Woodworking Tool Box From Scrap

[HSpencer]

I had an old desk I was going to scrap out. I cut out the drawer units and built them together and made a top box from scrap plywood. All I bought was some brass pulls and a set of casters. It was nearly free. Free is Good!!

 

[randomtwinkie]

looks good!

 

[HSpencer]

This is an old VA Hospital bedside cabinet I got for free. Painted it up an put a wood top on it. This will hold my small drill press, or an 8" bench grinder.

 

[HSpencer]

This is one of the old time heavy duty typewriter stands from the VA Hospital. I converted it to a table saw stand. It is rigid and has the one lever up and down on the casters. I added an accessory holder and dust catcher. FREE!!! I love free.

 

[fotoflojoe]

Clever!
That's some really nice work!

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

 

[HSpencer]

Another heavy duty caster type typewriter stand. Converted to hold miter saw and tool vac. This works like a charm and again our magic word: Free!

 

[HSpencer]

This freebie was the drawer units from our old waterbed, stacked on top of each other and screwed together, and a hard maple top added. All I bought here was some new stainless steel pulls. This holds my 10" drill press, and is in my tool room off my shop.

 

[Jeff Ivers]

You have some very nicely repurposed items there!

 

[HSpencer]

Thanks. Here is a photo of these old VA Hospital Bedside cabinets. This photo is from some antique shop. I could not find the price they wanted for it. All of this "mid-century" office furniture is adaptable to shop use as it is so heavy duty. When the "gubbermint" upgraded to wood furniture in about 1975-80, a ton of this stuff was thrown out and grabbed up by clever dealers in junk. These guys who had foresight got rich off of it.
I remember when I was stationed at Ft Bliss, TX, the post logistics had this stuff piled to the moon, and was (get this) GIVING it to whoever wanted some!! Some of those old battleship desks are now selling redone for $2,500.00.

 

[HSpencer]

Here is the photo of the bedside cabinet:

 

[gol4]

"This freebie was the drawer units from our old waterbed"

I did the same thing with my old water bed drawers, my wood lathe sets on mine.
Makes for a lot of storage.

 

[cactiki]

I like all your projects. Some of us don't have the money for $1000 tool boxes, or $300 cord reels or $2000 epoxy floors. It is fun to make something you need from something you don't need!

 

[HSpencer]

"This freebie was the drawer units from our old waterbed"

I did the same thing with my old water bed drawers, my wood lathe sets on mine.
Makes for a lot of storage.

Yes they do! We still had the old water bed frame and drawers after wife got tired of water bed concept, but wanted to keep the bed frame and drawers. We had a custom inner spring mattress made to fit the frame. Finally wife got tired of that, so out went everything and I cabbaged the drawers for the shop! It made a great workbench/storage combo. Sure beats having to buy the wood and build a cabinet like that!
Cheers

 

[HSpencer]

I like all your projects. Some of us don't have the money for $1000 tool boxes, or $300 cord reels or $2000 epoxy floors. It is fun to make something you need from something you don't need!

Thanks. I like to scour the flea markets for the "good old stuff". Being an old coot, I don't like the **** on the market today, OR the price. Not a fan of particleboard! Same with tools. My table saws are as follows:

my 7" craftsman (1962) shown on stand in photo above.

My 10" craftsman (1965) on a heavy steel stand in the shop.

You can't buy this quality anymore on any brand.

 

[Acosi151]

I was really expecting to see something like this when I opened this thread

... I obviously forgot which website this was.. you fellas never cease to amaze me.

 

[HSpencer]

I am also a big fan of preserving old tools. This set belonged to my great uncle and these tools were used by him at Copeland Home and Hardware in the 1920s to 1940s. The tool box was handmade, and I repainted and built a new tote tray, which had rotted. Ed Copeland would have come to your house and worked on your well pump or installed new doors, etc. I redid this as a legacy to him, my Uncle:

 

[HSpencer]

I was really expecting to see something like this when I opened this thread

... I obviously forgot which website this was.. you fellas never cease to amaze me.

Thank you. I really like the box in your photo. I have a couple like that set up for different jobs.
Since this thread is actually about making a tool box, I hope I have not veered too far off my original topic. Someone can let me know if I have.

 

[HSpencer]

This old carpenter's hand tool box is the most favorite of all my tool boxes. I got it for $5.00 at an auction. It was in pretty bad shape, and I had a lot of work to restore it. I really don't have any information on it, and it might or might not have been hand made. I keep my best carpenter hand tools in it. It is pretty portable, but I would not want to tote it very far!! It has my Dad's two Disston Hand Saws in it, which are from around 1920-1930.

 

[Alchymist]

While one is not a woodworking tool box, it is repurposed. I had a couple of the 3 drawer tool boxes that got replaced with company boxes, so...a little tinsmithing and presto - a 6 drawer. Took the lid off one, and the other fit perfectly inside the lip of the cut down box. A few pop rivets and good to go.The locking bars aligned and were fastened together so all 6 drawers lock when the lid closes. Contains all my taps and dies except for the bigger taps.

The second one is a repurposed set of drawers from and old desk. Holds all my woodworking bits, fixtures and jigs.

 

[HSpencer]

Alchymist,

Both those boxes look super sharp!! This is the kind of stuff that makes our shops our own.
I have two single drawer stackable file cabinets that I am going to steal your idea and put into a case with casters.

 

[HSpencer]

For purchased boxes, I like the three or four drawer tool chests instead of roller cabinets. I do have a roller cabinet in the shop area for automotive tools.
The two red craftsman boxes contain electronics tools and 1/4 inch socket sets, nutdrivers and screwdrivers and pliers. The gray machinist chest holds taps and dies and my gunsmith tools.

 

[HSpencer]

This old craftsman electric drill (about 1950-55) belonged to my dad. It and it's box were among the tools dad left to me. This drill works perfectly, and there are not even any sparks off the brushes when you run it. Sorry for the poor photo on this, it must have been the lighting.

 

[jeffmoss26]

Wow, you have some great stuff. Love the craftsmanship!

 

[HSpencer]

Wow, you have some great stuff. Love the craftsmanship!

Thanks Jeff.

I got this thread started to show we can make usable things from what some would call junk. I guess it may have gotten out of hand. Maybe I should start a new thread called "Sanford and Son"?

 

[Aura]

Please do! I would love to see what would show up there.