A bit OT but something most of us have in our shops.

[Leon]

I have not really noticed another new, country of origin, playing a
major roll in things we buy for our shops but Vietnam is here and from
what I see the quality is pretty good, maybe pretty darn good.

Ten or twelve years ago I was looking at larger stacked tool chests,
40+" wide and because they were north of a thousand dollars I built my
own and it has served me very well.

Recently I have noticed HD selling Milwaukee stacked tool chests and I
have to do the touchy feely thing every time I am in the store.

Anyway my son and his girlfriend are renovating the guest bathroom in
his house and he has been borrowing tools, not a problem at all. BUT he
has been collecting his own tools and so far their storage location is
on the garage floor around his small 2 drawer tool box. His birthday is
this week and my wife suggested getting him a nice tool so that he does
not have to borrow one of mine and I thought that was a good idea but
then I pictured yet more garage floor space being used up increasing the
tripping hazard. His significant other has mention this and told him
that she will not be happy if she trips and falls. ;~)

Soooo I decided a real tool chest was in order instead of another tool
and the Milwaukee came into mind and that is what we got him.

In particular this is the one we got for him.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-30-in-12-Drawer-Steel-Tool-Storage-Chest-and-Rolling-Cabinet-Set-Textured-Red-and-Black-Matte-48-22-8530/206696101

These two units weigh in at 300 lbs and I ended up moving the two boxed
units two times, From the store to my garage and then to his garage, I
was a little fearful about all the loading and unloading and the damage
that might result.

He and I wrestled the bottom cabinet to the garage floor and began the
opening ceremony. He showed me how to break the welds on the fiberglass
reinforced straps, that hold all of the pieces of the carton together,
very easily with his fingers. I had always used a pocket knife. So the
straps come off and the top lifts off. We see the typical paper product
corner reinforcements that run down each corner and we see these also on
the 4 top sides and IIRC 4 bottom sides. These angle pieces are solid
multi layers of paper product with no corrugation, these things are
strong. Next the molded Styrofoam top cover comes off as well as the
four Styrofoam side panels around the perimeter. At this point the
outer cardboard box is easily lifted out of the bottom tray and the
plastic cover can now be removed.
The shipping container was a work of art. The top box packaging was the
same.
No dents, no dings, no buckled corners and no scratched paint anywhere.
Perfect!

Assembly was also a no brainer. While there was an instruction booklet,
and it was well written, you really did not need it.
Assembly involved bolting on the huge casters, lower box pull handle,
cord storage brackets and braces to keep the top box in place on top of
the bottom box.

A wrench was included to bolt the casters on and I will say it was
pretty cheap so we resorted to using a 1/2" socket to tighten the caster
bolts. Every bolt/screw attachment on the boxes screwed directly into
threaded steel and welded nuts. The casters bolted directly into what
appeared to be 4 pieces of 1/4 angle iron.
Every threaded hole was precisely where it should be and there was no
need to pry or force any bolts or screws. What a delight, both my son
and I were amazed.

So the features of the box, red wrinkle paint on the boxes and smooth
black drawers. Steel peg board on the back top of the top box, soft
close full extension ball bearing slides, 100 lb rated. A circuit
breaker protected built in power outlet with 4~5 outlets, a hinged work
surface on the top of the top box bottom drawer, lite duty only, put
your lap top in there and that drawer is individually lockable by it
self. The 5"x2" HD casters are rated for 1,800 lbs and have a great set
of levers to lock and unlock the break, the levers are side by side and
you simply push down on the lock or unlock lever. The top box has a
clam shell type lid with gas struts and with no front lip so that you
can see every thing with out having to look up and over.

So I was impressed as was my son.

FWIW DeWalt and Porter Cable offer similar style boxes in brand
appropriate colors, YELLOW and grey.

If this is any indication of the quality that we will be seeing coming
out of Vietnam the Chinese will have to step up their game in a big way.

We looked at Harbor Freight first and saw a similar cheaply built top
and bottom box for $150 less. Not at all worth the $150 savings IMHO.

I will probably replace my 30 year old 26" Craftsman with the 46"
Milwaukee sooner than later. The Craftsman had dents straight out of
the box when I bought it and it did not do well when we moved it from
our old house to the new house 5 years ago.

[Swingman]

On 8/21/2016 11:07 AM, Leon wrote:
>
> If this is any indication of the quality that we will be seeing coming
> out of Vietnam the Chinese will have to step up their game in a big way.

Intimately familiar with the general mindset of the Vietnamese, having
lived with them for months, as the only "round eye" dodging bullets
alongside them. Respect and fondness for those on our side, and a
grudging respect for those on the opposite side.

Given a choice I'd much prefer to do business with the average
Vietnamese individual than the Chinese. Damned shame we had to leave so
many behind who were dedicated, proven friends.

Those who have made it over here to Texas have made good citizens. Have
a lot of respect for Hubert Vo, in the Texas House, who's a personal
acquaintance/local businessman, despite him being a Democrat. ;)

--
eWoodShop: www.eWoodShop.com
Wood Shop: www.e-WoodShop.net
https://www.google.com/+eWoodShop
https://plus.google.com/+KarlCaillouet/posts
http://www.custommade.com/by/ewoodshop/
https://www.facebook.com/eWoodShop-206166666122228
KarlCaillouet@ (the obvious)

[OFWW]

On Sun, 21 Aug 2016 13:59:48 -0500, Swingman <k...@nospam.com> wrote:

>On 8/21/2016 11:07 AM, Leon wrote:
>>
>> If this is any indication of the quality that we will be seeing coming
>> out of Vietnam the Chinese will have to step up their game in a big way.
>
>Intimately familiar with the general mindset of the Vietnamese, having
>lived with them for months, as the only "round eye" dodging bullets
>alongside them. Respect and fondness for those on our side, and a
>grudging respect for those on the opposite side.
>
>Given a choice I'd much prefer to do business with the average
>Vietnamese individual than the Chinese. Damned shame we had to leave so
>many behind who were dedicated, proven friends.
>
>Those who have made it over here to Texas have made good citizens. Have
>a lot of respect for Hubert Vo, in the Texas House, who's a personal
>acquaintance/local businessman, despite him being a Democrat. ;)

For the most part I agree with you on this.

