Tool Boxes

[axkiker]

For a typical tool box

Personally I dont think you can beat the Kobalt Stainless line... Yeah I know a lot of people will bash them as they are a Lowes brand, but with ball bearing slides etc I havent found anything comparable price wise. Sure Snap-on is great, but at 5 times the price I dont think they are that much better!!!!

Im not a machinist by trade so im sure I dont have the amount of equipment most here do.. However I am seriously looking at one of their smaller stainless boxes as a "machinist" type box. Ball bearing slides along with stainless steel.

If I were interested in the looks aspect though I would be looking for one of the wooden Gerstner boxes..... To me those are a work of art.

 

[gmatov]

"Don't listen to the folks who say that your being taken advantage of if your boss requires you to have your own tools. They do this to help instill "ownership" of your job and the projects you work on. This is good for you and them."

That is absolute bullshit. If you work in a GOOD shop, they will provide you mensuration, under their control. It is THEIR product being made and sold. If it is off spec because you have to use your own measuring tools, it is not YOU who is wrong, it is the Company. The Company cannot tell a buyer that the product is bad because of a bad QC Inspector who has to provide his own tools.

It is a piss poor Company that requires a new hire to have a full range of mikes. 0 to1, 1 to 2, OK, above that, it should be Company provided. A company cannot ask that a Machinist have a 48" mike in his box.

I once worked for a Company that GAVE me a list of all the tools I had to have. I had all of them, and brought them to the new job. Had a job that required tapping a whole buncha 3/8 24 holes, asked the Boss for a T handle tap wrench. "We don't provide them. That's one of the things you have to provide." It ain't on my list." "Lotsa things are not on your list that we don't provide."

I squoze a nut onto the tap and used a ratchet to drive it, got dinged for not doing things THEIR way.

Hey, Companies are NOT your friends. And not one of the "Bidnessmen" on this Site is your friend, either, if they identify as an Owner. I would wager that less than 10% of the site IS Owners. Most are working stiffs, and getting piss poor wages, to boot..

We DO have a couple posters who make out to be intellectuals, they may actually BE educated people, but that does not mean that they are ALL that smart. They are as polarized as the rest of the country, and they MAY have lots of money, and that makes them as suspect as any other poster.

I'm on the old side, been there, done lots of that, but I don't know it ALL. Lots of the younger posters feel as though if you don't listen to them, you are retarded.

Off to bed, too late to see what idjits have to reply with.

Cheers,

George

Firefox is DEFINITELY F'd up. I was making a reply, and I don't know WHAT I hit, and I opened a new tab. Numerous times.X out and back to the original site, BUT....

Pisses me off.

 

[doug8cat]

I'm a bonafide tool junkie, I buy them with one thought is it going to last a life time ? As far as boxes go find that the top of line craftsman works just fine and is reasonablly priced. When I see a Snapon box for 9,000 I just think man that guy could have had a nice craftsman and 8,250 to spend on more tools !! I know they are not the cream of the crop but they hold my tools, ball bearing slides work well and they lock well (I always say if someone wants into your box they are going to get in so why spend lotsa dollars on fancy stuff.

 

[Greg White]

RED Craftmans seem to piss off the brown box guys,makes me like mine alot.
Cheap,last forever so far(over 30 yrs on my 2).
Build a low slung cart with 8"swivels easch corner,now you got a roll cage around it.

The frame can be a angle bruiser til you get use to it,but it will roll over air hose with ease.
Also makes it easierto get it to shipping bay for your next job,and your next...or move around the shop quickly.
Gw

 

[MilGunsmith]

I use my fathers and grandfathers wood Union Tool Boxes and two Kennedy's at home shop with some craftsman bottom boxes. At work I have Kennedy's with BB slides and we are going over to Listas for all the new boxes and workbenches. I was on the road a lot when I started and the wooden boxes and the kennedys dont hold up well to a lot of travel. Now I use a Plastic Pelican toolbox with fiited drawers for travel. I can check it on a plane or send it FedEx or UPS and everything is still in one piece.

 

[smalltime]

Hey, Companies are NOT your friends. And not one of the "Bidnessmen" on this Site is your friend, either, if they identify as an Owner. I would wager that less than 10% of the site IS Owners. Most are working stiffs, and getting piss poor wages, to boot..

