Started My Toolbox!

[84TurboBuick]

You're letting your daughter walk around there with no shoes on?!

Please don't call protective services on me!!!

On the serious side:

You guys have really got me thinking of the castor deal now. I understand that a 6" of 8" is the right way.... but I really want to be able to do something with the top and castors that high will put the top too high to be usable. The main thing is that a 6" or 8" castor will raise the whole thing 10 to 12" more than it is.

If there was a 2" or 3" castor that would support that kinda weight then I would be happy.

 

[Moose-LandTran]

If there was a 2" or 3" castor that would support that kinda weight then I would be happy.

You'll just have to use a lot of them.

 

[lauver]

Please don't call protective services on me!!!

On the serious side:

You guys have really got me thinking of the castor deal now. I understand that a 6" of 8" is the right way.... but I really want to be able to do something with the top and castors that high will put the top too high to be usable. The main thing is that a 6" or 8" castor will raise the whole thing 10 to 12" more than it is.

If there was a 2" or 3" castor that would support that kinda weight then I would be happy.

84TB,

Check out the outrigger casters on Nissan Crawlers box (big wheels, low box); this arrangement may work for your box and address the heigth issue.

 

[gyroplane]

You guys have really got me thinking of the castor deal now. I understand that a 6" of 8" is the right way.... but I really want to be able to do something with the top and castors that high will put the top too high to be usable. The main thing is that a 6" or 8" castor will raise the whole thing 10 to 12" more than it is.

Or recess the 6"/8" castors on the inside of the frame instead of underneath it. Would need some bracing/brackets to transfer the load, but should be plenty of ways to do that.
-Sky

 

[vette-kid]

Or recess the 6"/8" castors on the inside of the frame instead of underneath it. Would need some bracing/brackets to transfer the load, but should be plenty of ways to do that.
-Sky

that would be pretty trick As heavy as this is I would think you will be using a set of casters in the center anyway. Can you get away with using multiple smaller ones? Say 4 sets? Just thinking out loud...

 

[billymade]

84TurboBuick, ever seen this website with the "bench buddy"?; that thing is pretty big but has a bunch of small drawers; I think yours will be better but worth a look anyway!
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=25440&highlight=wood+toolbox

 

[84TurboBuick]

Update:

I got the bottom put on the other day along with the casters!

The bottom doesn't really do anything. I just didn't want stuff blowing under or bugs gettting in the drawers from underneath.

The casters are 3" cast steel! I sorta took all your advice.... I went with solid but not such a large diameter.

There are 10 total on the whole box and it moves rather well. I'm really happy with the small amount of effort it takes to push it!

So now on the drawers! Thats my next project. I finally laid all my tools out and figured my drawer arrangment.

There will be a total of 35 drawers in it, ranging in size from 3" high to 6" high.
I won't need all of them to start, but then at least I got room to grow.

Stay tuned!

 

[mattwgrizwald]

very cool waiting for final results

 

[Thedroid]

How many sets of the casters swivel? Looking real nice so far.

 

[Diesel_Crawler]

Looking good man!

 

[84TurboBuick]

Ok update!

Its been awhile but I've been working at it!

I built my prototype drawer and have it loaded with about 75lbs of wrenches, just waiting to see if it sags at all.....

So while I wait I figured I'd get everything else done....

The top, which after much debate with myself is UHMW plastic... 1/4" thick. I friggin love this stuff!!!

So.... the next step is the drawers. I got another few days of waiting to see if the drawer sags at all...( about a 1/32" so far).... if I'm happy with it then its off to make the drawers.

Stay tuned!

 

[Nealcrenshaw]

If i didn't know any better, at a distance it resembles a Snapon box,especially with the drawer bank size,hey wait, did you............
Very nice.!!!

 

[volvo420coupe]

I can already see the *** kicking end result in my head. This is going to be really good.

I think these "skills" top kung fu skills on the cool factor.