Yet it all brings back bad memories, and most of those memories were
caused by our own government.

I have friends who part of their families went to France, and others
here, with some still in their homeland. What a network of people,
especially in international business, very enterprising and supportive
of family.

[OFWW]

On Sun, 21 Aug 2016 11:07:50 -0500, Leon <lcb11211@swbelldotnet>
wrote:

Reading that and thinking of the Craftsman boxes I have used over the
years, and still have some, minus the wheels.

Thanks for the excellent report. Makes me want to take a look, but a
Festool domino tool would get my vote first. :)

[russell...@yahoo.com]

A friend has the bigger, wider, larger Milwaukee tool boxes. The kind you bought except twice as tall and twice as wide and twice as deep. Craftsman makes some huge tool boxes like it. Not sure where the big Milwaukee tool boxes were made. But would guess not China. They are quality, as you described. I believe many years ago Made in Vietnam was common on stuff. Made in Vietnam was the precursor to Made in China. Guessing the relevant size of China made Vietnam disappear. I have several Craftsman tool boxes. Drawers are not ball bearing so the big heavy drawers take a lot of effort to open. Otherwise nothing but good things to say about Craftsman tool boxes. If I was buying new I'd look at Home Depot and Lowes offerings on tool boxes. As well as Craftsman. Lowes has their Kobalt brand in a pretty blue color.

[Leon]

The bait dangled, the bait was swallowed, the hook is set. Now, will
you run? LOL Good on you!

Just a little more on the tool chests. Craftsman was a good home garage
box. And then there is Matco and Snapon and the like. Those are
typically 10~15 times the price of a compatibly sized Craftsman.

Why so much more, they get lifted, full of tools, sat in the back of
pick up trucks, and relocated many times in their life time and they
hold up. Lifting a box with a thousand pounds plus of tools and having
it bounce down the road is the hardest thing you can do to a box.
Plus they get wet quite often when the floors in the shop get washed.

These Milwaukee boxes appear to be in between the inexpensive Craftsman
type boxes and the upper end. If you could buy SnapOn and Matco at HD
they would surely sell for half the price but you pay for the
convenience of you rep coming around weekly to serve your needs.

[Unquestionably Confused]

Another one worth looking at is Stack-On. I believe that they have
several grades. I'm sure the roller cabinet, middle chest, top chest
and two wing cabinets that I've picked up over the years are not their
top end stuff, but they were price right and, after 30+ years for the
main unit, have held up fine. Bearings on the drawer slides, while not
high end, have worked just fine.

I don't give a rat's a** where they are made (Stack-On is made within 30
miles of me in Wauconda, IL) you can tell what you're getting with tool
boxes if you can look at them in the store.

What's truly amazing is that when I bought the individual pieces and
loaded them up, there was all kinds of room. The manufacturer's need to
Sanforize (anyone else remember that trademark) the damn things so they
don't shrink so much. Gotta keep buying more to house the same number
(I swear to SWMBO) of tools and "stuff."

[Unquestionably Confused]

On 8/21/2016 5:29 PM, Leon wrote:
> On 8/21/2016 3:57 PM, OFWW wrote:
>> On Sun, 21 Aug 2016 11:07:50 -0500, Leon <lcb11211@swbelldotnet>
>> wrote:

[snip]

> Just a little more on the tool chests. Craftsman was a good home garage
> box. And then there is Matco and Snapon and the like. Those are
> typically 10~15 times the price of a compatibly sized Craftsman.

But the nice thing about Snap-On and, I think, MATCO is that they have a
mortgage loan officer right there on the sales truck. VERY convenient.

[woodchucker]

On 8/21/2016 5:40 PM, russell...@yahoo.com wrote:
> A friend has the bigger, wider, larger Milwaukee tool boxes. The kind you bought except twice as tall and twice as wide and twice as deep. Craftsman makes some huge tool boxes like it. Not sure where the big Milwaukee tool boxes were made. But would guess not China. They are quality, as you described. I believe many years ago Made in Vietnam was common on stuff. Made in Vietnam was the precursor to Made in China. Guessing the relevant size of China made Vietnam disappear. I have several Craftsman tool boxes. Drawers are not ball bearing so the big heavy drawers take a lot of effort to open. Otherwise nothing but good things to say about Craftsman tool boxes. If I was buying new I'd look at Home Depot and Lowes offerings on tool boxes. As well as Craftsman. Lowes has their Kobalt brand in a pretty blue color.
>

I have a Kennedy Box (not ball bearing) , a 520
A HF $135 unit.
And a Husky top chest $75.

The Kennedy is the Rolls Royce of boxes, but I don't think it is that
much nicer than the HF. The slides on the kennedy do come apart nicely.
with the lift of the spring steel.

The HF don't.

Don't get me wrong, the quality of the Kennedy is great. But not enough
to warrant the 2x3 times the price for a single unit.


My Husky came dented. No big deal. Who really cares, it does what it
needs to.


