectly on those square kitty litter buckets. Bonus is that the liner disguises the bucket's origin so your buddies don't laugh.
I got tired of working out of tool bags so I bought myself a Pelican 1510 and Kaizen foam inserts and shadowed it up. I’m an aircraft mechanic.
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Finky198
Well-known member
Holy Guacamole that's nice...
Looks good! How do the stacked foam modules work in practice? Did you need to put a backing on them to make them more rigid? I don't see any handles or finger-holes: do they pull out pretty easily?
The stacked foam works great, it’s easy to pull out and rigid enough it won’t fall apart when removing them to get access to the layers below. I guess I could cut a few finger notches to make separating them a little bit easier. I will never go back to a tool bag again.
I just bought 2 of the dewalt tough system 2 drawer boxes and plan to kaizen foam them up for a box that will live in the back of my truck.
acmetools_com/shop/tools/dewalt-dwst08290
She's gonna have 2 complete sets of SAE and Metric wrenches up to 1 1/8 / at least a 19, a complete set of shallow and deep SAE/Metric sockets up to 15/16 at least, and an arrangement of screw drivers, pliers, a hammer, and other odds and ends.
I had a 20inch 4 drawer box from tractor supply and did something similar but after two years of abuse on the farm, it's time to retire it. It's also been discontinued and it's a pain in the rear to find a 4 drawer 20 inch box for whatever reason. Think I may have been inspired by the OP of this thread a few years back but his pictures have been taken down so I can't confirm.
I found that a 26inch box takes up too much room in my bed, and a 20 inch box is slightly too small, so these dewalt boxes seemed to be my only option. Will be nice to be able to break them up and only carry two drawers at a time when it needs to leave my truck.
Anyone else know of any drawer boxes greater than 20 inches but less than 26, with 4 drawers?
Pics to come
acmetools_com/shop/tools/dewalt-dwst08290
She's gonna have 2 complete sets of SAE and Metric wrenches up to 1 1/8 / at least a 19, a complete set of shallow and deep SAE/Metric sockets up to 15/16 at least, and an arrangement of screw drivers, pliers, a hammer, and other odds and ends.
I had a 20inch 4 drawer box from tractor supply and did something similar but after two years of abuse on the farm, it's time to retire it. It's also been discontinued and it's a pain in the rear to find a 4 drawer 20 inch box for whatever reason. Think I may have been inspired by the OP of this thread a few years back but his pictures have been taken down so I can't confirm.
I found that a 26inch box takes up too much room in my bed, and a 20 inch box is slightly too small, so these dewalt boxes seemed to be my only option. Will be nice to be able to break them up and only carry two drawers at a time when it needs to leave my truck.
Anyone else know of any drawer boxes greater than 20 inches but less than 26, with 4 drawers?
Pics to come
Dieselhammer
Well-known member
I'm really digging this thread as i spend half my week on the road fixing big trucks in random places. I've been working out of tool bags when on the road and buying as many tool sets that come in either denim rolls (like wright wrenches) or blow molded cases (sk socket sets), but you guys are giving me some good ideas to make the mobile life easier.
Taking awhile, but final put Drawer 1 of 4 together. slowing buying the tools to make this box before the farming season picks up in a few weeks! Still need to add finger slots to make it easier to remove tools.
In this drawer is two of every size from 1/4 to 1 1/8, totaling 32 wrenches. Not bad for a ~20inx12in drawer if I say so myself!
Using two Dewalt ToughSystem DS290 drawer boxes as my mobile toolbox to keep in the back of the truck. This drawer will likely be the heaviest. I'll probably only go up to a 18 or so with metric in the next drawer.
Drawer 3 will be sockets. Planing on including 3/8 sockets up to at least a 15/16 deep and shallow. And 1/2 sockets probably up to 1 1/4 deep and shallow. These numbers may change as I balance weight to convenience of this box.
Drawer 4 will be miscellaneous tools. Screw drivers, a plier set, electrical tools, etc.
In this drawer is two of every size from 1/4 to 1 1/8, totaling 32 wrenches. Not bad for a ~20inx12in drawer if I say so myself!
