Are those metal tool cabinets useful in a woodworking shop?

[Bruce Page]

Here's my precision box started new circa 1970..

[mreza Salav]

Yes, I find mine very usefull. It's not very big or expensive but lots of trays and is great for holding all sorts of stuff.
In fact I bought another set.

[Gene Takae]

I love my metal cabinets. My shop area would always be a mess without them.

Earl, Is that your shop or your operating room? I think it's even cleaner than my kitchen!!!

[Earl Rumans]

Lol I had just cleaned it up when I took the pics, it usually doesn't look that clean. I store most of my woodworking tools and supplies in the cabinets and they work great for me. I suppose I could have built some myself but I liked the idea of metal cabinets for the garage. I have another set of the cabinets, along with my tool boxes on the other side of my garage, for all my automotive stuff.

[Shawn Pixley]

I have a SS Craftsman cabinet I use. It works well for me. I have my sockets and other machinist tools in the narrower right side. The left side is for woodworking tools. I have my planes, spokeshaves, chisels, rasps, inlay tools, etc... in it. The top drawer has various thin & small tools in it. I have mounted my drum sander to the top. My shop is also a garage so everything must move. I also guard dilligently against rust, so all tools are in something (drawer, cabinet, etc.).

[Roy Harding]

I don't have one - but I do keep looking at them. I see their utility, for both my automotive tools, and my woodworking tools. Every time I'm ready to plunk down the money, I stop myself - intending to make a wood version instead (I even have plans for one - from Shopnotes, I think.)

I've been intending to make a wood one for over 15 years now. Maybe it's time to plunk down the money ( - but you need to understand that one of my Grandmothers was Jewish, and the other one was Scottish - so parting with money comes hard for me!)

I DO have a metal "locker" type cabinet that I keep all my combustibles in. I thought about making one out of ironwood - but thought better of it.

[mreza Salav]

Earl, Is that your shop or your operating room? I think it's even cleaner than my kitchen!!!

I agree, it is way too clean!
BTW, Earl, is that floor epoxy? how does it stand up over the time? cracking? do you find it slippery for a woodworking shop?

[Earl Rumans]

I agree, it is way too clean!
BTW, Earl, is that floor epoxy? how does it stand up over the time? cracking? do you find it slippery for a woodworking shop?

Yes it's epoxy, from a company called Wolverine Coatings and it's one of the best things I have done in my garage. It is holding up just fine and makes cleanup a breeze. I did the floor myself and it has a base primer coat, the main coat, then what they call flakes to rejection, which means you throw down flakes until they cover the floor and don't get absorbed into the epoxy anymore. After you have done the flakes, you let it set and then go back and scrape up all the flakes that didn't get absorbed. Then I put down 2 coats of Poly-urethane clear coat. The floor isn't that slippery unless you get some liquid on it, then you need to watch your step. I don't have any problems doing my woodworking on it. I beat on it pretty hard, what with moving my machines around all the time and on the other side I drag my floor jack and such around on it and it still looks fantastic. I highly recommend it for a garage floor covering. OP, I apologize for the thread hijack.

[mreza Salav]

Thanks!....

[Keith Weber]

My vote is "absolutely!" I find them to be extremely useful. I've got 8 Lista Cabinets in the wood shop. One is entirely dedicated to hardware, as seen in the pic. Hand tools, power tools, accessories for tools, reference manuals, electrical supplies, air tools, shaper cutters, saw blades, etc. - they fill up fast.

They're nice-looking, smoother and way beefier than anything built out of wood. Each drawer on the Listas can hold up to 440 lbs. While my wood shop doesn't really push those limits, a few of the drawers in my machine shop get pretty heavy when they're loaded up with rotary tables, reamers and slitting saws. I just need to get around to building the hefty, maple top for them. Maybe next year I'll get around to it. Or the year after.

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[Kevin Nathanson]

I'm another metal cabinet guy. I've got a Snap-On KRL-1001 for all my mechanics tools, hammers, scrapers, electrical stuff, taps. dies. etc. I have three of the not so wonderful but still useful Harbor Freight black tool carts: one for measuring and marking tools, one for all my planes, chisels, etc. and one for all my drill bits and air tools. And just to round it out, I have four cabinets with eight drawers each just like the Lista ones above. Those hold all the hardware.