--
Jeff

[Leon]

Absolutely! LOL Most mechanics have as much invested in their tools as
they do their homes. ;~)

[Leon]

On 8/21/2016 7:07 PM, woodchucker wrote:
> On 8/21/2016 5:40 PM, russell...@yahoo.com wrote:
>> A friend has the bigger, wider, larger Milwaukee tool boxes. The kind
>> you bought except twice as tall and twice as wide and twice as deep.
>> Craftsman makes some huge tool boxes like it. Not sure where the big
>> Milwaukee tool boxes were made. But would guess not China. They are
>> quality, as you described. I believe many years ago Made in Vietnam
>> was common on stuff. Made in Vietnam was the precursor to Made in
>> China. Guessing the relevant size of China made Vietnam disappear. I
>> have several Craftsman tool boxes. Drawers are not ball bearing so
>> the big heavy drawers take a lot of effort to open. Otherwise nothing
>> but good things to say about Craftsman tool boxes. If I was buying
>> new I'd look at Home Depot and Lowes offerings on tool boxes. As well
>> as Craftsman. Lowes has their Kobalt brand in a pretty blue color.
>>
> I have a Kennedy Box (not ball bearing) , a 520
> A HF $135 unit.
> And a Husky top chest $75.
>
> The Kennedy is the Rolls Royce of boxes, but I don't think it is that
> much nicer than the HF. The slides on the kennedy do come apart nicely.
> with the lift of the spring steel.

Well the Kennedy is a nice box but there are much better. I had a
Kennedy tool box many years ago. The Kennedy certainly delivers on value.

>
> The HF don't.
>
> Don't get me wrong, the quality of the Kennedy is great. But not enough
> to warrant the 2x3 times the price for a single unit.

I guess you have not seen SnapOn pricing. :~) Kennedy has nothing on
SnapOn as far as pricing goes. While not the same size you can compare
to an equal sized Husky. The Snap On may be 20 times more expensive.

https://store.snapon.com/KERN602B4-Series-PowerTop-Roll-Cabs-60--60-EPIQ-Roll-Cab-with-PowerTop-13-Drawers-Red-P649519.aspx

>
>
> My Husky came dented. No big deal. Who really cares, it does what it
> needs to.
>

Yeah the dent does not affect the ability to use the box and my past
boxes have had dents.

BUT have we become conditioned to accept damaged goods. If I am going
to pay hundreds for a new box it is not going to have dents unless I put
them there.

[Bill]

Leon wrote:
>
>> But the nice thing about Snap-On and, I think, MATCO is that they have a
>> mortgage loan officer right there on the sales truck. VERY convenient.
>>
>>
>
> Absolutely! LOL Most mechanics have as much invested in their tools
> as they do their homes. ;~)

I was just explaining to a family member just HOW FAR a 3/8" and 1/2"
ratchet set (and sockets), a set of imperial size and metric crescent
wrenches and a set of screw drivers go. You could probably have all of
the above for probably less than $150 (Craftsman). What more do those
fancier names do for you? I mean, there seems to be much decreasing
marginal utility. None of these tools have either broke nor bent, but I
did get a 3/8" ratchet that had issues from the start (it was replaced).
None have the least signs of rust either.

[DerbyDad03]

re: "a set of imperial size and metric crescent wrenches"

Yeah, I gotta get a metric crescent wrench one of these days. The
imperial size one just won't adjust to those pesky mm sized nuts. ;-)

[Unknown]

DerbyDad03 <teama...@eznet.net> wrote in
news:1fc0e064-8b34-451f...@googlegroups.com:

Mine's imperial on one side and metric on the other. I can only loosen
metric nuts or tighten imperial ones. I'm still trying to find it's
mate, but it seems they're all the same way!

Puckdropper

[Bill]

Little sanity tip: Keep the metric tools in a separate toolbox.

I had a job this summer where I Really Needed two 1/2" crescent wrenches
at the same time. That doesn't happen much. Well, I thought I did, it
turned out it wasn't necessary to remove those nuts--which were real
buggers! I did'nt like hitting my crescent wrench with a hammer (I
covered it with a rag first).

[DerbyDad03]

I like it!

Actually, that's not as far fetched as it sounds.

Crescent makes a 2 ended wrench: Adjustable on one end with
a pass-through socket handle on the other. The idea sounded good
until I noticed that the pass-through sockets are combination
sockets which they claim fit both imperial and metric. Any time
I see anything that tries to act like X-Tools-In-One, I back
away slowly.

[krw]

My Crescent wrenches are even better than metric. They're metric on
one side (600mm and 800mm) on one side and imperial (8" and 12") on
the other.

[Leon]

The fancier names have the distinction of not having to be competitively
priced. Add to that you don't have to go to the store to have a broken
tool replaced, the rep comes to your work place, although you have to
wait a week. ;~) And these are top notch tools that with daily use may
never wear out.

And ultimately the guy selling you the top notch tools knows what he is
talking about, he has quite an investment too.

But for you and me just about any decent brand will do.

[Idlehands]

The Snap-On dealer who came by our shop would fight tooth and nail when
it came to warranty claims, always tried to blame the worker. Yes they
did break and under normal use.

Sears, on the other hand, never questioned, just replaced. Of course
that was in their prime, sadly those days are gone.

--

[Unquestionably Confused]

On 8/22/2016 9:20 PM, Idlehands wrote:
> On 2016-08-22 8:07 PM, Leon wrote:
>> On 8/22/2016 3:15 PM, Bill wrote:
>>> Leon wrote:
>>>>

[snip]

>> And ultimately the guy selling you the top notch tools knows what he is
>> talking about, he has quite an investment too.
>>
>> But for you and me just about any decent brand will do.
>
> The Snap-On dealer who came by our shop would fight tooth and nail when
> it came to warranty claims, always tried to blame the worker. Yes they
> did break and under normal use.
>
> Sears, on the other hand, never questioned, just replaced. Of course
> that was in their prime, sadly those days are gone.

That's sad to hear, if true. Have rarely had an occasion to take a
Craftsman hand tool back but the few times I did, it was no questions
asked. Broke the tip on a large screw driver and worried about
explaining what happened (used it as a punch, not a pry bar, and it just
didn't like that<g>). Retail guy never asked, just walked me over to
the screwdrivers and handed me a replacement.

Socket sets are all Craftsman and are pushing 40 yrs old. No rust, all
work just fine. If only the damn sockets wouldn't keep walking off.
Found I was missing a couple of my 3/8" drive recently and priced
replacements. Damn! Then went to the Sears Appliance Outlet store when
I was in the neighborhood and picked up a complete set for $9.99, with
the high end laser etched size marks no less.

