Vintage and older toolbox content and organization...

[Shelbylex]

Good morning.
It is snowing in MA on April 18!

There are several threads in general tool discussion dedicated to tool organization. And while it is very interesting to see the organization of drawers of large modern tool boxes competing in size with an average cruise ship deck, the ones of us who prefer vintage toolboxes have to deal with smaller sizes and often metal dividers original to the drawers.

Post your toolbox picture and how you organized it!

… I will start with 1955 KR-56 which resides in the library on the first floor next to the garage and is my first go to box if I need to do something

The top drawer has 3/8 and 1/2 socket sets

 

[Shelbylex]

Re: Show your vintage toolbox content and organization

Couple of more from downstairs setup
1963 KRAA-58B
I do not have pictures of the drawers available at the moment.
The top part stores 1/2 set of 1944 (mostly)-1945(3) sockets which I am trying to complete, 1/4" sockets and some random tools.
The drawers have some company specific organization for tools that I am slowly collecting (and using): HK Porter Impak driver with some bits; New Britain-old Husky sockets and ratchet, PLVMB drawer, Geometric Buffalo set drawer, etc...

Kennedy
Top draw is random wrenches (just got a red KR-15A rail on e-bay)
Second draw: 3/8 SK metric set, 1/4 SAE Bonney, 3/8 SAE Villiams Hornet; couple of SK 1/2 ratchets (majority of my SK reside in small SK portable box, there was no space there)
Third drawer is random combination as you can see

 

[Shelbylex]

Re: Show your vintage toolbox content and organization

Saved for later

 

[Shelbylex]

Re: Show your vintage toolbox content and organization

Saved for later 2


One day I will organized all of them...

 

[woody 73]

Re: Show your vintage toolbox content and organization

With much sadness I have several toolboxes with many vintage tools but even though my tool boxes are old none are made before the starting date of 1970 (making it 50 years old).

OH well maybe in a few years I will have a mid 1970's box come up for your post.

 

[Shelbylex]

Re: Show your vintage toolbox content and organization

Woody, you are welcomed to show your boxes and treasures! I think I should have used vintage and older boxes in the thread name

 

[snapmom]

A snap on box from about 38-39. Tools are BP and SO most all are 30s

 

[Shelbylex]

SnapMom, you will never stop amazing me with the gems of your collection! I think that your Blue Point Combo is the only one I saw in existence (Snap On had a similar combo which was probably sold more frequently due to name besides being identical) Thank you!

 

[Alienbaby17]

Love this thread. I have often wondered how these older boxes were organized and even looked at older catalogs to try to figure out the best way.

As a professional I have a giant box like the ones you eluded to in your first post. The big open drawers leave a lot up to the imagination. At home I have a few older boxes like the ones in your photos. The dividers and small drawers really impact the storage options and have often left me scratching my head what was in mind when they were designed and how they were best used.

I’ll be watching this thread.

 

[Rileysan]

I've all but stopped worrying about organization and have been more worried about actually fitting my tools into boxes!

Here's my Heritage Craftsman rolling cabinet and top chest, both dated 1957, and the =V= 1/2" drive tools drawer (1950s and 60s).

Brian

 

[d42jeep]

Here are the tools in my Kennedy stack. Some old, some not so old. Mostly stuff that gets used.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

The rest of the drawers.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

One more drawer and the top full of vise grips.
-Don

 

[Farmer J.]

I think when these boxes were first made they didn't envisage folks trying to fit collections of 13 ratchets or 19 sliding set squares all together in the same drawers! !

Thinking back over half a century to when I used to peek in to the boxes of various Agricultural Engineers, and they had mostly only one of any item but organised into type of tool in each compartment.
Typically, sockets and handles in the top, all small DOE wrenches in one drawer compartment, all small DBE wrenches in the next compartment in the same drawer.
Pliers and grips in another drawer, maybe screwdrivers in another compartment but same drawer.
Hammer, chisels, saws and punches in another drawer, and always with heaviest stuff like big wrenches in the drawer right at at the bottom of the box.

Exceptions to this usual pattern would be if they had a lift out tray within the top of the box. The tray would have the most commonly used socket sizes and handles but also some combination pliers, small hammer and screwdriver and a few common wrenches or an adjustable. Also they would put a few extra items as needed into the tray before carrying it across the field to the broken machine.

 

[Bob/Ohio]

Here is my Craftsman 199pc. set I bought in 1974. Everything is still here except the 1/4'' set, that got lost/stolen on one of my many junkyard trips, about 30 years ago. Pretty hard to fit the whole set NEATLY in a 2 drawer box. I even found the original parts list and catalog under the tray.

Bob

 

[bmwrd0]

Well, there are six vintage toolbox stacks in my basement, going from daily use tools to collectables, but here is one stack.





This is mainly Proto LA in the top box, with other Proto in the bottom. I am in the middle of reorganizing everything, so it is a chaotic.

 

[Shelbylex]

Thank you, gentlemen! This is very interesting and fascinating. I greatly appreciate the opportunity to look inside of your boxes and see how you organize them.
For some reason there are very few pictures on some of the models especially vintage. I could not find organization of Red Rover by Blackhawk.
I hope this thread continues! I think it will help us to both see how we can organize our more modern and expanded tool collections in the chests/boxes as well as see possibilities of antique set organization.

 

[d42jeep]

There is very little organization in my ‘70s three drawer Proto chest made by Waterloo. It’s just being used for storage. Taking the pictures encouraged me to start to do a little organizing. The top drawer mostly has Proto Professional tools in in and it’s stuffed full. I’ll post some of the tools in the Proto thread.
-Don

 

[bmwrd0]

The Craftsman stack on the right is my overflow daily(?) user:






And the roller



There is one more drawer, but I forgot to take a pic of it. Mostly OBD, angle drill, flare kits, stuff like that. I am thinking of getting rid of a lot of stuff, and condensing, but that would mean I need to find space for my woodworking tools...

 

[d42jeep]

A little more organized than my Proto storage box, here is the ‘70s Craftsman stack that is my user box at my summer home. This is a great idea for a thread. Probably all of us enjoy looking through people’s toolboxes. I know I do!
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

The top and few more drawers to go.
-Don

 

[Smokeshow69]

The Craftsman stack on the right is my overflow daily(?) user:













And the roller







There is one more drawer, but I forgot to take a pic of it. Mostly OBD, angle drill, flare kits, stuff like that. I am thinking of getting rid of a lot of stuff, and condensing, but that would mean I need to find space for my woodworking tools...

Wait, did someone say downsizing?[emoji41][emoji23][emoji23]


Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[Lookin4'67Galaxieconv]

You guys have some impressive tools and boxes!