What to do with spare toolbox drawers

[MikeF2316]

I had a couple of extra toolbox drawers which would comfortably fit under my bench top. I started with 8 feet of 16 gauge bent into a 2x2 angle, cut to fit and added a few holes in choice spots, some rectangular, some round.

I attached the drawer sliders. The front bolt hole (green circle) was already in the slider. I added the rear hole (red circle)

Attached to the underside of the bench

With the drawer.

I even included the lock and roll latch...

4" drawer installed

The 4" drawer is under my drill press, I'm going to put drill bits and other drill press stuff in it. The 2" drawer is under my vise, my files will go in it.
Anybody remember when Craftsman shop vacs were built into 5 gallon metal pails?

 

[stylee]

Did craftsman really sell that psychedelic shop vac pail?

 

[zkling]

Great job , cause who can't use more drawer storage space? This may be a dumb question but where did you get spare drawers? Did you upgrade to deeper drawers in your box? How about the slides? Did you purchase those separately?

 

[MN4x4]

When I read the title my first thought was "Who in the He...ck has spare drawers in their toolbox?" Then I read your post and realized you were talking about actual 'extra' drawers versus 'empty' ones - which I certainly don't have any of in my shop.

OK, I'll go take my meds and lie down now.

 

[TAMPAGT07]

Put it on CL....FOR SALE: Snap-On work bench, hardly used, best offer over $5000.Super rare...

 

[bsaint]

When I read the title my first thought was "Who in the He...ck has spare drawers in their toolbox?" Then I read your post and realized you were talking about actual 'extra' drawers versus 'empty' ones - which I certainly don't have any of in my shop.

OK, I'll go take my meds and lie down now.

I thought the same thing.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Great idea but I'm wondering about the square holes, you have a square knock out punch or something ? They appear to be neat and clean.

 

[cburnscrx]

Great idea but I'm wondering about the square holes, you have a square knock out punch or something ? They appear to be neat and clean.

My guess is drill a hole and square them up with a file...that's how I'd do it.

 

[Scout Driver]

Great idea. Nice work.

Now I want to find one of those "trippy" Craftsman cans!!

Scott

 

[er3456df]

Great idea but I'm wondering about the square holes, you have a square knock out punch or something ? They appear to be neat and clean.

Yeah man, make with the deets. I wanna know how you did that.

 

[1Garageman]

Put it on CL....FOR SALE: Snap-On work bench, hardly used, best offer over $5000.Super rare...

LOL!

I like that idea. $napon!

 

[Spinaker01]

When I read the title my first thought was "Who in the He...ck has spare drawers in their toolbox?" Then I read your post and realized you were talking about actual 'extra' drawers versus 'empty' ones - which I certainly don't have any of in my shop.

OK, I'll go take my meds and lie down now.

HA! So did I

 

[MikeF2316]

Did craftsman really sell that psychedelic shop vac pail?

Great idea. Nice work.

Now I want to find one of those "trippy" Craftsman cans!!

Scott

It's funny, when that got in the foreground of my pictures, I thought of moving out of the way. Then I figured I'd leave it in. Now I think it should have got it's own thread.

It was bought in the late 60s. The design was similar to today's shop vacs, except the job of today's filter was done by a wire cage covered by a cloth bag to support the paper filter bag that went over them.

The motor died many years ago, the lid and motor have all been tossed. I've been using it as a garbage can for at least 20 years.

 

[MikeF2316]

Great idea but I'm wondering about the square holes, you have a square knock out punch or something ? They appear to be neat and clean.

My guess is drill a hole and square them up with a file...that's how I'd do it.

Yeah man, make with the deets. I wanna know how you did that.

I actually drilled 5 holes per square hole. 9/64" in the corners, as well as a pilot for the 1/2" bit in the center. Then I tried squaring up with the triangular files I had, but wasn't happy with the result. (You don't see the first one I did this way.) The small flat files I have were too light and fine for this work. All my normal size flat files were too big.

So I found this file at Princess Auto:

Square files are hard to find, but if you want to make some neat square holes, I suggest you get a couple. I went from about 10 minutes of filing on the first one to just a couple of minutes, with much better results.

 

[Boog]

OK, I'll go take my meds and lie down now.

Now THAT is funny!!

 

[MikeF2316]

When I read the title my first thought was "Who in the He...ck has spare drawers in their toolbox?" Then I read your post and realized you were talking about actual 'extra' drawers versus 'empty' ones - which I certainly don't have any of in my shop.

