Tool Boxes

[AlexBanich]

That Kennedy setup looks pretty similar to mine!

As far as harbour freight goes go ahead and send your cash over seas just cause its cheaper. Remember though you get what you pay for. As well I think its funny that a UNION member who is PISSING AND MOANING about companies screwing you out of MONEY but yet suggests HF???? Conveniently give me give me give me but don't expect me to put my pat on the ass of union protection back in for the other american workers... also the company went under... wonder why.... In my Millwright apprentice class they presented that as a bad union that makes the unions look like s*it.... I can honestly say though that in my UNION if you're caught with anything other than AMERICAN made you might as well walk off the job....

Plain and simple if I've ever learned anything about anything its pretty simple. You don't present your self as the greatest and you don't present yourself as the worst. That would mean don't run your mouth like you're better than everybody else but do all you can to be the best. Your toolboxes are merely a symbol of who you are. You go HF then you're cheap. You go top price you got more money than what you need. I hate to say it but get your tools and then figure out what you need. Like if you need big amounts of work space or what kind of tools you'll have. I switched my setup twice got my first set up and it worked. It was a kennedy 5 drawer roll around with a riser and 7 drawer. It was all good except I outgrew it. Upgraded to a 7 drawer roll around, 2 drawer intermediate and 11 drawer journeyman and a side piece that could be lifted up for work space, but couldn't have a big all the time one due to space.... you can kind of figure brand but as far as style/model you're going to have to see what you need first.

 

[crashtestdummy]

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.

What's the side box on the right side in your first photo?

 

[Kyle Smith]

What's the side box on the right side in your first photo?

It is basically like a one sided tackle box made by Kennedy, a quick look through their website did not show it. Mine came with the roll around when I bought it. It is perfect for tap storage.

 

[EmeraldFabractor]

It is basically like a one sided tackle box made by Kennedy, a quick look through their website did not show it. Mine came with the roll around when I bought it. It is perfect for tap storage.

Would you open your drawers and show us everything you got stuffed in there?

 

[crashtestdummy]

It is basically like a one sided tackle box made by Kennedy, a quick look through their website did not show it. Mine came with the roll around when I bought it. It is perfect for tap storage.

With it open it looks like 1/2 of my Kennedy Hip Box.

 

[John Garner]

My employer hires an Antonov 124 several times a year, to haul a planeload of product, handling equipment, test equipment, tools, and supplies halfway around the world and back. A fair portion of the smaller tools and equipment travel in rolling cabinets -- some having toolbox drawers inside -- made by Knaack, the folks who make the construction-site storage boxes. The Knaack cabinets hold up well (substantially better than top-of-the-line rolling toolboxes from the big-name makers), are available in "custom" configurations and colors, and the prices are much less than those of the high-end toolboxes. The downside of the Knaack boxes? I suspect the factory paints 'em with porch paint.

 

[gmatov]

Thru,

390 bucks for a 2500 buck Snap_On wannabe, and who in the hell would WANT to drag 2900 pounds, plus the weight of the box around the shop? That p;ace I mentioned that provided NO tooling, insisted I drag MY half ton box up and down the aisle. Efficiency! If I had to walk 6 or 800 feet to get the next tool I needed, I can't be producing to spec.

I spent years repairing machines from itty bitty lathes to 40 foot VBM's, to 125 foot long ZIPZIPS, also known as rotor slotters. I worked out of a 12 X 12 X 24 box on my wagon. I had up to 1 inch Allens in the box, up to 1 1/4 combinations, and I could do 99% of he work on all of them. Any other would be cheaters provided on site.

I am not as hepped up,as some of you are on mikes. The first MACHINE I drove was a 56" Bullard Cutmaster. Kind of big to need 0-1, or 1-2 , or any other size under about 18 inches.

Then when you graduate to 16 foot machines, you go to the guages from the tool room. So I never fell in love with 0 to1, or 1 to 2.

