Looking for a toolbox

[12boy]

I am with chrisswoody on this.....made two wooden shallow boxes 4 inches deep, 24 tall and 18 wide and invested in a couple of hinges so as to make a wooden suitcase. I have the box on the shortside, like an open book. I then put some wooden dividers across the short side and hung many cup hooks from them. The bottom dividers are drilled with holes to fit screwdrivers, files and allens. This contraption holds almost all my tools and when open the tools are all visible and easy to get to. It has a couple of handles that grasped together keep it closed when carrying. When I move it very little comes off its hook. Anyone who can cut some boards, glue and screw them together and glue/tack on a masonite back to each box could make one. Eventually I will make another for overflow tools, grease and oil receptacles, cable and cable housing, tire glue and patches etc.

 

[roadrash]

I am with chrisswoody on this.....made two wooden shallow boxes 4 inches deep, 24 tall and 18 wide and invested in a couple of hinges so as to make a wooden suitcase. I have the box on the shortside, like an open book. I then put some wooden dividers across the short side and hung many cup hooks from them. The bottom dividers are drilled with holes to fit screwdrivers, files and allens. This contraption holds almost all my tools and when open the tools are all visible and easy to get to. It has a couple of handles that grasped together keep it closed when carrying. When I move it very little comes off its hook. Anyone who can cut some boards, glue and screw them together and glue/tack on a masonite back to each box could make one. Eventually I will make another for overflow tools, grease and oil receptacles, cable and cable housing, tire glue and patches etc.

do you by any chance have any photos..

 

[gasinayr]

Being in Germany have a llok at Knipex boxes
www.google.com/search?q=knipex+tool+boxes&tbm=isch&source=univ&client=firefox-b&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj8gtiZyJPgAhVySBUIHSabCW0QsAR6BAgAEAE&biw=1920&bih=944

 

[Gravity Aided]

Ah, you haff discovered my secret... et c.

I've heard similar things may exist there, though.

 

[12boy]

do you by any chance have any photos..

Here you go...actually need to move some things out and some in. Have a lot more wrenches than I actually use.

 

[Blue Hills]

For metal I would strongly suggest ball bearings for the runners. My german is not perfect, but the ones you have linked to seem to satisfy that key requirement. I have a variety of these from Halfords (when they have their 50% sales) and they are pretty functional. I did disable the lock mechanism though as it was a bit of a pain in stopping drawers opening without the lid being lifted.

Interested for the future but that link doesn't seem to work.

 

[Milkfloat]

Interested for the future but that link doesn't seem to work.

The site auto linked to H4lfords I did not do it manually. But the sort of chest I would be looking at would be https://www.halfords.com/workshop-t...s/halfords-3-drawer-metal-portable-tool-chest but only pay £25.

A good deal would have been https://www.clasohlson.com/uk/Tool-Chest-and-Cabinet/41-1582 yours for £50 if you use the code SAVE10, but they are now only available in store

 

[Gravity Aided]

I more or less have the tool chest and cabinet set-up, and find it holds all that I need, For tools alone, it gets the job done. I can keep drill, grinder, a few of the bigger socket sets in the bottom, all the metric tools in the top three drawers. I just have to renovate the finish, as it was a roadside find.

 

[bruce1530]

Ive tried lots of different types but the ones I’m using most are small plastic ones, and cost about £4 in Asda.

I’ve got several, one for “bike tools”, one for “electrical”, one for “plumbing” etc.

Having a big, quality (and therefore heavy) toolbox is great if you are workshop based. But I want to be able to grab a box of tools and take them to the job, or put them in the back of the car.

 

[Rusty Nails]

Tool boxes are like bikes. You can never have too many (or too big).

I have lost count of the number of times I have bought a toolbox just big enough to take the tools I have, then before you know it..............

Get a bigger one than you think you need.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

I've got an old bronze green metal toolbox about 18" x 10" x 9" with a hinged lid and lift-out divided tray inside which is good for keeping various small tools in, and the bigger ones go in the bottom. I'm trying to keep bike-related tools in a separate box from my car, DIY and woodworking stuff, so I know where all the bike-specific ones are and hopefully stop them getting mislaid for months on end - like sometimes happens with other tools! Mine wasn't bought, but was instead found in a rubbish skip (surprise, surprise!) in North London, still containing some old hand tools. It's nice and sturdy, and appears to be GPO issue with a 1965 date stamp on it. I'm not impressed with the quality of a lot of modern stuff, too thin and flimsy.

 

[Randy Butternubs]

If you can see them in person the difference between cheap and expensive toolboxes is obvious. The lower end Halfords ones for eg. are extremely tinny and wobbly, the draws don't open that smoothly, the engagement of the lock is very iffy, they jam etc. They feel a bit like they've come out of a Christmas cracker. To be fair though, they do the job.

If you have a Machinemart near you their boxes are generally better quality, especially the HD or pro ones. They are a lot more expensive though.

The chest-of-drawers style toolboxes are great if they have a permanent place on a bench in a workshop but they aren't ideal for carting around or if you are working on the floor. If that's what you are doing I'd recommend the basic small box type or the ones which cantilever out - they're lighter and easier to carry and they are accessed from the top which is good if they are on the ground. They are also much cheaper and yet feel much sturdier and better quality.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

Talk of the devil, I spotted one just like mine on the dreaded you-know-where tonight.

A bit expensive for my liking, especially compared to FOC out of a skip, but solidly made toolboxes like this are well worth seeking out. You can often pick up similar tools & stuff from car boot sales cheaply, as DIY spannering currently appears to be on the wane and the average millennial seems incapable of wiring up a 3-pin plug these days let alone working on anything more complicated. Most of my old engineering tools & imperial sized spanners came from car boots/autojumbles, especially the really big sizes that would cost a lot of money new.

Combining cheap build quality with having moving parts like drawers is asking for trouble, IMHO. A bit like cheapo suspension bikes. If you want cheap tool storage, keep the design simple with a minimum of features that can fall apart, bend or break.