Portable Tool/Storage Cabinets

[Mike Scoggins]

It seems I'm constantly searching for ways to optimize my limited space (which is the 2-car portion of a 3-car garage). I recently completed four portable shop cabinets that serve for storage and workstations for various tools. All of the drawers are equipped with 100 lbs full-extension slides. These cabinets replaced a 10' long bench that I've had in my garage for 15+ years. The ability to move these workstations/tools easily is particularly important when one has limited space. The pictures included in this post show the four cabinets, which are for the following:

(1) Drill Press (contains "U" shaped drawers)
(2) Mortiser (lots of shallow drawers for hand tool storage, etc. - much better than deeper draws I've learned from experience)
(3) Sander/Grinder/Leigh Dovetail Jig (T-track installed on the top for easy change out of tools)
(4) Scroll Saw (contains four drawers with outer doors to keep dust out)

I haven't quite completed getting "a place for everything and everything in its place" with the new cabinets, but I know this will be a huge improvement over my former setup and should be much more efficient as well.

Mike

[Mike Scoggins]

More pics of the portable cabinets...

[Mike Scoggins]

Still more pics...

[Brad Schmid]

Hey Mike, those cabinets turned out great!
I really like the designs. Each designed with it's own purpose in mind.
And they look really good too! Well done.

[Jim Becker]

Wow...excellent accomodations, Mike!!! Beatiful cabinets and they appear to meet your needs, too.

[Bill Huber]

Those are really great, I love the one that goes around the drill press, that gives me an idea for my drill press.
I have never lowered the the table down very low and that would give me a good place to put all my bits and things for the press.

Thanks.....

[Mike Scoggins]

Thanks for the kind words. I've seen various ideas over the years and shamelessly incorporated the good ones into the cabinets. It's fun to create custom cabinets for the way you work/to meet a need.

I've come to realize that portability is the name of the game for me in my current set up. I don't have any tools, cabinets, or benches that I can't roll around fairly easily now.

Mike

[Dick Sylvan]

Great looking cabinets. I always seem to have a hard time finding good casters. Where did you get yours? Thanks.

[Mike Scoggins]

The casters came from Harbor Freight and have a load rating of 330 lbs. They were on sale at the time (I think it was $2.99 for the fixed casters and $3.99 for the swivel ones).

I didn't get locking casters, but probably should have. In fact, anybody have a good retrofit to make non-locking casters locking?

Thanks,
Mike

[Al Willits]

Looks good Mike, I did something like that for my Miter saw and added fold down wings to it, but you've gone a step or two futher....I do see some idea's that I hope aren't copywrited....

Al...who see's a couple more projects.

[John Seiffer]

I didn't get locking casters, but probably should have. In fact, anybody have a good retrofit to make non-locking casters locking?

I doubt that's possible. The best casters I found are these from Hartville tools. Pricier than the Harbor Freight ones but they lock smoother.

http://www.hartvilletool.com/product/11883

[Mike Weaver]

I didn't get locking casters, but probably should have. In fact, anybody have a good retrofit to make non-locking casters locking?

Not exactly, BUT, I have mounted the casters on a board & mounted that board to the tool on hinges so that you can flip the casters down for use under the tool & then flip them out so that the tool sits down when not in use - I did ths on the end of my 6" jointer. The other and has a handle to lift it.
It make it kinda like a two wheeled wheelbarrow to move.

I used a pair of 1" rigid casters at the BORG (~$1.50 each I think).

The beauty of this is you don't need great casters; most of the time they are not in use.

The downside is that the tool has to be light enough to lift one end.

Anyway, just a thought.

Those are GREAT cabinets, and thanks for sharing.
You've given me some ideas....

-Mike

[Steve Dunbar]

In fact, anybody have a good retrofit to make non-locking casters locking?

Cut out a couple of U-shaped pieces of plywood and use them to chock the wheels in place.

[Jude Tuliszewski]

Sweet, great wook, I have been planning on doing some of the same things. All I need is the time to do it. I guess it is one of those things where I will have to make myself make the time.

[John Keane]

Well done, Mike. The cabinet for the drill press is a visual of the concept I had intended to build for mine. Thanks for the motivation.

I second the casters from Hartville tool. They roll so smoooooothly on the garage floor.