What do you do with all the cases that your tools come in?

[dennis thompson]

I just got as a gift the Milwaukee 5614-24 router, seems like a great router. It came in a red plastic case about 1.5 feet wide & 3 feet long. I now have about 10 of these sitting in my basement from various tool purchases. Here's my problem,...the cases seem too good to throw out, I know I'll never use them again...what do you do with them?
Thanks
Dennis

[Fred Hargis]

I do throw them out, except for the one Festool (and only) case I had....I sold it. I'm told those tool cases are popular at yard sales, as well as Goodwill. But my first line of defense if to try to buy the tools without them, pretty much not possible anymore.

[Jeffrey Makiel]

They end up in my garage attic were they will stay forever. I never use them for their intended purpose of storing the tool. It's a waste for me.

I did modify one case to put my electrical soldering supplies in it. I had to cut out the interior molded compartments.

-Jeff

[mike holden]

I throw them out. Waste too much space. Only possible reason for keeping them would be if I used the tool on a jobsite, but since I am a hobbyist - I pitch em!
Mike

[mickey cassiba]

I keep my tools in 'em. But then, I store my tools in a shed, and under my trailer, and pull 'em out on the porch to use 'em. That may change when I finally get a shop built.
Mickey

[Joe Scharle]

I store the tools in them on shelves.
Otherwise, they would roam all over the shop and hide from me.

[Fred Belknap]

I use most of them to store the tool in. I have them lined up like little soldiers along the wall and under tables. It helps keep the dust out of them, some have a place to store the blades, bits, nails, manuals, etc. Also most tools are plastic and rubber and sunlight does bad things to those and keeping them in the box will help. The hardest thing is how to get the dang cord back in the case.

[Wayne Sparkman]

On another thread, someone used one of those cases under a DC bag, as support.

Otherwise, with enough of them, I guess you could built a "green" house.
That'd be interesting.

[Mark Patoka]

Because I have the garage attic space, they get stored up there, never to be touched again unless I move which probably won't happen for quite some time. I guess all those years of military moves where it really helped to keep all original packaging and boxes hasn't left me. I finally threw out the cardboard boxes and styrofoam that most of my tools came in, knowing I would never repack them in there, even if I resold them.

[Bill Arnold]

Most of mine still hold the tool that came in them. The boxes I didn't want to use that way went to Goodwill. My ROSs are in a drawer together with paper, etc. The plate joiner is in the drawer with jars of biscuits and a template.

[Von Bickley]

I throw most of them away. I keep my sawzaLL in the case because I seldom use it. I also keep the biscuit joiner in a case for the same reason.
I keep my nail guns in cases because the dirt daubers will build in them if they are left out.

[harry strasil]

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...tic+tool+cases

[Lewis Cobb]

Because I have the garage attic space, they get stored up there, never to be touched again unless I move which probably won't happen for quite some time. I guess all those years of military moves where it really helped to keep all original packaging and boxes hasn't left me. I finally threw out the cardboard boxes and styrofoam that most of my tools came in, knowing I would never repack them in there, even if I resold them.

+1 on the garage attic ! When the attic starts to get plugged, I do a culling based on years the stuff has been up there. The last time I threw out some boxes up there it turned out it was for tools that I no longer own

[Rob Robinson VT]

Since, like many here, my only "shop" in the past was my garage when the car wasn't occupying it, I too have been keeping my tools in their respective cases. Hadn't really given any thought about what to do with them once my shop is finished but this thread has caused me to ponder that. Will probably continue to keep my nail/brad guns in their cases as they're relatively easy (plus one of my first projects will be to build an air tools station for them and my compressor), but my Milwaukee circular saw is something of a pain to repack, particularly that unwieldy cord! And then there's all of those nice zippered bags for the assorted sanders, jig saws, Ryobi 18V One+ stuff, etc. This weekend I'm moving an accumulation of "still-in-the-box" tools into my shop, including a drill press, combo disc/belt sander, bandsaw, bench vise, etc. Gonna be a lot of cardboard to haul off to the transfer station!

[Rob Robinson VT]

btw, on a (slightly) related note, here's some very clever guys up in Vancouver & Seattle who've built a thriving new business on renting out reusable packing containers:

http://www.frogbox.com/