OT: Any ideas for a garage tool cabinet?

[Louis]

Anyone care to recommend a tool cart / cabinet for my garage? Now that I have the GTV I'll be needing more tools up there. Right now I have two Craftsman cabinets (pic below) down in the basement workshop, one for the "regular" tools and the other for bike tools.

I just ordered a Rubbermaid service cart (pic below) to also put in the garage, and use for temporary storage of light stuff, for example as I unload groceries from the car, etc. Once I get rid of my radial arm saw I'll have space for a tool cart. I think something on rollers, giving me the option of moving it around, instead of a permanently installed cabinet, is the way to go. I don't think I need a fancy brand or model, just something decent.

Any ideas other than the Craftsman style I already have?

http://d3gqasl9vmjfd8.cloudfront.net/c3800097-e500-4ca0-829c-f9994bc06b03.jpg

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/412cllNNDhL._SX342_.jpg

[rePhil]

I almost can't bring myself to write the words "Harbor Freight"
But this one consistently gets good reviews.

http://www.harborfreight.com/five-drawer-service-cart-95272.html

A quick search will bring up a bunch of opinions on GJ :http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/search.php?searchid=18535950

[Louis]

I almost can't bring myself to write the words "Harbor Freight"
But this one consistently gets good reviews.

http://www.harborfreight.com/five-drawer-service-cart-95272.html

A quick search will bring up a bunch of opinions on GJ :http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/search.php?searchid=18535950

Thanks - I hadn't heard of that forum. Lots of good stuff there.

[Steve in SLO]

Be careful, Louis: You can lose hours in that forum.

[Louis]

Be careful, Louis: You can lose hours in that forum.

I don't know what you're talking about - that's never happened to me before...

(I just used it to figure out what creeper I should get. Lisle large wheel creeper has been ordered from Amazon.)

[Don49]

I almost can't bring myself to write the words "Harbor Freight"
But this one consistently gets good reviews.

http://www.harborfreight.com/five-drawer-service-cart-95272.html
That's the one I bought for my bike tools. But the price has gone up by $50 to $189. Still a good deal with the monthly 20% off coupon from HF, although very much a PITA to assembly as some of the holes don't line up so some force was required, wear gloves. But once together, all is forgiven.

[Ken Robb]

The ones COSTCO sells looked nice when my local store had them. They seem to be seasonal merchandise in stores but may be available year-round on-line whee shipping is usually free/included.

[carpediemracing]

Wow 120 lbs. Is that really the empty weight? I never moved one of these kind of things around empty, I just assumed all the tool boxes I ever used were heavy because of the tools.

[Louis]

Wow 120 lbs. Is that really the empty weight? I never moved one of these kind of things around empty, I just assumed all the tool boxes I ever used were heavy because of the tools.

I noticed that. Those things aren't wimpy (and the comments reflect that)

[4funbikes]

Though it does not answer your question directly;

There always seems to be good deals on these things around the holiday season.
I picked up my boxes last year right after the holidays and got the holiday+clearance+display model discount. Home Depot may have even paid me to take the boxes at that point!

Generally I'll let the best deal dictate what I end up with.

[F150]

Know anyone in the engineering profession? With the advent of CAD and servers, very little need for conventional flat files used for storage of drawings. Our firm has been slowly liquidating these. Typ. made to handle 24x36 or 30x42 sheets, so can be quite deep and drawers shallow. Upside is sturdy construction and smooth ball bearing drawers. Can probably find all you want for free...

[douglas]

My husband and I have one of those Harbor Freight tool carts in our shop. It's good and solid. I don't think it weighs 125 lbs but it's still well built. We have a Sears cart like what you've got and it's been around for a long long time. We also have an expensive, huge tool box/cart which holds most of our machinist's tools. The expensive one, as you would expect, is the best--very solid and the drawer slides are silky. The Craftsman and HF are comparable to each other although the HF is a new addition to the shop and I can't comment on its long term serviceability. The Sears has provided good service for probably 30 years. The HF has a welder sitting on it now while we wait on the dedicated cart we ordered for it. The drawers still open and the cart is easy to move around.