[DerbyDad03]

We appear to have a difference in terminology here. What is your definition of
a "crescent wrench"?

Where I grew up a Crescent wrench was the most well known brand name
for an adjustable wrench as shown here:

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/31Tj3HRVIeL.jpg

Specific sized wrenches, even if made by Crescent were "open end" or
"box" wrenches.

If someone said "Hand me the Crescent wrench", you knew they meant
the adjustable wrench.

If you do a Google search on Crescent wrench, the overwhelming
majority (almost 100%) of the images are of adjustable wrenches, even
if not made by Crescent.

I guess that's why I find the term "metric Crescent wrench" a little strange.
My brain says "An adjustable wrench is neither metric nor imperial."

[Bill]

"My bad", then. I knew Crescent was an old manufacturer, and I thought
it was a generic term for "open-ended wrench". What you call a Crescent
wrench, I was brought up with as a "pipe wrench". I probably would not
have used the term Crescent until I was exposed to it a few weeks ago.
I'll be careful in the future! By the way, I have an old set of these:


http://alloy-artifacts.org/Photos/tools/crescent_oe1618_c1725b_wrench_f_cropped_inset.jpg



>

[Leon]

russell...@yahoo.com <russell...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> A friend has the bigger, wider, larger Milwaukee tool boxes. The kind
> you bought except twice as tall and twice as wide and twice as deep.

Wow 120" tall and 36" deep, does he have it in a barn and use a ladder to
get to the top box?

Craftsman makes some huge tool boxes like it. Not sure where the big
Milwaukee tool boxes were made.

Vietnam

But would guess not China. They are quality, as you described. I believe
many years ago Made in Vietnam was common on stuff. Made in Vietnam was
the precursor to Made in China. Guessing the relevant size of China made
Vietnam disappear. I have several Craftsman tool boxes. Drawers are not
ball bearing so the big heavy drawers take a lot of effort to open.
Otherwise nothing but good things to say about Craftsman tool boxes. If I
was buying new I'd look at Home Depot and Lowes offerings on tool boxes.
As well as Craftsman. Lowes has their Kobalt brand in a pretty blue color.

Craftsmen has better offerings but still offer pretty crappy stuff. You
have to pay about double to get the equivalent to its competition. For
home use most all of the HD, Lowe's, Craftsman boxes are good but if you
move the boxes to other locations, transport by truck, you really should
empty or remove the drawers. It is not a stretch to load them up to near
capacity and the bouncing and lifting puts strain on them that they are not
designed to handle. For brands like Matco or SnapOn their weight capacity
is 3-4 times more, 6-8 thousand pounds. Mechanics buying these brands
typically change jobs often and the boxes have to survive the moves.





>

[Leon]

Yes all brands break and SnapOn has an exception clause. If it breads
because it was worn out it is not normally covered.

>
> Sears, on the other hand, never questioned, just replaced. Of course
> that was in their prime, sadly those days are gone.
>

Well In most cases the Craftsman are used mostly by home owners and some
pro's. It is likely if a Craftsman breaks it is not worn out. SnapOn is
rarely bought by a homeowner that uses his tools occasionally.

[DerbyDad03]

Don't worry, there is no "my bad" here. :-)

What there is is kind a of a mix-up between types of wrenches and manufacturer's names, which I am guilty of also.

Crescent makes all kinds of wrenches, adjustable, open end, box, etc. If someone was brought seeing open end wrenches made by Crescent, it would make sense that that is what they call a crescent wrench. I grew up with adjustables by Crescent, so that's what stuck with me.

Now, I do have to say that I've never known an adjustable wrench of the type I am speaking of to be called a pipe wrench. A pipe wrench is adjustable, but it's a totally different animal, both in terms of design and operation. The movable jaw of a pipe has a very specific reason for being "sloppy". It's
designed that way so that grips the round surface of a pipe when force is applied.

This is pipe wrench:

http://www.harborfreight.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/i/m/image_17373.jpg

[Leon]

Typically the company that is the first to invent/market a particular
style tool is how the tool gets it's name.

Crescent Wrench the adjustable wrench, Allen Wrench the hex wrench, Skil
Saw the circular saw, Channellock Plyers the slip joint plyers, Torx
wrench the star wrench, Phillips driver, cross head driver.

And sometimes what the tool is originally named sticks. Milwaukee
"Sawsall" a recip saw, and probably the "Domino" when the Festool patent
expires.

[Leon]

On 8/23/2016 7:18 AM, Leon wrote:

>
> Typically the company that is the first to invent/market a particular
> style tool is how the tool gets it's name.
>
> Crescent Wrench the adjustable wrench, Allen Wrench the hex wrench, Skil
> Saw the circular saw, Channellock Plyers the slip joint plyers, Torx
> wrench the star wrench, Phillips driver, cross head driver.
>
> And sometimes what the tool is originally named sticks. Milwaukee
> "Sawsall" a recip saw, and probably the "Domino" when the Festool patent
> expires.
>
>

Oh! Add "The Kodak" the camera. ;~)

and

The Polaroid Camera the instant camera.

