Harbor Freight Wooden Tool Chest

[OakIris]

Oh! the work area is specifically what I thought might be painted...

Maybe it is leatherette after all.

The wood has such a nice patina too!

I THINK it is all leatherette, but I will find out when I get it. I would remove the leatherette if it was an easy thing to do but I am afraid it would leave quite a mess, having been, presumably, glued to the wood, so I will probably leave it alone. It is original to the tool box, so authentic for the time period in which it was made.

 

In your other post you mentioned the inserts and I forgot to comment on that. I am not sure I will be using inserts, if you mean the pen display inserts/tray liners that you can get from Go Pens (and perhaps other places.) Thus far I am planning to use the chest for my tools and other pen paraphernalia, not for pen storage. I don't have that many pens so my current storage (a nice cigar box with three layers) is adequate. My dip pens are on the bottom and I still have room in the top two layers for more fountain pens. Guess it depends on how much room is left in the chest after I have put all of the "pen stuff" I have now in it, and how many more pens might somehow find their way home to me.

 

Holly

[stevlight]

OK here are the pics:

 

The smiley face in the mirror was a happy accident--it is a hot air balloon model I built for a book that never got published--it is hanging in my work room and got reflected in the mirror!

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8304/8021351319_7c63580233.jpg

 

This top part will hold the embossing tool that is in there, some clamps and my dremel--which was out on my work table when the pic was taken.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8441/8021351495_050f195c3b.jpg

 

I love the drawers with the dividers --and you can take them out and customize them!

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8030/8021351727_148ec38f9a.jpg

 

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8441/8021351965_9baf2102cb.jpg

 

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8031/8021352123_488df8369f.jpg

 

 

Very happy with this. It will keep my pen working tools safe AND saw dust free!!

 

For $80 bucks I am very happy!!

Edited September 24, 2012 by stevlight

[N2theBreach]

Oh! the work area is specifically what I thought might be painted...

Maybe it is leatherette after all.

The wood has such a nice patina too!

I THINK it is all leatherette, but I will find out when I get it. I would remove the leatherette if it was an easy thing to do but I am afraid it would leave quite a mess, having been, presumably, glued to the wood, so I will probably leave it alone. It is original to the tool box, so authentic for the time period in which it was made.

 

 

Holly

 

I also think that if you remove the leatherette, even if there is no glue, the wood underneath it would be a different color from the rest because it was protected from light.

Edited September 25, 2012 by N2theBreach

[OakIris]

OK here are the pics:

 

The smiley face in the mirror was a happy accident--it is a hot air balloon model I built for a book that never got published--it is hanging in my work room and got reflected in the mirror!

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8304/8021351319_7c63580233.jpg

 

This top part will hold the embossing tool that is in there, some clamps and my dremel--which was out on my work table when the pic was taken.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8441/8021351495_050f195c3b.jpg

 

I love the drawers with the dividers --and you can take them out and customize them!

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8030/8021351727_148ec38f9a.jpg

 

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8441/8021351965_9baf2102cb.jpg

 

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8031/8021352123_488df8369f.jpg

 

 

Very happy with this. It will keep my pen working tools safe AND saw dust free!!

 

For $80 bucks I am very happy!!

That looks very nice indeed, stevlight. Those dividers are a nice touch, too. (My chest doesn't have the dividers, ) It looks as if the tool chest will work out perfectly for you, and the price was excellent as well.

 

I am hoping for the same luck with mine. My chest actually arrived today but I probably won't be able to set it up until my day off on Wednesday.

 

Holly

[pen2paper]

Looks like you both did well! Vintage, and Harbor Freight..

If the one I'd seen at HF had looked like that, would have bought it too.

[OakIris]

Oh! the work area is specifically what I thought might be painted...

Maybe it is leatherette after all.

The wood has such a nice patina too!

I THINK it is all leatherette, but I will find out when I get it. I would remove the leatherette if it was an easy thing to do but I am afraid it would leave quite a mess, having been, presumably, glued to the wood, so I will probably leave it alone. It is original to the tool box, so authentic for the time period in which it was made.

 

 

Holly

 

I also think that if you remove the leatherette, even if there is no glue, the wood underneath it would be a different color from the rest because it was protected from light.

I agree - I have no plans to remove the leatherette. It is in good shape and who knows what the wood under it would like after an attempt to remove the covering. (I did manage to tear it a bit on the front interior trying to put the front piece back into its grooves on the bottom - one side had come loose, presumably due to vibrations during shipping. :embarrassed_smile: It is hardly noticeable but, of course I notice it because it was my screw up...)

 

Looks like you both did well! Vintage, and Harbor Freight.

If the one I'd seen at HF had looked like that, would have bought it too.

+1

 

Holly

[tenney]

OK here are the pics:

...

Very happy with this. It will keep my pen working tools safe AND saw dust free!!

For $80 bucks I am very happy!!

I'm glad to see the Harbor Freight unit as you received it, and that you're happy with it. The earlier comments of folks seeing it in the store, and from their website made it seem less attractive than do your pics.