 

[KCarGuy]

Very Cool Build so far...Love the look.
Looks like you are very organized from looking at all the pictures.
Cant wait to see the final pictures.

 

[Diesel_Crawler]

That's crazy nice, i would be scared to meet you in a dark alley with a chisel and hammer

 

[84TurboBuick]

If i didn't know any better, at a distance it resembles a Snapon box,especially with the drawer bank size,hey wait, did you............
Very nice.!!!

Well..... now that you mention it...

Seriously....

I did take some of the sizes and drawer config's that Snap-On makes and sort of "borrowed" them to my own ends.

I have always wanted a Snap-On box, but yet have never been able to justify the money to myself. I guess you could say I got tired of waiting for the lotto.... that, and cramming my tools into my other boxes.

All I can say is "thank you" for your kind words and I hope to finish this up soon.

 

[SpiderGearsMan]

wood would require actual maintenence - not my scene for toolboxes
nice job

 

[autoace]

Nice, I know a boat carpenter in my area that built some smaller cabinets. The only problem he had, was he used nylon roller for the drawers(similar to kitchen cabinet slides), they did not stand up to the weight and heavy use. No big deal, he got some polyurethane ones, and they have been great.

Thanks for all the effort and pics of progress. Once painted you almost don't know it is all wood.

 

[autoace]

wood would require actual maintenence - not my scene for toolboxes
nice job

For indoor use/dry environment, I don't see a problem

 

[cravej]

wood would require actual maintenence - not my scene for toolboxes
nice job

For indoor use/dry environment, I don't see a problem

It can be a problem with the seasonal humidity changes, unless that is accounted for in the design. You don't want the drawers to start binding, because they have expanded. Are the drawer slides going to be wood also?

 

[wreckercologist]

Neat project! Very nice work so far. Not exactly my thing, but still, great job. I am curious, what would you estimate your total material cost would be when finished? Keep up the good work!

 

[84TurboBuick]

Neat project! Very nice work so far. Not exactly my thing, but still, great job. I am curious, what would you estimate your total material cost would be when finished? Keep up the good work!

I would say that as of right now,,,, I maybe have $500.00 into the whole thing. With another $200 - 400 for the drawers.

It can be a problem with the seasonal humidity changes, unless that is accounted for in the design. You don't want the drawers to start binding, because they have expanded. Are the drawer slides going to be wood also?

The drawer slides are ball bearing rated at 100lbs. The ones I plan on getting are made with a slight amount of "play" in them in case of movement in the wood.

 

[johnny1290]

dude, that is seriously nice. I'm totally J, and only *wish* I had the skills to make something that great. Thanks for the updates!

 

[mechamunch]

Damn, that's a beautiful sight!

 

[bushhawg73]

Great build, wish I had those skills.

 

[lilredex]

For all you woodhaters out there.....here are a couple of shots of something similar I made out of "scraps" about twenty years ago. Nothing special about the drawer slides, simple 1/2" wooden guides, let in to the sides. With a little help from a candle they glide along smoothly, They hold a bunch of weight too as shown in the picture. It sits in a "mobile" workbench which has 4" cast iron wheels (from a discarded floor jack) on one end and feet at the other. A floor jack (on a cross member) lifts the feet and makes it mobile. The workbench frame is 2" angle iron (mainly bed rails!!) welded up. Cost? A few screws, balance all scrounged.......W/B top, handles, wood, wheels, etc. etc.

Never had a humidy problem as everything visable got a Varathane coat in the beginning. We have huge swings in humidity levels around here.

 

[84TurboBuick]

For all you woodhaters out there.....here are a couple of shots of something similar I made out of "scraps" about twenty years ago. Nothing special about the drawer slides, simple 1/2" wooden guides, let in to the sides. With a little help from a candle they glide along smoothly, They hold a bunch of weight too as shown in the picture. It sits in a "mobile" workbench which has 4" cast iron wheels (from a discarded floor jack) on one end and feet at the other. A floor jack (on a cross member) lifts the feet and makes it mobile. The workbench frame is 2" angle iron (mainly bed rails!!) welded up. Cost? A few screws, balance all scrounged.......W/B top, handles, wood, wheels, etc. etc.