[54ny77]

If you have the space and don't need to move them around, steel lateral file cabinets make for awesome tool storage. I have several and found them to be incredibly useful (not to mention a fraction of cost of quality toolboxes). Keep your eyes peeled on craigslist, esp. liquidations by office building managers, and look for welded steel quality units (like HON or others) with huge steel ball bearing hinges and (this is important) welded-in adjustable feet in case your floor is a little off. You need that adjustability because the cabinet frame needs to be square so as to have the drawers aligned correctly (for visual appeal as well as proper function).

Typically, a quality (i.e., something that would be ~$1,500 new) 5-drawer unit in terrific shape will be in the $100-150 area. They are ridiculously heavy, but can also hold a huge amount of weight without flinching. I have a few with at least several hundred pounds in 'em. The only challenge is arranging for organization within the drawers. For most things, I use various tool bags as well as plastic bins roughly the size of shoe boxes.

And if you're feeling creative, you can paint the things to match whatever your preference (that's my upcoming winter project).

[sloar]

Peg boards for tool storage. A service cart to move wanted tools closer to project.

[HenryA]

Know anyone in the engineering profession? With the advent of CAD and servers, very little need for conventional flat files used for storage of drawings. Our firm has been slowly liquidating these. Typ. made to handle 24x36 or 30x42 sheets, so can be quite deep and drawers shallow. Upside is sturdy construction and smooth ball bearing drawers. Can probably find all you want for free...


Got any you need to get rid of now?
I'd love to have one or more. I'm local to you and have a truck.

[Ken Robb]

Current "Autoweek" has Harbor Freight ad with a coupon for the tool cart for $99.

[Louis]

Thanks Ken, I'll check it out.

[bjf]

Lowe's has some cabinets that stack on top of each other. I use one for tools, the other for parts.

[Ken Robb]

Thanks Ken, I'll check it out.

Send me your address and I'll cut the ad and send it to you.

[Louis]

Thanks for the offer, Ken, but that won't be necessary. If I go that route I'll find an AutoWeek.

[Ken Robb]

Thanks for the offer, Ken, but that won't be necessary. If I go that route I'll find an AutoWeek.

I see it is in other auto/motorcycle magazines as well.

[staggerwing]

No specifics, but pull up your local craigslist and type in "Vidmar."

I have one out of my father's shop that originally came out of the local GE jet engine works. It has seen two lifetimes of use, a complete roller bearing lubrication, and a coat of Hammerite, and she is ready for a third. Mine is on a roller base and houses all of my bike parts and tools. Mine is the same as the blue number on the left (Vidmar (http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/tls/4735424421.html))

[Louis]

Hmmmm, how much should I be willing to pay for quality?
(probably not this much)

[staggerwing]

Hmmmm, how much should I be willing to pay for quality?
(probably not this much)

Obviously new is not realistic. However, older pieces do show up on occasion through local sales and industrial auctions. Just a name to program into your mental radar.

[Louis]

I did find a few in the St Louis area, but the most promising one was probably bigger than what I need. However, it was affordable ($250 for 30x60)

https://stlouis.craigslist.org/tls/4703088812.html

Edit: I know what you mean about quality for stuff like this - we have quite a few similar units at work. When you open a drawer it's like swinging open a bank vault door - smooth and heavy.

[rw229]

Agreed. And if you want to step it up to a big box... outstanding box for the money...

http://www.harborfreight.com/tool-storage/tool-chests-roller-cabinets/44-in-13-drawer-glossy-red-industrial-roller-cabinet-69387.html



I almost can't bring myself to write the words "Harbor Freight"
But this one consistently gets good reviews.

http://www.harborfreight.com/five-drawer-service-cart-95272.html

A quick search will bring up a bunch of opinions on GJ :http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/search.php?searchid=18535950