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)
, 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"
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
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.
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.
Note, these pics are after a lite wire wheeling to see what I was working with.
, 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"
Well after getting it home certain parts will require a bit more attention. Positives:
-$30 investment
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.
-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.

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