[Unquestionably Confused]

On 8/23/2016 7:02 AM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
> On Tuesday, August 23, 2016 at 2:58:52 AM UTC-4, Bill wrote:
>> DerbyDad03 wrote:
>>> On Monday, August 22, 2016 at 6:18:46 PM UTC-4, Bill wrote:
>>>> DerbyDad03 wrote:

[snip]

>>> We appear to have a difference in terminology here. What is your
>>> definition of a "crescent wrench"?
>>>
>>> Where I grew up a Crescent wrench was the most well known brand name
>>> for an adjustable wrench as shown here:
>>>
>>> https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/31Tj3HRVIeL.jpg
>>>
>>> Specific sized wrenches, even if made by Crescent were "open end" or
>>> "box" wrenches.
>>>
>>> If someone said "Hand me the Crescent wrench", you knew they meant
>>> the adjustable wrench.
>>
>> "My bad", then. I knew Crescent was an old manufacturer, and I
>> thought it was a generic term for "open-ended wrench". What you call
>> a Crescent wrench, I was brought up with as a "pipe wrench". I
>> probably would not have used the term Crescent until I was exposed to it a few weeks ago.
>> I'll be careful in the future! By the way, I have an old set of these:
>>
>
> Don't worry, there is no "my bad" here. :-)
>
> What there is is kind a of a mix-up between types of wrenches and manufacturer's names, which I am guilty of also.
>
> Crescent makes all kinds of wrenches, adjustable, open end, box, etc. If someone was brought seeing open end wrenches made by Crescent, it would make sense that that is what they call a crescent wrench. I grew up with adjustables by Crescent, so that's what stuck with me.
>
> Now, I do have to say that I've never known an adjustable wrench of the type I am speaking of to be called a pipe wrench. A pipe wrench is adjustable, but it's a totally different animal, both in terms of design and operation. The movable jaw of a pipe has a very specific reason for being "sloppy". It's
> designed that way so that grips the round surface of a pipe when force is applied.
>
> This is pipe wrench:
>
> http://www.harborfreight.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/i/m/image_17373.jpg

Or a "Stillson Wrench" ;)




>

[G. Ross]

I still have my first tool box. It is 7 x 14 inches, made by Union
Steel Chest Corp., LeRoy, N.Y. It had a curved or domed lid. The lid
is crumpled down by my first daughter standing on it to watch me work.
She is now 54.


--
GW Ross

'Bother', said Pooh, as he loaded his
last round.

[Leon]

Cant say that I still have mine. My first set of sockets, wrenches, and
screw drivers were Penncraft, JCPenneys. They came in the typical
plastic injection molded box. I still have all the tools, 1971.

That box was replaced by a Craftsman two drawer then a Kennedy, then the
Craftsman top and bottom box.

[russell...@yahoo.com]

On Monday, August 22, 2016 at 9:08:06 PM UTC-5, Leon wrote:
>
> And these are top notch tools that with daily use may
> never wear out.
>

> But for you and me just about any decent brand will do.

I have no doubt the top brand tools are top notch. But I only open my Craftsman tool box drawers about once a month. Not once a minute or hour. For holding my tools in between semi annual usage or less, they do very well. I am happy to have fine Craftsman tools. But most of them don't see the light of day very much.

[dpb]

On 08/23/2016 8:40 AM, G. Ross wrote:
...

> I still have my first tool box. It is 7 x 14 inches, made by Union Steel
> Chest Corp., LeRoy, N.Y. It had a curved or domed lid. The lid is
> crumpled down by my first daughter standing on it to watch me work. She
> is now 54.

While not "mine" in same since still have and use a couple that were
grandfather's, dating to at least 1914 which is when he and his brother
settled on the place here; had been renting farm ground earlier so it's
likley they came with him rather than were new at the time...

Several wrench sets are still mostly around and a set of Craftsman pipe
dies and another tap and die set date to probably the '20s...

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[Leon]

[Leon]

On 8/23/2016 10:11 AM, russell...@yahoo.com wrote:

I only have Craftsman and gasp, Penncraft, JCPenney from the early 70's.
Those are perfectly fine for us. ;~)

[DerbyDad03]

As opposed to a Monkey Wrench...

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4e/Monkey_and_Stillson_wrenches.png

[DerbyDad03]

On Tuesday, August 23, 2016 at 11:29:59 AM UTC-4, Leon wrote:

>
> I only have Craftsman and gasp, Penncraft, JCPenney from the early 70's.
> Those are perfectly fine for us. ;~)

I've been using the same hammer since the mid-70's. I've changed the head
twice and the handle three times, but it's still the same hammer. ;-)

[russell...@yahoo.com]

On Tuesday, August 23, 2016 at 6:39:55 AM UTC-5, Leon wrote:
> russell...@yahoo.com <russell...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> > A friend has the bigger, wider, larger Milwaukee tool boxes. The kind
> > you bought except twice as tall and twice as wide and twice as deep.
>
> Wow 120" tall and 36" deep, does he have it in a barn and use a ladder to
> get to the top box?
>

Guessing you have this Milwaukee toolbox.

https://www.milwaukeetool.com/hand-tools/storage/48-22-8530

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-30-in-12-Drawer-Steel-Tool-Storage-Chest-and-Rolling-Cabinet-Set-Textured-Red-and-Black-Matte-48-22-8530/206696101

My friend has this one. At Home Depot.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-46-in-16-Drawer-Tool-Chest-and-Rolling-Cabinet-Set-Red-and-Black-48-22-8510-8520/206126307?cm_mmc=Shopping%7cTHD%7cG%7c0%7cG-BASE-PLA-D25T-Tools%7c&gclid=CIb094Pt184CFQuMaQodQLYD5w&gclsrc=aw.ds

My friend's is about 4 feet wide, 6 feet high, 2 feet deep. Yours is about 3.25 feet wide, 5.5 feet high, 1.5 feet deep. Not twice as big. Just 1.5 times bigger. But if you see it in person you would say its twice as big. 19,200 cubic inches storage compared to 27,200 inches storage. $300 price difference.

[Leon]

On 8/23/2016 10:39 AM, russell...@yahoo.com wrote:
> On Tuesday, August 23, 2016 at 6:39:55 AM UTC-5, Leon wrote:
>> russell...@yahoo.com <russell...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>>> A friend has the bigger, wider, larger Milwaukee tool boxes. The
>>> kind you bought except twice as tall and twice as wide and twice
>>> as deep.
>>
>> Wow 120" tall and 36" deep, does he have it in a barn and use a
>> ladder to get to the top box?
>>
>
> Guessing you have this Milwaukee toolbox.