I've never really understood the whole 'hang stuff on the wall' thing. I like my tools to stay unexposed to dust. I'm sure I have my biases as I grew up an automotive gearhead before my woodworking days, but I like being able to wheel around all my cabinets. OK, the Snap-On weighs as much as a small car and doesn't get wheeled around very often, but it does happen every once in a while.

The only problem with (good) metal cabinets is that they are very pricey. I'm a scrounger, so I've gotten all my expensive ones used via Craigslist or at auction. The good news is that the good ones never go bad, and if they are really scratched up, you can repaint them just like a car.

K

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[Brian W Smith]

Like most things shop related.....it's really down to the end user.Our shop(s) here would be a total disaster without them.Ours are mostly 30 y.o. C-man,that have done yoeman service.

What I'd suggest to anyone considering one is this.The base units come in several heights(too lazy to go measure)....some of the cheaper ones are shorter for obvious reasons.If anyone has a std floor model DP,snag one of the shorter boxs and use it under the table.If it doesn't clear the DP base,add some plywood squares and longer bolts on the castors 'till it will roll over the base.Now you have a place to store your drills N such.It further acts as a staging spot for parts(roll it out and to the side)when doing multiple drillings.

The "cheaper" bxs will usually have just a few drawers and then an open area at the bttm.In the above DP chest...use the bttm part for fixtures.The ends of the box can be outfitted with clamp racks.This can easily be a less than 200$ bx.The area under the DP table is wasted more often than not....so you'll be killin a cpl birds with one stone.Try the bx there....but also in other spots.These same bxs will usually roll under a lot of wall style work benches.

The height diff between the shorter bxs and their bigger brothers is what changes one from being a useful working height(36-38" tall units) and the lower ones(32-34?) as being used for staging parts for machining operations.Snag a cheapy short unit off CL and try it......if it works out for your shop,pass it on and start working your way up the $$ level 'till you reach your shop's $$ equilibrium.Good luck.

[glenn bradley]

Like Brian says; its up to you. If you have one and it is working for you I would keep it. I have one I bought before I was quite settled on how I would go about things and now it is more or less a catch-all for items that aren't particular to woodworking. The drawer units I have built are much more useful because they suit my woodworking. I build drawers into almost all my tool bases as a tool stand that is just a tool stand robs me of storage. I do have a couple of re-purposed large metal cabinets that I store finishes and hardware in and they are great for that. If I knew then what I know now I would pass on the mechanics tool box format. The metal tool cabinet I have will go eventually and find a good home with someone who needs that format. If it is doing a good job for you there is no need to change it. This doesn't mean I don't stop and look at them when I walk by but, I stop and look at wrench and socket sets too although I have no need of any more ;-)

[Rick Potter]

I was in Costco yesterday, and noticed they now have their own branded roll around cabinet, wrinkle black, for $599, if I remember correctly. It was nice, and pretty sturdy. Chinese, of course.

[Bruce Page]

I'm another metal cabinet guy. I've got a Snap-On KRL-1001 for all my mechanics tools, hammers, scrapers, electrical stuff, taps. dies. etc. I have three of the not so wonderful but still useful Harbor Freight black tool carts: one for measuring and marking tools, one for all my planes, chisels, etc. and one for all my drill bits and air tools. And just to round it out, I have four cabinets with eight drawers each just like the Lista ones above. Those hold all the hardware.

I've never really understood the whole 'hang stuff on the wall' thing. I like my tools to stay unexposed to dust. I'm sure I have my biases as I grew up an automotive gearhead before my woodworking days, but I like being able to wheel around all my cabinets. OK, the Snap-On weighs as much as a small car and doesn't get wheeled around very often, but it does happen every once in a while.

The only problem with (good) metal cabinets is that they are very pricey. I'm a scrounger, so I've gotten all my expensive ones used via Craigslist or at auction. The good news is that the good ones never go bad, and if they are really scratched up, you can repaint them just like a car.

K

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Kevin, how did you do the excellent foam cutout? I tried doing it by scalpel once and it looked awful.