[CaptainGroovy]

Holly, I am with you about the cost of the Gerstner chests. While they are lovely, the price hurts my head! But, and I don't know if this is even something in which you would be interested, I just saw on their site that they have a Gerstner kit priced at $249. I may actually look into this one!

 

Gerstner Tool Chest Kit

 

Beachbum the Gerstner kits look interesting the one thing that bothers me is they don't say where they are cut out from. Gerstner a few years back started having a few of their tool boxes made in China for a cheaper alternative to compete with the Sams Club \ Harbor Freight knock offs. Garrett Wade is selling them under the name of Gerstner International. One of the ways they have cheapened the product is they are using Red Oak instead of White Oak, while they are both Oak it like comparing a bottle of Opus 1 and 2 Buck Chuck, they are both wine and contain alcohol but that's it. Don't get me wrong I think Red Oak tool chests are a value overall. The one feature I would not get is the split drawers because of how it designed regardless of what material it made of upto and including steel. The problem is the split drawers are only supported with a piece of wood hanging down from above so over time the split drawers will sag to the middle especially if they have any weight in them. So in general you are better with full width drawers unless the area of the tool chest that has the split drawers is boxed out.

[tmenyc]

I've seen it, and as a longtime user of HF stuff, will say that it is what it is...a box with drawers that will work well if you have HF expectations for it and don't move it around a lot. The hinges are questionable, the wood is veneer over something. I wouldn't travel with it loaded, for sure. For that price you can get a nice artbin box or a fishing tackle box of much higher quality and durability.

 

Tim

[stevlight]

I've seen it, and as a longtime user of HF stuff, will say that it is what it is...a box with drawers that will work well if you have HF expectations for it and don't move it around a lot. The hinges are questionable, the wood is veneer over something. I wouldn't travel with it loaded, for sure. For that price you can get a nice artbin box or a fishing tackle box of much higher quality and durability.

 

The one I have is not veneer but solid wood--what kind of wood--I can not say but it is real wood not press board or anything. the hinges seem solid to me. The bottoms of the drawers are masonite but like I said, I am not putting alot of weight in them. I may carry mine to a Big Apple Pen Club meeting just to show it off!!

[MikeW]

I should take a picture of my Gerstner chest. FYI, I had David Collins of Collins Woodcrafting make custom inserts that fit/display the pens in the drawers that I use for pens.

 

He also makes Gerstner cases with inserts as well as cigar cases, etc. that can be seen here:

 

http://collinswoodcrafting.com/Displays-Collectors-Chests-C47653.aspx?sid=4357

 

I am not affiliated or related to this business, I am just a satisfied customer.

 

Cheers!

MikeW

[OakIris]

I should take a picture of my Gerstner chest. FYI, I had David Collins of Collins Woodcrafting make custom inserts that fit/display the pens in the drawers that I use for pens.

 

He also makes Gerstner cases with inserts as well as cigar cases, etc. that can be seen here:

 

http://collinswoodcrafting.com/Displays-Collectors-Chests-C47653.aspx?sid=4357

 

I am not affiliated or related to this business, I am just a satisfied customer.

 

Cheers!

MikeW

I would love to see pictures of your Gerstner chest; I need to take some of mine as well... Do you use your tool chest for pen storage only, or for tools as well?

 

You said that David Collins "makes Gerstner cases...." Do you mean he buys the kits and puts them together or....? To my untrained eye, the chests he has photographed on his site look just like the HF and Grizzly tool chests discussed in this thread. I can't imagine that he buys the expensive Gerstner chests, modifies them, and then sells them at a steep discount, but if so, that is wonderful!

 

Anyway, I would be interested in knowing more about the pen display inserts he makes, but couldn't locate any information about them on his site, nor any way to buy them except with the purchase of one of the chests.

 

Holly

[MikeW]

Hi Everyone,

 

As you would have seen from the link to Collins Woodworking above, the owner, David Collins, produces a number of styles of pen cases - whether Gerstner - style or cigar boxes. I contacted David because I have a Gerstner chest - top and bottom - and I wanted to see if he would make the inserts for me, to which he agreed. As David is in the US and I am in Canada, the shipping cost was an important consideration. Since the inserts are basically foam that is coloured/dyed, the weight for shipping was not a big concern.

 

So, I provided David with the dimensions of the drawers that I am using for pens and he calculated the maximum number of inserts - that would hold over 1,000 pens. I looked at the drawers and number in each drawer and decided on sufficient inserts to hold 300 - 400 pens. This leaves the very deepest drawers in the bottom of the lower chest to hold my ink collection that is well over 200 bottles! I have yet to put the various pens in the chest as I also need to decide on which pens that I want to display more openly. I think it will look terrific - if I ever get it organized the way that it should be!!

 

I have attached some pictures of my Gerstner chest with the inserts that David prepared for me. I gave David the instructions on the maximum size pens I wanted to store - I have used this maximum size in a couple of the drawers but not all. I also had a choice of colour for the insert.

 

This first picture shows one of the drawers in the top part of the chest - the insert was made by David based on my measurements. In this top level drawer there is only room for one tray of pens.

 

 

This second picture is another picture of a drawer in the top level that only holds one tray of pens.