I had it for two days. Then gave it to my son for his BD. :~)

>
> https://www.milwaukeetool.com/hand-tools/storage/48-22-8530
>
> http://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-30-in-12-Drawer-Steel-Tool-Storage-Chest-and-Rolling-Cabinet-Set-Textured-Red-and-Black-Matte-48-22-8530/206696101
>
> My friend has this one. At Home Depot.

I am seriously looking at the 46" for myself to replace my Craftsman
26". At my local HD I also found a display and boxed 52" Husky. NOT
the regular Husky, built very much like the Milwaukee. Same casters as
the Milwaukee. Same soft close drawers, Some type peg board style
panel on the back, 2 breakered and USB multi outlets, Black wrinkle
paint and gloss black drawer pulls. Rated for 2500 lbs. and 120 lb rated
drawers and a 5 year warranty. And IIRC 20" deep drawers as opposed to
16". 35,757 cu. in of storage... Huge.
Same price as the 46" Milwaukee. I cannot find any information on
that particular 52" Husky, it is $100 more than the regular 52" Huskys.

>
> http://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-46-in-16-Drawer-Tool-Chest-and-Rolling-Cabinet-Set-Red-and-Black-48-22-8510-8520/206126307?cm_mmc=Shopping%7cTHD%7cG%7c0%7cG-BASE-PLA-D25T-Tools%7c&gclid=CIb094Pt184CFQuMaQodQLYD5w&gclsrc=aw.ds
>
> My friend's is about 4 feet wide, 6 feet high, 2 feet deep. Yours
> is about 3.25 feet wide, 5.5 feet high, 1.5 feet deep. Not twice as
> big. Just 1.5 times bigger. But if you see it in person you would
> say its twice as big. 19,200 cubic inches storage compared to 27,200
> inches storage. $300 price difference.
>

My son's 30" was $500 the 46 is $700.

[Leon]

SOB that 46 just went up to $750 from yesterday.

[russell...@yahoo.com]

> SOB that 46 just went up to $750 from yesterday.

Prices in my links above from Home Depot are $749 and $448 for the 30 inch and 46 inch Milwaukee tool boxes. Might be different on the floor of the store.

[russell...@yahoo.com]

On Tuesday, August 23, 2016 at 2:31:26 PM UTC-5, Leon wrote:
> I am seriously looking at the 46" for myself to replace my Craftsman
> 26". At my local HD I also found a display and boxed 52" Husky. NOT
> the regular Husky, built very much like the Milwaukee. Same casters as
> the Milwaukee. Same soft close drawers, Some type peg board style
> panel on the back, 2 breakered and USB multi outlets, Black wrinkle
> paint and gloss black drawer pulls. Rated for 2500 lbs. and 120 lb rated
> drawers and a 5 year warranty. And IIRC 20" deep drawers as opposed to
> 16". 35,757 cu. in of storage... Huge.
> Same price as the 46" Milwaukee. I cannot find any information on
> that particular 52" Husky, it is $100 more than the regular 52" Huskys.
>

I would not be surprised if Milwaukee, Craftsman, DeWalt, Lowes, Home Depot all have their tool boxes built by the same one or two companies in China, Malaysia, Vietnam. One or two companies make all the good tool boxes. One or two other companies make the lesser grade tool boxes. All the boxes by these companies come from the same place. All are pretty much identical. Except Orange Home Depot, Red Milwaukee, Yellow DeWalt, Red Craftsman, Blue Lowes. Does Home Depot also make a black box?

[Leon]

I just returned from Home Depot. Lowe's Kobalt are either blue or
stainless steel. IIRC the Stainless Steel are the better grade of box
but I was not impressed. The ball bearing slides were crotchety on all
three of the boxes that I looked at.

Actually Porter Cable has a box that is grey and black and lools like
the Milwaukee and DeWalt.

Home Depot boxes/ Husky are black.

I rearranged my garage this morning. Some how my 3 car garage was more
crowded than my old 2 car, and no new equipment so to speak.
Anyway I needed to see if I could fit in a 46" box and I ended up with
an additional 80" of wall space. So I thought I might look at the HD
Husky 52". This particular one was a lot like the Milwaukee. Wrinkle
paint, soft close drawers and deeper drawers than the regular 52" Husky.

Closer inspection revealed a less stout/robust bottom. Caster bolted to
sheet metal rather than 6 gauge "L" brackets all around the bottom and
crossing in two extra places for the casters. I spied the China country
of origin label on the box. AND it has some gimmicky bright black stick
on trim. Nice box but I think the Milwaukee will let me sleep better at
night.

AND from yesterday to today the Milwaukee went up from $698 to $749.
I easily talked them into letting me buy it for yesterdays price. When
they pulled my name up they were happy to see that I had also bought the
30" Milwaukee last week. :~)

[Leon]

I paid $497 for the 30" in stock. The 46" Milwaukee are strictly
special order,5~10 days. Expected on the 31st.

I got the 46 for $698.

[krw]

On Tue, 23 Aug 2016 07:34:17 -0500, Leon <lcb11211@swbelldotnet>
wrote:

Aspirin, Xerox, Band-Aid,...

[krw]

Might just as well buy HF, now. Craftsman isn't any better.

[krw]

The Milwaukee and DeWalt boxes look similar but quite different from
HF, Lowes, or the HD boxes.

I bought a box last Christmas for the garage. It's normal price was
$400 but the Black Friday sale (that lasted the month of December) had
it for $250. It's really quite a nice box. The drawer bearings are
quite good and it's heavy enough.

<http://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-27-in-W-16-Drawer-Tool-Chest-and-Cabinet-Set-H9CH3-H7TR3/204737248>

[krw]

On Tue, 23 Aug 2016 09:25:51 -0500, Leon <lcb11211@swbelldotnet>
wrote:

I still have my first screwdriver, from '65 and a hammer from '71.
Still my favorite.

