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Snap On KR-274 side cabinet --> Drill press stand

zkling

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Jan 23, 2007
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16,939
A while back I picked up this 1979 Snap On KR-274, 3 drawer side cabinet. Thanks to the advice from a few members on here (thanks guys, you know who you are) :beer:, I decided it would be worth a try. As it sits now I have ~$30 into it including the gas to pick it up.

It was the usual craigslist, "Good condition, slight surface rust" :spit: Well after getting it home certain parts will require a bit more attention. :( My plan is to use it as a stand for a bench top drill press. Has anyone else done this? If so, how has it worked for you? Any advice? It seems plenty strong for the average bench top drill press.

Positives:
-$30 investment :dunno: Probably wasn't the best price, but I rarely seem them for sale separately around here.

-Came with key, lock, handle and vintage SO badge. Handle was removed to put on a 1979 KRA59 top box that needed a handle.

-Missing portions of paint and rust areas. However the bottom, sides and shelves are solid.

-All 3 drawers are clean and slide good.


What it needs:
-The top had a bad spot on the left side. I drilled a few holes to measure the thickness surrounding. Luckily the area affected is small. I am thinking about cutting most of the top out and replacing with a piece of ~1/8" sheet. Any suggestions on this?

-Someone in the past had put globs of mig weld in each corner. :mad: I will grind them out and replace with proper rosette welds.

-Lots of holes in random places. Both sides and the back. I will be spending a lot of time filling the holes with weld.

-Usually I don't paint my boxes, but I think this one will be painted a tealish color.

-Possibly another handle to replace the one that got donated to my KRA59

-The top part of the hinge has separated

Well I have lots of work to do on it. Any suggestions are appreciated. :beer:

Note, these pics are after a lite wire wheeling to see what I was working with.
 

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OP
Z

zkling

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A few more pics
 

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LXCam

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Looks rougher then I bet it is with the exception of the major cancer spot. I bet It'll look good as new when you're finished.
 
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Murphy4570

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I have a KR--274F myself. Worth repainting. Have it sitting on my KRA-2411 box.

That one would take a fair amount of work to restore. For what you have in the thing, do what ya want with it.
 

nine4gmc

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Mar 24, 2012
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Location
Dallas
I wouldn't try welding 1/8 sheet in the top repairs, it will be a task trying no to burn through the thinner box top. If anything, replace with same gauge or prep the rust and cut the 1/8" to fit inside the entire top, weld around the double skin lip.

If it were mine, I think I would skimp on the top repair by removing as much rust as possible with a wire wheel, treating it to prevent it from returning and then put a butcher block top on it for the drill press to sit on. I would do it right if it were a restore but you are repurposing it so as long as it's structural sound and the wood covers it, no biggie. :dunno:

Will you be adding wheels or leveling feet? Does it need a tubing frame? Can't wait to see it together!
 
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zkling

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Ran across this thread the other day and thought I should bring closure to it. Well this was one of those learning experiences, yea that is what I will call it. :rant: After many hours of cutting, welding, grinding, hammering, measuring, painting sanding, etc. It was finally restored. Ended up having to cut out quite a bit of metal and patch in with new. The double walls between the outer shell and the drawer slide brackets were filled with rust. Ended up cutting the spot welds, cleaned, painted and then welded them back in. After it was all said and done I decided to get rid of it as it was not nearly sturdy enough for the drill press while in operation. Ended up using a $5 file cabinet instead. Much better. :D

Lessons learned
I was able to further hone my sheet metal skills.
Next time a box is this rusty, run away, fast, don't look back. Unless you are looking to hone your skills and kill lots of time time. In that case something like this is great.
The double walls are a cavern for rust. See previous comment.
These really aren't very structurally stable by design. Sadly the HF 7 drawer side cabinet is much sturdier, if you have the money for one of those, it would make a great drill press stand. Much better than the snap on for a drill press stand.
Drawers behind doors are a real pain in the rear end to access quickly. If you don't have the door all the way open, the edge of the drawer will nick your beautiful new paint job. :sad:

Well thanks for the support and I hope you can learn from my adventures. This is one of the few things I wish I had never got into in the first place. Live and learn :beer:
 
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