I have inside mikes to 32", but they were usually too small for the hole I was making, 50 ton pice.

Sorry, I have been looking elsewhere on the Site. Distracted. Later.

George

 

[Skrobarczyk]

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

At what point did you stop talking to me?
Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed.....

 

[Kyle Smith]

Would you open your drawers and show us everything you got stuffed in there?

Is this a serious request or just a comment? Tone is hard to infer in this medium.

 

[RoboDriller]

Sad, but probably the truth. I told my wife. If I pass before her, under no circumstance give ANY of my tools to our son. He beats the crap out of everything. Some of my tools mechanics/machinist I have have for 30+ years. Still in good shape.

I feel sad that you have to tell your wife this. I would be awfully ashamed if my dad didn't want to give me his tools, or if I had a son who I wouldn't trust my tools with.

 

[thruthefence]

"who in the hell would WANT to drag 2900 pounds, plus the weight of the box around the shop?"

Not me!

I've got a much larger one then that at the hangar, and when I work on a project, I load up one of those rolling service carts from the "mothership". And when I have to go back to get the inevitable "forgotten" tool, I use that as an excuse to get coffee & check practical machinist for troll opportunities.

I bought that HF deal to handle "overflow" at home, my wife had started complaining about every horizontal surface in the garage has become a "tool storage" area.

 

[strength and pow]

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

Where did you go to school?

 

[ARKTinkerer]

There is a place for any of the box types. I have Kennedy, SnapOn, HarborFreight, Craftsman, Gerstner, others.

Kennedy is a good solid box with thin drawers for mics and other tools. Also own a cantilever that has taken a beating but works great. SnapOn is great for bigger, heavier tools where the ball bearing slides make that easier. Craftsman holds its own, not as nice as SnapOn but not as expensive. HarborFreight has lots of drawers for low cost. Wood Gerstner was my first box, purchased used with an old toolmakers collection in it. Kennedy was purchased second for additional, more robust, drawers. I do my own vehicles as well as tinker with the mill/lathe/carpentry. Lots of different size/types of tools and different boxes.

The lower cost boxes have issues to think about--rough slides will work, but there is something about pulling out a precision fit drawer, whether wood or ball bearing. Rubs off on me. A poor fit drawer just irritates. No big deal for long term storage but for something you open/close multiple times it wears on the nerves and sets a bad tone. Its worse not having enough drawers, so there is a tradeoff. Precision tools and precision drawers yields precision parts and happy shop time. Not being able to find stuff--doesn't matter how nice everything else is.

Can't stand the small casters on Harbor Freight and Craftsman and other boxes. Even if you buy cheap, find some bigger, better casters with good brakes. Big casters that move easy but have no brakes are terrible about having the box move instead of opening the drawer when the drawers are loaded. Other thing would be using them on or mounted under the bench.

If you have to, get a cheap box for your cheap tools that you know you will have to replace. Get the good boxes for your good tools. Eventually, the cheap boxes become throw away tools/loaners/cutter storage.

ArkTinkerer

 

[EmeraldFabractor]

Is this a serious request or just a comment? Tone is hard to infer in this medium.

Yeah sorry, At the time I could not help myself. I would indeed like to see all the neat stuff tucked away inside your box.

I have seen some comments which I would like to add to, Yes my box is big and its full and I mean full of tools. Its not at all heavy to push IMO the shocks and casters make it super easy. Then again for 13,000.00 It should push it self but I have no regrets I killed a few craftsmen and others in less then a year and it only got worse when I added 3/4 and 1" drive sockets. I am in a weird spot though my pay stub says I am a machinist but I have to do fabrication work, engine work, hydraulic work heavy equipment and so on. So a small box is just not going to cut it. Its not for everyone, If I just had to do machine work I would have one or two Gerstners in a heart beat.

anyways to sum it up all you sissy's who are whining about pushing a tool box need to work out more :P

 

[gdavis2265]

I ran out of tool space and ended up adding some boxes to the underside of my welding table.