[Unknown]

krw <k...@somewhere.com> wrote in
news:lm1qrbp9eq01sn6cg...@4ax.com:

>
> Might just as well buy HF, now. Craftsman isn't any better.

HF has a gem or two in their toolboxes. One of the larger ones that
usually sells for around $380 or so is one of them. I've got two, one
under my little lathe. The drawers move easily and accurately and it's
good quality metal.

Puckdropper

[Leon]

You know I shopped the HF boxes last week. Their boxes are really not
much less expensive than the competitions.

This one,
http://www.harborfreight.com/44-in-13-drawer-glossy-red-industrial-roller-cabinet-68784.html

and this one,
http://www.harborfreight.com/44-in-8-drawer-glossy-red-roller-cabinet-top-chest-68787.html

Heavier duty than many but my local HD has a Husky with almost as much
weight capacity in a 52" for $699. 2500lb capacity and the smaller
drawers are rated at 120 lbs. Plus a 5 year warranty. They have two in
stock but I could not find it on line.

And I prefer the clam shell top which is the direction many are going.
I really thought HF had the lowest prices but for just a fraction more
you get at least equal.

[J. Clarke]

In article <lm1qrbp9eq01sn6cg...@4ax.com>,
k...@somewhere.com says...

I have a Harbor Freight flare nut wrench that slips on various fittings.
So I figured I'd upgrade to Craftsman. Theirs slipped too. Finally I
bit the bullet and shelld out the 30 bucks for a Snap-On for the size I
most commonly encounter. It slips too.

[russell...@yahoo.com]

On Tuesday, August 23, 2016 at 7:57:12 PM UTC-5, Leon wrote:

> I paid $497 for the 30" in stock. The 46" Milwaukee are strictly
> special order,5~10 days. Expected on the 31st.
>
> I got the 46 for $698.

$1200 left at Home Depot in a week. You are definitely on their Christmas Card list for the rest of your life.

$1200 for tool boxes. The times have changed. Close to 25 years ago I spent $500 on a USA made Delta Contractor saw. Thought that was a fair amount of money. Now it would just get you one tool box storage container to store the thousands and thousands of dollars of real tools.

[Leon]

And this morning I noticed that the 30" Milwaukee box cropped from $499
to $449.

I have already send this information to my CC company. They give me
price protection credit up to $500.

[Leon]

Perhaps you are using the wrong sized wrench. 3 in a row and different
brands slipping sounds like the wrong sized tool.

[Scott Lurndal]

Leon <lcb11211@swbelldotnet> writes:
>On 8/24/2016 12:01 PM, russell...@yahoo.com wrote:
>> On Tuesday, August 23, 2016 at 7:57:12 PM UTC-5, Leon wrote:
>>
>>> I paid $497 for the 30" in stock. The 46" Milwaukee are strictly
>>> special order,5~10 days. Expected on the 31st.
>>>
>>> I got the 46 for $698.
>>
>> $1200 left at Home Depot in a week. You are definitely on their
>> Christmas Card list for the rest of your life.
>>
>> $1200 for tool boxes. The times have changed. Close to 25 years ago
>> I spent $500 on a USA made Delta Contractor saw. Thought that was a
>> fair amount of money. Now it would just get you one tool box storage
>> container to store the thousands and thousands of dollars of real
>> tools.
>>
>
>
>And this morning I noticed that the 30" Milwaukee box cropped from $499
>to $449.

To take to a jobsite, I'd probably use a knaack box. Their data vault
series are quite useful, per my contractor buddy.

For the shop, there is nothing more satisfying than making ones own.

IIRC, it used to be a requirement for an apprentice to build his own
toolbox before graduating to journeyman.

[Leon]

On 8/24/2016 2:52 PM, Scott Lurndal wrote:
> Leon <lcb11211@swbelldotnet> writes:
>> On 8/24/2016 12:01 PM, russell...@yahoo.com wrote:
>>> On Tuesday, August 23, 2016 at 7:57:12 PM UTC-5, Leon wrote:
>>>
>>>> I paid $497 for the 30" in stock. The 46" Milwaukee are strictly
>>>> special order,5~10 days. Expected on the 31st.
>>>>
>>>> I got the 46 for $698.
>>>
>>> $1200 left at Home Depot in a week. You are definitely on their
>>> Christmas Card list for the rest of your life.
>>>
>>> $1200 for tool boxes. The times have changed. Close to 25 years ago
>>> I spent $500 on a USA made Delta Contractor saw. Thought that was a
>>> fair amount of money. Now it would just get you one tool box storage
>>> container to store the thousands and thousands of dollars of real
>>> tools.
>>>
>>
>>
>> And this morning I noticed that the 30" Milwaukee box cropped from $499
>> to $449.
>
> To take to a jobsite, I'd probably use a knaack box. Their data vault
> series are quite useful, per my contractor buddy.

Yes, this is true if you will be there several days. I do most of my
work in my shop 95% of the time.
Almost all metal rollaround tool chests have been geared towards the
mechanic. It seems only in the last few years that the box makers have
begun to include woodworkers. Probably why you see Milwaukee, DeWalt,
and Porter Cable with their own versions now.

> For the shop, there is nothing more satisfying than making ones own.

Well it certainly saves money. When I was looking to upgrade for the
first time 10 years ago I built this one. Back then a box similar to
the one I have ordered but a bit smaller was north of $1000.00

https://www.flickr.com/photos/lcb11211/29130720091/in/album-72157630857421932/

I also have an under bench 6 drawer cabinet that I build a yer or so
ago. Nothing nearly as nice as the one pictured above.
My Craftsman stacked boxes did not fare well when we moved 5 years ago
and we used a box truck with lift gate. The one above did fine and is a
valuable storage chest in my shop.

This time around I have too many people waiting for me to build so I am
buying a replacement for the Craftsman.