Never had a humidy problem as everything visable got a Varathane coat in the beginning. We have huge swings in humidity levels around here.

How much do weight do you think you have per drawer with those wood slides? I was thinking of doing that, but I didn't know about the weight factor.

 

[chrislehr]

Very impressive progress so far - where did you source that top from?

 

[84TurboBuick]

Very impressive progress so far - where did you source that top from?

I got the top from a company here in town... Abbot Plastics

 

[lilredex]

How much do weight do you think you have per drawer with those wood slides? I was thinking of doing that, but I didn't know about the weight factor.

That drawer with the contents weighs about 50 pounds, the balance have slightly lighter loads. It is not really a toolbox as such, it was designed for supplies such as screws, nails, pins/keys, fittings, etc. to keep all in a central location. Those slides are 3/4" wide, I lied. They were just screwed to the case side, no glue if I remember correctly. I figure they could handle , maybe 50% more weight before they begin to groan. The disadvantage of that style is that you do not have 100% exposure of the drawer contents, but very close if you are careful. There are no fancy drawer joints, the sides are held on with glue and screws and the bottoms are 1/8" plywood panelling pieces that are glued and nailed directly to the bottom of the sides. No inlet grooves here, I wanted the full depth--no wasted space! That was all done about twenty years ago and everything is as good as when it was put together originally. Have been thinking about making another similar one for more supplies and a toolbox with thinner drawers. The secret is keeping the drawer width down, so you cannot overload it. If you look at most new metal toolboxes, they have full width drawers which is crazy from a users view point but makes perfect sense to the maker (faster and cheaper)

I have a toolbox like the upper one pictured and those bottom three drawers are toooo wide. The bottoms sag and scrape on the one below. I'd be much happier if I could find one with all the drawers like the upper three on L. and R.

 

[loganp]

Man I want that tool box!

 

[84TurboBuick]

That drawer with the contents weighs about 50 pounds, the balance have slightly lighter loads. It is not really a toolbox as such, it was designed for supplies such as screws, nails, pins/keys, fittings, etc. to keep all in a central location. Those slides are 3/4" wide, I lied. They were just screwed to the case side, no glue if I remember correctly. I figure they could handle , maybe 50% more weight before they begin to groan. The disadvantage of that style is that you do not have 100% exposure of the drawer contents, but very close if you are careful. There are no fancy drawer joints, the sides are held on with glue and screws and the bottoms are 1/8" plywood panelling pieces that are glued and nailed directly to the bottom of the sides. No inlet grooves here, I wanted the full depth--no wasted space! That was all done about twenty years ago and everything is as good as when it was put together originally. Have been thinking about making another similar one for more supplies and a toolbox with thinner drawers. The secret is keeping the drawer width down, so you cannot overload it. If you look at most new metal toolboxes, they have full width drawers which is crazy from a users view point but makes perfect sense to the maker (faster and cheaper)

I have a toolbox like the upper one pictured and those bottom three drawers are toooo wide. The bottoms sag and scrape on the one below. I'd be much happier if I could find one with all the drawers like the upper three on L. and R.

Width then would be my biggest problem. The first bank alone is 38" wide by 30" deep. The second is 26" wide by 30" deep and the last is 14" wide by 30" deep.

The good news is I found 100lbs 28" full extension ball bearing slides here in town for $10 a pair!!

Their computers were down when I got there to pick them up, so now I gotta wait till tommorow.

 

[charlie_nj]

Very nice work! At that price for the slides, you can double up on the slides, use two pair on your deeper drawers, effectively doubling the drawers carrying capacity. Also, another suggestion I would have would be to use hard maple or a similar hard, smooth grained wood for your drawers. More expensive, yes, but much more durable and less prone to dent or chip.