Just cheap china crap, but I'm slowly getting better

Glenn

 

[Kyle Smith]

Yeah sorry, At the time I could not help myself. I would indeed like to see all the neat stuff tucked away inside your box.

Yes my box is big and its full and I mean full of tools. Then again for 13,000.00 It should push it self but I have no regrets I killed a few craftsmen and others in less then a year. I am in a weird spot though my pay stub says I am a machinist but I have to do fabrication work, eng
P

That answers my question.

 

[tonyscustomrides]

Where did you go to school?

I went to Wyotech in Laramie, Wyoming. graduated june 2007.

 

[gmatov]

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!!!

I don't know why I put that on you. Seemed different when I first read it, or confused you with someone else.

First box I ever bought was from a retiree, 125 bucks, about 1970, a Duplex, steel. Looks quite a lot like that in the post from Kyle Smith, his top box. Mine was painted green by some jackoff painter in my shop who THOUGHT he knew me 40 years ago. Painted EVERYTHING the same green, was fucking over me.

Boss said they would blast it, but I didn't know if it could take it. It is still a sick green, to this day. But it IS still a good box. I don't keep endmills in it, it is strictly for measuring tools. Originally Japanned Grey, crinkle finish. 40 years later, I am still pissed off.

13 THOUSAND FUCKING DOLLARS worth of tools and toolboxes sitting in ANY shop or dealership. You are nuts, plain and simple. I would not let a 50 buck mike, remember, I am old, sit out in plain sight.

That I would take 13 grand to a dealership, I assume you do, and say "Look, I am a REAL Mech, I even got a ton and a half of tools.", is ridiculous. And you make Book for the job. You get it done quicker, you make money, you take all day to do a simple op, you get paid Book, and go home hungry.

And , from what I have seen, they have more "Mechs" on hand than they have jobs. THOUSANDS of bucks worth of tools to convince the lowest of the low, auto dealers, that you are worthy.

I suppose that they are necessary. Rich you AIN'T gonna get.

Cheers,

George

 

[tonyscustomrides]

Thanks everyone for the great replies and pictures. So far this has been my first week at my new job and i have really enjoyed it. He even asked me if i could would this friday! I guess im doing something right. So far i have taken my 6" Brown & Sharpe calipers and Edge finder,Engineers Black Book, and a big note pad to keep up on learning the new controls.

As far as space.. there isnt much. There is a total of 9 VMC's, 2 bridgeports, 1 Hardingle HLV lathe, and lots and lots of tooling and holders. So far ive done a lot of first run setups, and he pretty much supplies everything. I just might take my own dial indicator and some other small items just for my personal use. Im thinking a smaller Kennedy box should be sufficient, being that everything is provided.

Thanks all for the great replies, and all ideas has been taken into consideration.

Tony

 

[gmatov]

Tony,

Doesn't that make you feel like you have gotten piss poor advice, recently? You are 23 YO, and you have gotten your first machining job.

Who in the HELL would expect a prospective Machinist to have half a ton of tools?

I would never HIRE with you, if you told me that I had to provide my own inserts, provide measurement tools over 1 to 2, or a digital caliper.

Where do you draw the line, if you read some of the posts of people with 1600 pound tool chests? You have to buy your own boring bars?

My kid cousin, although about 32, just got another job. Somehow, I don't know if it was because he told a coworker he had an interview the next day or if the prospective employer called, but was called to tell that he was now fired.

NO measuring or other tooling required. We provide our own measuring tools. Face it.

What tools DO you need on a CNC? That the employer, some of you, do not provide Your own Allen's? Or do you now go Torx?

I would HATE to be in the job pool, today. Employers have ALL the leverage. "Mc.D's pays 8.50, I won't pay you that, I know you ain't worth it."
Well, FUCK YOU. You make not one goddamned thing more than you can make in a day by your own goddamned self.

This is a ridiculous thread.

Gorge