[Leon]

On 8/24/2016 4:08 PM, Leon wrote:
> On 8/24/2016 2:52 PM, Scott Lurndal wrote:

> and Porter Cable with their own versions now.
>
>
>> For the shop, there is nothing more satisfying than making ones own.
>
> Well it certainly saves money. When I was looking to upgrade for the
> first time 10 years ago I built this one. Back then a box similar to
> the one I have ordered but a bit smaller was north of $1000.00
>
> https://www.flickr.com/photos/lcb11211/29130720091/in/album-72157630857421932/

I meant to include this one.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/lcb11211/29130713541/in/album-72157630857421932/

[DerbyDad03]

I guess you don't subscribe to Adam Savage's theory that "Drawers are where
things go to die." ;-)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWQAYfGxsPE

[krw]

On 24 Aug 2016 03:48:23 GMT, Puckdropper

I was specifically talking about sockets, ratchets, and wrenches but
sure, some of their boxes are pretty nice (even if not pretty ;-).

[Leon]

No I do not. I know where everything is at.

[Bill]

That guy has too many pliers, grabbers and cutters... ; )
I sort of subscribe to the drawer theory though--"out of sight, out of
mind".
I related thought I preach is "if you don't know where it is, what good
is it?".

[Unknown]

krw <k...@somewhere.com> wrote in news:ptksrbh2ccmvml00psic6qrpr6a5putag6@
4ax.com:

In either case, be sure to give them a few simple tests in the store.
Open the drawers or spin the ratchets and see how nicely they work. You
may not get the Craftsman warranty, but a life time warranty doesn't mean
anything if you don't get a servicable tool in return.

Aside: has anyone tried Kobalt's Lifetime Warranty? Do they require a
receipt?

Puckdropper

[Scott Lurndal]

And there is always the p-touch label maker...

[dpb]

On 08/24/2016 4:11 PM, Leon wrote:
...

> I meant to include this one.
>
> https://www.flickr.com/photos/lcb11211/29130713541/in/album-72157630857421932/

I like the chest, Leon; the single-board for the drawer fronts is nice
touch.

Do you have dimensions handy? I've knocked together similar but not
taken time to actually make something that looks like anything as yet,
but have thoughts along those lines... :)



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[Leon]

Yes!

The box,
56.5" tall. 43.5" wide, 24.5" deep.

That sits on a fixed mobile base, the black bottom, and casters. The
base and casters are 7" tall

The box opening,
50.5" tall, 39.5" wide

The drawers, top to bottom, over all height, not actual storage depth,

3", 3.125", 4.75", 4.75", 4.75", 4.75", 7", 8", 9"

[dpb]

On 08/26/2016 10:17 AM, Leon wrote:
> On 8/25/2016 8:30 AM, dpb wrote:

...

>> Do you have dimensions handy? ...

> The box,
> 56.5" tall. 43.5" wide, 24.5" deep.
>
> That sits on a fixed mobile base, the black bottom, and casters. The
> base and casters are 7" tall
>
> The box opening,
> 50.5" tall, 39.5" wide
>
> The drawers, top to bottom, over all height, not actual storage depth,
>
> 3", 3.125", 4.75", 4.75", 4.75", 4.75", 7", 8", 9"

Thanks, noted! (Not that it'll get built this afternoon... :) )

I had guessed roughly that size but was curious...

Out of curiosity, what'd you use for the drawer bottoms; those could
hold a fair amount of weight...

[Leon]

On 8/26/2016 12:48 PM, dpb wrote:
> On 08/26/2016 10:17 AM, Leon wrote:
>> On 8/25/2016 8:30 AM, dpb wrote:
> ...
>
>>> Do you have dimensions handy? ...
>
>> The box,
>> 56.5" tall. 43.5" wide, 24.5" deep.
>>
>> That sits on a fixed mobile base, the black bottom, and casters. The
>> base and casters are 7" tall
>>
>> The box opening,
>> 50.5" tall, 39.5" wide
>>
>> The drawers, top to bottom, over all height, not actual storage depth,
>>
>> 3", 3.125", 4.75", 4.75", 4.75", 4.75", 7", 8", 9"
>
> Thanks, noted! (Not that it'll get built this afternoon... :) )
>
> I had guessed roughly that size but was curious...
>
> Out of curiosity, what'd you use for the drawer bottoms; those could
> hold a fair amount of weight...

1/4" birch plywood. On the deepest drawers I reinforced by screwing in
narrow strips of Ipe under the bottom of the drawer bottoms, in thirds
front to back. Pocket holes in the narrow strips to tie into the drawer
fronts and backs.

FWIW in 1990, when remodeling our kitchen, I stood on top of a similar
sized kitchen drawer bottom to prove to my wife that 1/4" was plenty to
hold her pots and pans.

[Sonny]

On Friday, August 26, 2016 at 1:22:01 PM UTC-5, Leon wrote:

> FWIW in 1990, when remodeling our kitchen, I stood on top of a similar
> sized kitchen drawer bottom to prove to my wife that 1/4" was plenty to
> hold her pots and pans.

Who would have thought Leon's wife would be questioning his work! LOL.

Sonny
I'm still laughing....
Maybe, back then, he didn't have so many green tools....
Or he didn't whistle, while he worked, so much.

[Leon]

You are a sharp one! :-)

[Casper]

Leon <lcb11211@swbelldotnet> was heard to mutter:

>Well it certainly saves money. When I was looking to upgrade for the
>first time 10 years ago I built this one. Back then a box similar to
>the one I have ordered but a bit smaller was north of $1000.00
>https://www.flickr.com/photos/lcb11211/29130720091/in/album-72157630857421932/

Now that is a toolchest! I would love to have one like that for my
good tools. That is truly a heriloom treasure.

I have a simple two-piece Craftsman. I use it for basic tools only.

>> IIRC, it used to be a requirement for an apprentice to build his own
>> toolbox before graduating to journeyman.

I've always thought that but never had the tools to make one. Still
don't really but I may try my hand at it one day.