 

[84TurboBuick]

Very nice work! At that price for the slides, you can double up on the slides, use two pair on your deeper drawers, effectively doubling the drawers carrying capacity. Also, another suggestion I would have would be to use hard maple or a similar hard, smooth grained wood for your drawers. More expensive, yes, but much more durable and less prone to dent or chip.

I did think about the double slide approch, but my heaviest drawer will be right at 75lbs loaded (tools and the drawer itself). The problem with a harder wood is a case of dimishing returns.... the wood gets heavier and the drawer weighs more.

I will end up with 33 drawer in all, and I laid it all out with weight being #1 on the list. I was going to do 60" wide drawers but the amount of wood and slides to make it work without sagging was very costly and not worth the effort.

33 drawers and I only have 26 used so far..... lots of room to grow!

 

[84TurboBuick]

Just a small update:

I started my drawers and got a few done.... and I know a few people had wondered about the size....

So... I loaded one up with just screwdrivers to give everyone an idea of the size and scale....

There will be 11 of these drawers that measure 29" Deep x 36" Wide by 3" High.

I didn't paint or put in the final bottom of the drawer yet (it's 1/16" hardboard with felt on it).... but I figured I'd just throw this up real quick.

 

[isr2kba]

You are building an absolutely beautiful box. Built correctly (and I have seen nothing in your photos that leads me to believe otherwise), that box will last two lifetimes and my bet is that the only thing that will ever have to be replaced over the lives of it (barring catastrophe) are the drawer slides. That's no sleight on your choice, folks would have used them 100 years ago, if they were available. They're smooth and they open the drawer all the way.

Here in the Northeast (especially in marine shops), it's very common to see wooden tool boxes and it's nothing to see one 50 years old, built without a scrap of plywood, in perfect working order, loaded to the gills, sliding perfectly on wooden slides and butcher wax.

Having only dreamed of building one (actually I bought the drawer slides on special about five years ago), I am in no position to offer advice. However, being that it's worth every penny you're paying for it, I'll give it anyway:

Double up the slides on drawers, say 6" or deeper. They may get heavy, but they'll be more stable regardless of their load with double slides.

 

[84TurboBuick]

You are building an absolutely beautiful box. Built correctly (and I have seen nothing in your photos that leads me to believe otherwise), that box will last two lifetimes and my bet is that the only thing that will ever have to be replaced over the lives of it (barring catastrophe) are the drawer slides. That's no sleight on your choice, folks would have used them 100 years ago, if they were available. They're smooth and they open the drawer all the way.

Here in the Northeast (especially in marine shops), it's very common to see wooden tool boxes and it's nothing to see one 50 years old, built without a scrap of plywood, in perfect working order, loaded to the gills, sliding perfectly on wooden slides and butcher wax.

Having only dreamed of building one (actually I bought the drawer slides on special about five years ago), I am in no position to offer advice. However, being that it's worth every penny you're paying for it, I'll give it anyway:

Double up the slides on drawers, say 6" or deeper. They may get heavy, but they'll be more stable regardless of their load with double slides.

Thanks for the kind words!

As a matter of fact, my neighbor and I were talking about that very thing (having double slides) tonight in the garage. I do have 3 or 4 drawers that will be very heavy... so I'll probably double those up.

I am putting the slides on the "bottom" of the side of the drawer, so on some if a double slide is called for then I have room to add one.

 

[84TurboBuick]

After speaking of slides....

I snapped a few pics of the ones I'm using.

These are the "T" nuts that will hold on the drawer part of the slide. 6 per slide.

Pics are kinda blurry, but you get the idea.

 

[Canadian Charlie]

Thats gonna be one impressive box when you are done, can't wait to see updates on this project,

 

[joecaver]

I have been lurking and watching the progress on this build. You are doing a fantastic job and building an heirloom tool box.

Keep us updated please.