OK, I'll go take my meds and lie down now.

I thought the same thing.

HA! So did I

Hahaha, that's ridiculous! I never even considered my title would be misunderstood.

How would empty drawers in a toolbox be even possible?

In fact that's where these drawers come from. It took so long for me to get my "KRA4111" that by the time I did, the extra tools I bought in the mean time more than filled up the extra space.

My "KRA4111" (A KRA4107 with extra, thinner drawers, which I'm sure some of you will know)

So I had to buy a KRA4860 and a few more thinner black drawers. I moved the 2nd (drive tools) and 3rd drawers (sockets) into the mid box, and my KRA4111 became a KRA4112.

 

[MikeF2316]

Great job , cause who can't use more drawer storage space? This may be a dumb question but where did you get spare drawers? Did you upgrade to deeper drawers in your box? How about the slides? Did you purchase those separately?

These drawers were originally in the KRA4860 I just bought. Yes I had to buy the slides (and the lock 'n roll latches). They were replaced by 3 new black 2" drawers (see my last post for details).

 

[MikeF2316]

Put it on CL....FOR SALE: Snap-On work bench, hardly used, best offer over $5000.Super rare...

LOL!

I like that idea. $napon!

I like that too. Maybe one more 2" drawer under the existing 2" one and a filler in between them, and I'd really have something.

A little quickie editing:

 

[ndoran]

When I read the title my first thought was "Who in the He...ck has spare drawers in their toolbox?" Then I read your post and realized you were talking about actual 'extra' drawers versus 'empty' ones - which I certainly don't have any of in my shop.

OK, I'll go take my meds and lie down now.

me too, I was trying to get my head around this. Similar to telling someone you have just seen a unicorn LOL

 

[Farmall450]

When I read the title my first thought was "Who in the He...ck has spare drawers in their toolbox?" Then I read your post and realized you were talking about actual 'extra' drawers versus 'empty' ones - which I certainly don't have any of in my shop.

OK, I'll go take my meds and lie down now.

I figured my answer would be "buy more tools"

 

[KaHuNaZ]

I did the same thing with my workbench, except I riveted the slides to L brackets instead.

 

[sasquatch12]

Nice work MikeF.

 

[Outlawmws]

Great idea but I'm wondering about the square holes, you have a square knock out punch or something ? They appear to be neat and clean.

My guess is drill a hole and square them up with a file...that's how I'd do it.

I actually drilled 5 holes per square hole. 9/64" in the corners, as well as a pilot for the 1/2" bit in the center. Then I tried squaring up with the triangular files I had, but wasn't happy with the result. (You don't see the first one I did this way.) The small flat files I have were too light and fine for this work. All my normal size flat files were too big.

So I found this file at Princess Auto:

Square files are hard to find, but if you want to make some neat square holes, I suggest you get a couple. I went from about 10 minutes of filing on the first one to just a couple of minutes, with much better results.

An easy way to make a square hole from a round hole in sheet metal is with a tool called a nibbler. Its a small corner shear that can fit into (IIR) a 1/4" hole and square it off, or you can just keep going an cut a channel...

 

[MikeF2316]

An easy way to make a square hole from a round hole in sheet metal is with a tool called a nibbler. Its a small corner shear that can fit into (IIR) a 1/4" hole and square it off, or you can just keep going an cut a channel...

I have such a thing, but it's too light duty for 16 guage... I guess I need to be on the lookout for a heavier duty one, especially if I'm going to be doing this again. I assume heaver ones would be powered? I've never seen any.

 

[beamrider]

 

[Ign]

Associated tip: you can do this w the plastic drawers from old refrigerators. Not as HD and no ball bearings of course but great for lighter items; I keep things like flapper wheels and respirator, calculators too in mine.

 

[Outlawmws]

I have such a thing, but it's too light duty for 16 guage... I guess I need to be on the lookout for a heavier duty one, especially if I'm going to be doing this again. I assume heaver ones would be powered? I've never seen any.

Yep, even the Klein version is only rated for 18 ga. soft steel:

http://www.tooldex.com/hand-tools/pliers-cutters/specialty-cutters/klein-tools-76011b-nibbler-tools.html

 

[Murphy4570]

That is bad ***, I must say. Well executed and looks extremely nice.