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My garage, well it's so small I wouldn't park a car in it, it has two bays and a workshop. I'd guess 9 feet wide X 23 feet long? Anyways, I don't have a big tool box yet. And wow... I never knew they were sooo much cash. So what kinda ideas for tool stooges do you have, or a good brand of tool boxes at a good price?

I'm gonna use a old counter top and two kitchen base cabinets as the work bench. Rewire the garage and put in a window air conditioner. Maybe do a epoxy floor job. Some peg board and perhaps some cabinets from the "restore" where they sell donated housing stuff.

You don't have to break the bank on a home toolbox. Here is a craftsman tool box that will work just fine : Craftsman 8 Drawer, 26-1/2 in. Combo $150 or this one from Northern tool : Torin 26in. Top 6-Drawer Tool Chest — 26in.W x 12 3/4in.D x 14in.H, Model# TBT2006 $130
Either will last you a lifetime and serve you well.

Pick up a Dogbone Roughrider creeper and a Rolling shop seat with the money you saved over one of those big name boxes.

Thanks for those links. Unfortunantly I can't view either from my iPhone, lame, but they look like great deals! I saw a real nice wide one at harbor freight and it was $800, at harbor freight! I'll check out those boxes after work on the desktop tommorow. I just really need a work shop, and I think with some decent cabinets peg board(hopefully steel), and a nice tool box or two, should be a nice setup.

Whenever I go to use dads craftsman creeper I get annoyed and always end up on my back, is that one so much better I would choose to use it rather then my back? But I do use his rolling stool alot. I like that thing.

I doubt you need a huge box for a limited number of vehicles. Those are of sizes that I work out of daily.

I am not a huge pegboard fan. You can build a very nice "bolt bin / storage bin" from four sheets of plywood. Three 3/4" sheets form the top bottom sides and shelves/cubbies. The top shelf is 12" deep and the bottom 20"/ You can tailor the sizes to your needs. Add a piece of 1/4" to the back and you are done.
I have three of these in my shop and they are great. A bolt bin is another valuable organizer. I have my grandfathers in my garage.

Add shelving around the top up high. That is wasted space that you can store all the stuff that doesn't get used.

Costco carries a nice large one for $450. Don't know if there is one near you....

Watch your local trader paper. sometime you can catch a good buy if you're quick enough. I scored a nice SnapOn box when a coworker told me about it. !500.00 isn't cheap, but it beats the 8000.00 to 10,000.00 it would have cost me for a new one. Like HJ said, a nodest Craftsman box is a good start. Tractor Supply is another place to look, along with Habitat resale stores, that sometimes get discontinued boxes from retail seores. Lowes and Home Depot bot have boxes that can be good buts. JUst make sure that you get one large enough for your needs and future expansions. EDit After getting to work today, I got a NAPA monthly sales brochure. It has a nice box onthe front, but there is a Homak box inside, 3 pieces for 329 and change

Ya, no costco around here. But im verrry interested in that craftsman combo deal. Its not as big as I would like, But it would definantly be a great start. Besides for the next bit it would be more storage then I have tools for! lol. First I need to get a computer desk so I can make my current "computer desk" (two kitchen base cabinets and counter top) to the garage to be my work bench. And work on re-wiring the entire thing since its starting to cool off.

rlrnr, i searched napa's site but wouldnt find any thing, do you have an item number for that (those) box(es)?

The NAPA box in that ad is junk! I took a look at it. The slides are plastic. I doubt they would last a year. Buyer beware.

I don't have the paper in the house, but I'll check it out in the morning. If you have a Tractor Supply close, check out the Masterhand tool boxes they carry. They are about the same as Craftsman boxes. Another place to check is Lowes. I don't know about Home Depot since I don't have one close to me. Another thing to check is Craig's List, I've seen a few boxes on there.

don't get stuck thinking you NEED a huge tool box. Think function instead of bragging rights. If you do out grow a box, how about adding another rolling table box when that time comes.
Not everything has to be in the box. The sledge hammer does not need a drawer. My powertools sit on shelves. I have a small box for my soldering / electrical kit.

I am thinking function, not bragging. This craftsman combo, I'm sure I will out grow , but not for a while. Multiple boxes doesn't seem like a bad idea when the time comes, I think I would like that rather then 1 large box.

Do you have a picture of your plywood shelving? I just can't fully imagine it... Googled for pictures but couldn't find any thing. Sounds like a worth while project.

fallvitals wrote:Do you have a picture of your plywood shelving? I just can't fully imagine it...

I do not have pictures, but this will give you a rough idea on how to lay it out:



The inner shelves and uprights fit together like a puzzle.

Be sure to cut the inner shelves and uprights down the thickness of the plywood so that the back sheet will fit properly. The end pieces are cut down too so the top and bottom will lap over as well.

Use a string-line to mark out where to screw the back and sides into the edge of the shelves and uprights. Sheet rock screw it together

Laid out right you can make very good use of the material and have very little waste. You can adjust the shelf height , depth and width so that it works well for what you store. My rough drawing above has one shelf leftover. You can make a shelf mounted by brackets up high around the garage , or slot it and add another shelf to the rack.
Sit down with some graph paper and you can lay it all out to scale.

Ahh, not what I imagined. That looks like a show holder box thing. Thanks!