Wooden Toolbox Choice

Hi all.

I'm in the market for a nice wood tool box to hold sone of my nicer tools and occasionally transport them between workplaces.

Vintage would be nice, or a good new one. (Gerstner prices are beyond my pocket though)..

What's the choice, and what are the best ones to go for?

Any dealers out there. I'd prefer to avoid Ebay and blimmin Etsy..

Thanks all.

Machine Mart do one £138. I have one from Orvis with my fly tying kit in, more expensive and not particularly great quality.

I had a look at the machine mart ones and was not impressed.

Poor quality. To be honest I'd rather pay more for something older and better quality.

Last year, in either ME or MEW, a guy was advertising bespoke oak toolmakers chests at what I considered reasonable cost.

Sorry, but that's all the help I can be.

I don't think oak is a good idea for storing steel tools. Something to do with the tannin in the wood?

Eclipse used to sell some of their tools in wooden boxes, beech if I remember correctly.

Best regards,

Swarf, Mostly!

could make one

Oak, dovetail joints, etc? That would take a lot of learning and tools. No time. I'd have to start from scratch, although it would be very satisfying. Sadly it's not my major malfunction. I just want to store quality tools nicely and safely, and I'm prepared to pay a decent amount.

Chronos Tools, in Dunstable, used to sell nice looking ones. A few years ago they were selling some that were a bit sub-standard at reduced price. It may be worth asking if they still have any. There are none on their web-site now, possibly because there not happy with some from that batch. Still worth asking, they always struck me as a decent bunch.

Dick

Why does it have to be wood? There are plenty of usable and sensibly priced metal toolboxes meant for mechanics. I've had one of THESE for years, and have used it for several different types of tools. It currently has my most used body work gear in it - several different hammers and dollies, marking tools, snips, clecos and a selection of abrasives.

I've always considered the wooden tool-chests with drawers are for smaller tools - marking-out instruments, small taps and dies, carbide insert sets, small model parts, etc., etc, not for heavy things better off in steel or heavy-duty plastic boxes, the latter of the sort you can buy in the builders' merchants.

Certainly mine (all second-hand!) are - but it's a matter of what fits best where.

Oak? No. It is acidic, indeed it should not be fastened together with mild-steel screws.

I have had several metal tool boxes over the years, from multi-thousand pound Snap-On monoliths, to little Clarke chests, and now I find I have a small selection of very good tools that I'd quite like to keep in a nice wood chest. It's for aesthetics rather than practicality now. Pleasure of ownership. I am just a little disappointed that I can't go to a British maker for such a tool chest to be purchased new. I'd like to spend decent money for a well built item that will last, but I may have to buy secondhand to get what I want.

If anyone knows of a really good quality chest, or would sell me a well loved one, I'd be very grateful..

Someone did this in the last 6 months and got rusty tools for his trouble.

US Pro do a set, but at the price, I'm guessing that they will only be of a similar quality to Clarke/Machine mart.
https://usprotoolboxes.com/product/us-pro-tools-wood-tool-box-chest-cabinet/

Bill

Hi Gaunless, Amozon have this walnut one, Sealey AP 1608W Machinist tool box with eight draws.

Regards Nick.

Edited By Nicholas Farr on 04/06/2022 07:03:06

Edited By JasonB on 04/06/2022 13:13:01

I bought a metal box years ago, looks like a Halfords, in black, almost new condition. Lovely box in regular usage. Also have two traditional English style engineers toolboxes, very nice, often used, mainly storage. Have several of the old barn type steel boxes for large spanners, hammers etc.

Thoroughly recommend the first three mentioned by me.

John

Neslein, Union, Emir and Moore & Wright are classic British makers but none in current production. Used and restored are often available on eBay and other online sites. Gerstner have produced a budget version of their boxes but not made in America as far as I know and the ones I have looked at were well short of the high standard of the top of the range boxes, probably value for money though. A box in good order will cost a fair bit but compared to a new Gerstner will be more affordable.

Mike

Edited By Mike Poole on 04/06/2022 10:27:02

In the 60s when I had some waiting time, I used my idle time making toolboxes, nothing complex and made out of metal...al alloy. The end panels were csk. riveted into place, and there was a option of a tool tray. My girlfriend's Father was the paint shop foreman, so I could get toolboxes painted "...whatever was in the spray gun". In the high point I made seven or eight in a day. From memory they were about five bob a pop. I had a few one of them was all the tooling to make them, folding tools, piano hinges (not hardware hinges but special ones) riveting sets etc

There's probably an opportunity there for someone........

cheers

Bill

Yes I'm sorry I mentioned my metal toolboxes in a wooden toolbox thread, but it occurred to me that someone might be sparked by something............

cheers

Bill

Gaunless, you have a PM.

Sandy

Yes, the tannin in Oak can cause corrosion.

Most of my measuring tools are stored in a red painted metal tool box, bought from Machine Mart, a very long tome ago.

It has a narrow top drawer which moves to and fro as the lid is opened, and three sliding full width drawers beneath.

The sliding drawers are held closed until the lid id fully open. The lid is closed by two toggle clips, and can be locked.

It has sufficient capacity that when full, it can hardly be lifted by the handle in the middle of the lid.

Rather utilitarian compared to a proper wooden toolmakers cabinet, but it does the job..

Howard