 

 

This third picture shows the insert in the third and final drawer on the top level of the chest.

 

 

Moving to the bottom level drawers there are a couple of wide and deep drawers in the bottom level. When I say deep, I mean that these drawers can hold at least two trays of pens. This picture is a photo of the top tray - and there would be another insert below it. This top tray is easily removed to add/view pens in the second tray in this drawer.

 

 

Finally, this is a picture of one of the trays in one of the deep drawers in the lower level of the chest. If you look at the side of the drawer, you can see that these drawers are easily deep enough to hold at least two trays of pens.

 

 

The two or three drawers in the bottom of the chest (not pictured because they hold ink) could easily hold at least 3 trays.

 

I think that these inserts and their shipping cost was just over $300.

 

I hope that you find this useful.

 

Cheers!

MikeW

Edited October 19, 2012 by MikeW

[tmenyc]

Kennedy makes some very nice machinist toolboxes. Not cheap new, but you can find them used pretty reasonable sometimes.

 

I also have a Kennedy case. It was my late father-in-law's father's, from 1940. I restored it and use it for a lot of my tools for my other hobby, scale modeling. Much as I love it, it is stationary ... Can't imagine lugging that thing around with pen stuff. That big boy is HEAVY.

 

Tim

[OakIris]

Wow, Mike, your set up is really nice - and it looks as if you have some wonderful pens, too. I don't even have even close to 100 pens so having a storage chest that can potentially hold 1000 pens - or 400 pens and 200 bottles of ink - must be amazing. You must have a Gerstner chest and base to have that many drawers available. Any chance that we could get a photo of the front of the chest and base so that we can see what it looks like? I am in awe!

 

Tim - very cool that you are using your father-in-law's tool chest from the 1940's; any pictures you would be willing to share? I was tempted by these when Tommy posted about his but decided I wanted a wooden tool chest instead. I can't imagine that either the Kennedy machinist tool chests or the Gerstner machinist tool chests were actually designed to be carried around frequently, despite the fact that handles were included. Were there "traveling machinists?" I have no idea, but I would think most machinists worked out of a shop and their tools remained neatly stored in their more-or-less permanently placed tool chests. Any of these chests full of tools would be quite heavy and rather unwieldy to move around - though Ron apparently takes his HF tool chest to pen shows so obviously it is doable!

 

Holly

Edited October 19, 2012 by OakIris

[tmenyc]

Holly -- yes, that Kennedy chest was part of what made my workspace work...

 

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8049/8102633954_e488c40e91.jpghttp://farm9.staticflickr.com/8193/8102634902_01e2e53c2d.jpg

 

the space is in the room that our daughters grew up in, become my work/hobby/solo space. The little artbin box in front of the Kennedy is where most of my pen-only stuff is. Tools are generally shared across hobbies, but I travel with the ArtBin.

 

Tim

[tenney]

Argh... Organized work space... No... No... Not that.

[notbob]

If you want wood and wanna wow yer pen peers, yer gonna hafta pay the piper.

 

OTOH, if you want serious utility, get on ebay and look for a used Kennedy model 520 7-drawer machinist chest. It's their smallest box like a Gerstner and while not wood, they are solid steel with ball-bearing drawer slides and will last till the Second Coming. I jes saw an ugly 7-drawer on ebay for under $50. Looked OLD and ratty, but paint fixes all and when them HFs and Gerstners is sawdust, that Kennedy will still be resisting nuke-u-lar blasts, p-sue-nam-ees, and Aztec arm-O-get-it-ons.

 

Or, get a plastic king-O-the-bass-master-kings tackle box and never leave it in the sun. UV rays will kill it within 2-3 yrs, but they're cheap.

[OakIris]

If you want wood and wanna wow yer pen peers, yer gonna hafta pay the piper.

 

OTOH, if you want serious utility, get on ebay and look for a used Kennedy model 520 7-drawer machinist chest. It's their smallest box like a Gerstner and while not wood, they are solid steel with ball-bearing drawer slides and will last till the Second Coming. I jes saw an ugly 7-drawer on ebay for under $50. Looked OLD and ratty, but paint fixes all and when them HFs and Gerstners is sawdust, that Kennedy will still be resisting nuke-u-lar blasts, p-sue-nam-ees, and Aztec arm-O-get-it-ons.

 

Or, get a plastic king-O-the-bass-master-kings tackle box and never leave it in the sun. UV rays will kill it within 2-3 yrs, but they're cheap.

lol - well, hopefully it will be a long, long time before my Gerstner tool chest is sawdust, and by then I don't imagine I will be here to care one way or the other. If I do need extra room for tools (which I don't foresee any time soon) I will definitely keep a look out for a Kennedy tool box. Or, if I get suddenly wealthy (also quite unlikely) and get more pens, maybe I will use the Gerstner for pen storage and buy a Kennedy tool chest for my tools.

 

It is nice to have all these choices - Harbor Freight, Gerstner, Grizzly, Kennedy, tackle boxes, art suppply chests, etc. There is bound to be something that works no matter your budget or needs.

 

Holly