Holy crap Geoge, were did that come from?

How do YOU know what this kid's situation is? It sounds to me like a small shop with folks willing to teach him. Not every company is out to get you.

We DO have a couple posters who make out to be intellectuals, they may actually BE educated people, but that does not mean that they are ALL that smart. They are as polarized as the rest of the country, and they MAY have lots of money, and that makes them as suspect as any other poster.

I'm on the old side, been there, done lots of that, but I don't know it ALL. Lots of the younger posters feel as though if you don't listen to them, you are retarded.

Off to bed, too late to see what idjits have to reply with.

Cheers,

George

My education is H.S. and then trade school, that's it. No "intellectuals" around here. Yes I have my views and you have yours. I don't have "lots of money", I just save what I have and live a debt free lifestyle.
I'm sorry that you feel there are no good owners, you should try working for a good one sometime, they're great to have in your corner.

Sleep good.


Tim,
AKA smalltime

 

[AlexBanich]

I don't have time to read all the posts, so if this is already written I apologize. Plain and simple look at it this way. You're in a shop with at LEAST one guy that makes you want to scream. He is also probably the shop idiot. Do you want your super expensive tool box around this guy all the time? As well things happen. I had a guy knock over my kennedy top box because we were rearranging the shop and he lost his grip on it. It came out with some scratched paint but nothing major. The thing I like about friction slides is they are easy to take the drawer out if for some reason you need to. I've done that on many occasions. Plain and simple you're still young you don't need to be flashing around expensive things because somebody will call you on it. Get something decently priced, good quality, and fits your tools nice. I call it being practical.

 

[EmeraldFabractor]

This is my box at work, Love it. It looks good and keeps my tools safe, I have had some one try and get in it. I used a 24 oz ball peen on his hand, he never tried again. I always went with buy what I like/want and if you have to do something to look after it, just make sure no one is watching

It is an investment in your trade and something to be proud of IMO also something to show off.

 

[JimGlass]

Below is my Gerstner box purchased in 1982 or $250. Today the same box is over $750. It is in my own shop now. The original receipt, some old check stubs and my business card are located in the very bottom of the toolbox as a surprise bonus for the next owner of the box. The space under the bottom drawer.

By the end of your career you will likely have several toolboxes. At least one should be a Gerster. I also have several Kennedy boxes for my larger and heavier tools.

The Gerstner box shown on the left was given to me by a close friend. It had been stored in a basement for many many years. It was black from mold and mildew and many joints had becomes separated. I did not restore the chest but reconditioned it to a useable state.

Jim

 

[Skrobarczyk]

Wow bro, youre lucky to work in a machine shop like that. in our shop we have to pay for ALL of our own tools including some "consumable tools" with out the contract machinist wages (hopefully thall change soon)!! I got an old busted up Homak and 'stacker 2' from a nice dude at my work cus he has 7 tool boxes already and was going to throw it out and offered it to me- because i dont have the money and i just had my Dad's old single stack snap-on roll away from 1975. LOL. Anyways i love having even an ol' big 'n' tall POS cause i feel legit now (one of the master machinists has a tool box thats almost 7' tall!!!

 

[gmatov]

Tim,

"Not every company is out to get you."

EVERY company is out to get you! There is not ONE company out there that will pay you one CENT more than they have to.

Where the hell did you grow up? I worked UNION all my life, 10 to 50 thou employees, and they ALWAYS fought over a penny per hour. Places YOU work, where pennies per piece, especially with CNCs can make or break, of COURSE will try to screw you out of a penny a piece. That is money you are taking out of THEIR pocket.

Don't be so fucking naive.

Skrob,

Once upon a time, I got promoted to top class Machine Repairman. Company said they will no longer provide tools to top class. BFD. I bought tools made in India, if I break an 1 1/4 wrench, the Co. would replace it. Actually came to me and the Steward asking if I wanted to stage a strike, I said, Hey, I am getting fucked over, I gotta spend 500 bucks(been a while) to be up there with them.

OK, we're out. Walk across the bridge to the Oaks, have 2 beers, the BIG Boss says Call them back, we will buy his tools.

BIG fucking deal is that the socket set is the stock we ALWAYS carried, and the combination wrenches, which should ALSO have been Williams, which we carried, turned out to be Snap-On.. Them, I had to wait 3 weeks for. Plant is gone now, still got the wrenches.