Using two Dewalt ToughSystem DS290 drawer boxes as my mobile toolbox to keep in the back of the truck. This drawer will likely be the heaviest. I'll probably only go up to a 18 or so with metric in the next drawer.
Drawer 3 will be sockets. Planing on including 3/8 sockets up to at least a 15/16 deep and shallow. And 1/2 sockets probably up to 1 1/4 deep and shallow. These numbers may change as I balance weight to convenience of this box.
Drawer 4 will be miscellaneous tools. Screw drivers, a plier set, electrical tools, etc.
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So here is the current work in progress. Plan to buy a dewalt toughsystem ds150 or ds130 to stick on top of the stack for one more compartment. also need to add a ratchet lol.. If the 3 drawer (ds295) version of these boxes is ever listed stateside, it'd make for a far better use of space.
All in all i'm a huge fan of these boxes. They're pretty water tight. And they're about the only drawer boxes available that are larger than the 20.5in boxes like the old one pictured, but smaller than the 26in boxes which I find take up far too much width hindering the tailgate.
<a href="https://ibb.co/yRh9SYm"><img src="https://i.ibb.co/7zgf4Rx/IMG-20190414-170303.jpg" alt="IMG-20190414-170303" border="0"></a>
<a href="https://ibb.co/yRgtNVk"><img src="https://i.ibb.co/cv20yx8/IMG-20190414-170309.jpg" alt="IMG-20190414-170309" border="0"></a>
<a href="https://ibb.co/N1D2BRp"><img src="https://i.ibb.co/M8wk0dp/IMG-20190414-170314.jpg" alt="IMG-20190414-170314" border="0"></a>
Sadly my deep sockets are about 1mm too tall to shut drawers without them hitting.. Will need to shorten the rack system they're on.
<a href="https://ibb.co/TKyS56S"><img src="https://i.ibb.co/ZH9PC5P/IMG-20190414-170324.jpg" alt="IMG-20190414-170324" border="0"></a>
<a href="https://ibb.co/pdfRhxc"><img src="https://i.ibb.co/VTgQwtR/IMG-20190414-171732-Bokeh.jpg" alt="IMG-20190414-171732-Bokeh" border="0"></a><br /><a target='_blank' href='https://imgbb.com/upload'>upload image</a><br />
Their is:
two of every wrench from 8-19mm and 1/4-1 1/4in.
Shallow sockets from 9 -22mm and 1/2 - 1 1/8in
Deep sockets from 12-21mm and 1/2 - 1 1/4in.
All in all i'm a huge fan of these boxes. They're pretty water tight. And they're about the only drawer boxes available that are larger than the 20.5in boxes like the old one pictured, but smaller than the 26in boxes which I find take up far too much width hindering the tailgate.
<a href="https://ibb.co/yRh9SYm"><img src="https://i.ibb.co/7zgf4Rx/IMG-20190414-170303.jpg" alt="IMG-20190414-170303" border="0"></a>
<a href="https://ibb.co/yRgtNVk"><img src="https://i.ibb.co/cv20yx8/IMG-20190414-170309.jpg" alt="IMG-20190414-170309" border="0"></a>
<a href="https://ibb.co/N1D2BRp"><img src="https://i.ibb.co/M8wk0dp/IMG-20190414-170314.jpg" alt="IMG-20190414-170314" border="0"></a>
Sadly my deep sockets are about 1mm too tall to shut drawers without them hitting.. Will need to shorten the rack system they're on.
<a href="https://ibb.co/TKyS56S"><img src="https://i.ibb.co/ZH9PC5P/IMG-20190414-170324.jpg" alt="IMG-20190414-170324" border="0"></a>
<a href="https://ibb.co/pdfRhxc"><img src="https://i.ibb.co/VTgQwtR/IMG-20190414-171732-Bokeh.jpg" alt="IMG-20190414-171732-Bokeh" border="0"></a><br /><a target='_blank' href='https://imgbb.com/upload'>upload image</a><br />
Their is:
two of every wrench from 8-19mm and 1/4-1 1/4in.
Shallow sockets from 9 -22mm and 1/2 - 1 1/8in
Deep sockets from 12-21mm and 1/2 - 1 1/4in.
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Mecha
Well-known member
Bump, anyone have some new portable boxes to show?