That ANYONE would pay 30 grand for TOOLBOXES makes me wonder about your intelligence. Harbor Freight MAKES the fucking boxes FOR most of the people you pay thousands TO for.

Do as you wish. Be BMOC's or whatever you call it, I got the biggest box, but you are a broke sumbitch. Poor, but you got LOTS of class Baddest assed mech in the shop, and you might not know jack shit.

Ridiculous.
Cheers,

George

 

[ScrapWood]

Oh, I've missed you George!

I just buy what I need for my used Kennedy top box, 'bout $1200 total so far. For what I borrow from the experienced guy too many times and the good stuff for a job I like better than the stuff the company buys. Not too flashy or over the top, just stuff to make my life easier.

I buy good inspection tools and somewhat less on the hand tools though.

I'm not a 'big' union guy, but the wife works at a union company making good money and most of the guys showing me the ropes have been there. Good machinists.

Only basic or handy stuff should be required by a company. Lol, no 48" mics! Especially no consumables!

And no, they dont want to hand out any more money it seems, even when getting the job done for them it seams.

Walt

 

[67Cuda]

I am very passionate about machining

As you can see Tony, there are more types of tool boxes than you can shake a stick at. If your passionate about being a machinist, buy a Kennedy bottom and top box. Get a Gerstner top box if you want to be fancy. I have one, not really something you want in a shop environment.

The thing about the other boxes are they make whoever owns them look like they've failed at a previous vocation and are now trying to be a machinist. You don't need one of those big rolling tool boxes, because if you need the room, and you aren't running your own business, you need to many crutches, tools, to do your job.


Tom

 

[ScrapWood]

If I had space I would go for the ball bearing bottom box first!

Doesn't matter if you have a high dollar one, just a medium grade box with what you need in I think for now.

Not the cheapest, only what works for you now.

Yeah I want an old skool, big ass Gerstner too. I just love the old stuff though. Why, I have no idea.

Walt

 

[thruthefence]

I guess us old folks think alike!

Another agreement with George!

"Harbor Freight MAKES the fucking boxes "

Just bought one of these last weekend to consolidate the mish-mash of "retired toolboxes-of-my-youth" at the house.

http://www.harborfreight.com/13-drawer-red-industrial-quality-roller-cabinet-90320.html

 

[crashtestdummy]

I work with a guy that bought a HF box 10 years ago. He has several drawer slides that are broke. Good luck finding replacements.

The Kennedy boxes that I bought at the same time have 3 or 4 times more weight in the drawers. All of them work fine. If they did break, I know where to get parts.

I have found that most guys that take pride in their tools, also take pride in their work. If somebody has no interest in the quality of their tools, they usually have no interest in the quality of their work.

 

[Greg White]

what a man looks like and what a man is are way different,least in my neck of the woods.
I liked the snears from the brown box guys,1st day on a job.
That changed aweek later to envey,sometimes...
Gw

 

[behindpropellers]

I have been machining for the last three years, started out as a bridgeport operator and moved on to cnc milling and turning. I have to say, having gone to school for building custom street rods to start becoming a machinist has been a lot of fun and I enjoy it a lot (I'm 23 years old if your wondering) But anyways, at that job they did not require or want you to have your own tools (5-S and Lean Manufacturing...) and now I am moving on to a better shop with more training and opportunities. Im not required to have my own tools but I would love to start building my own machinist collection of tools. Any recommendations of tool boxes? I would like opinions from the professionals like you guys. The shop had a kennedy tool box with the friction slides, which I really cant say I was a fan of, any other options? I have been looking at the Gerstner wooden tool boxes, anyone own one and like to share? Thanks all for your time.


Tony

Buy quality. Buy once.

 

[Kyle Smith]

I bought these boxes used, like most of my tools. I never particularly liked them, but they have done the job for me for 15 years and who knows how long before that. I would have preferred the ball bearing slides. The caster connection will likely fail if you have to move the box frequently. In my last job we rolled around all the time and the wheels fell off, literally, so I made the small cart for the bottom box. The Versa Cart wheel setup works much better if you have to travel.

 

[thruthefence]

"If somebody has no interest in the quality of their tools, they usually have no interest in the quality of their work"

Yep, that's me!! Grind it to fit, paint it to match!!