Are those metal tool cabinets useful in a woodworking shop?

[ken masoumi]

I would imagine it would be if I had a bigger shop to dedicate some floor space to one of these cabinets but in general ,I prefer to readily have access to all my marking/measuring /most used tools so I can just see,reach and grab one when I need them that's why they all are on a wide counter behind my workbench but well organized.
I know even if I had a tool cabinet I would pull the tools I need out of the drawers and put it somewhere so I can see them.
So my question is,do you have a rolling metal tool cabinet and ?,do you find them as useful as you thought it would be?

[Bernie May]

absolutely. I have a fairly large one and keep things like screwdrivers, tap and die, wrenches and socket sets, measuring tools, drill bits, driver bits, small air tools, battery powered drills, hammers, saws, etc. all in separate labeled drawers.

[Ole Anderson]

I would agree with Bernie, however my stacked rolling tool cabinet (one of those tall Husky versions with the built in radio) is in my garage, not in my basement wood shop and is reserved for non-woodworking tools. One metal cabinet in my wood shop is a five drawer file cabinet, very useful for storing paint. Each drawer holds six gallon cans.

[Frederick Skelly]

I find one useful. Large drawers store portable tools in their case. Small drawers store screwdives and other small tools. If I didnt already have the metal cabinet (a cheap husky) Id build one from wood.
Fred

[Jeff Duncan]

I do, I have a stack of 3 that can be rolled around if necessary. However I don't keep much for woodworking tools in it. It's full of misc tools, screwdrivers, pliers, taps and dies, files, and all sorts of stuff. If you catch one on sale they're so cheap it's almost not worth building storage. Having said that all my woodworking specific hand tools are in drawers in one of my benches. I somehow feel better about them being in wood drawers, no good reason, just a preference.

good luck,
JeffD

[roger wiegand]

One of the best things I ever scrounged for tool storage was a check storage file cabinet from a bank-- there was a warehouse with hundreds of them, and I got it for about $15. It has two bank check-sized trays about two feet long side by side on a roll out drawer and about a dozen drawers, you can pull out the trays and carry them around--handy for bringing the socket set close to the work. The thing is built to last-- it probably weighs 200 lbs on its own, everything runs on bearings smooth as silk. I've put lead bricks in a drawer and they still operate with one finger. I'd guess it dates from the 30s or 40s. I wish I could find another one! I put rubber mats in the bottoms of the trays and store a (literal) ton of tools in it.

[Mike Null]

I use mine in my wood shop but mostly for mechanics tools, soldering/brazing, ohm meter, batteries, etc. And a few air tool accessories.

[Rick Potter]

I have a roll around also, and use it constantly. I prefer the ones with fairly small drawers, I find the large drawers waste space, and I make cabinets to hold routers, etc.

The handiest metal cabinet I have is an old metal file cabinet with all 6" drawers, perfect size for router bits, shaper bits, and assorted jigs. It is the size of a normal four or five drawer file, just has a lot of 6" drawers in it. Got it for almost nothing. Made a lot of inserts for the drawers out of melamine with holes for 1/4 or 1/2" router bits, or pegs for shaper cutters.

[Earl Rumans]

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

[Tom Clark FL]

So my question is,do you have a rolling metal tool cabinet and ?,do you find them as useful as you thought it would be?

Being a retired tool and die maker, I still have my old roll-around, but as you said, the machinist chest drawers are a bit small for most woodworking tools.

So in my woodworking area of my shop, I built a wood one with far larger drawers. After having it for the last year, couldn't imagine the shop without it. Hint: Throw away all those plastic tool cases. They are just space and time wasters and serve no purpose. All of my small power tools are in just one drawer of my workbench and now take very little space.

No matter how big or small your shop is, space is precious and needs to be conserved. Good shop cabinets double your working space.

[Cary Falk]

I have a 44" one pictured below(Harbor Freight) minus the 2 side cabinets. I wish I had room for the 2 side cabinets. I have the top and bottom packed full of tools consisting of everything under the sun. I think the HF one is the best bang for your buck.

[ken masoumi]

I have a 44" one pictured below(Harbor Freight) minus the 2 side cabinets. I wish I had room for the 2 side cabinets. I have the top and bottom packed full of tools consisting of everything under the sun. I think the HF one is the best bang for your buck.

That's the type of tool cabinet I was thinking of when I started this thread,I found a similar inexpensive one for sale in our local classified Kijiji for $75 CDN which is roughly $68 USD,in mint condition,if I buy it I'll have to shuffle a couple of tools around to find room for it,and I wasn't sure this type of cabinet would be suitable for a woodworking shop.

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-tool-storage-...ationFlag=true

[Bruce Page]

I have a 24"x36"x85" cabinet that I picked up from the salvage yard for ~$80 IIRC. It holds a ton of stuff. I had bought a nice Proto rollaway off of CL but it didn't hold nearly as much as I had hoped. I sold it.

[Myk Rian]

I keep all my measuring tools, chisels, and many hand tools in the chest I built.
Jointer and planer knives are safely stored also.

100_3065.jpg

I also have a Cman roll-around for mechanical tools, and a Kennedy for other small tools.

[Kent A Bathurst]

That's the type of tool cabinet I was thinking of when I started this thread,I found a similar inexpensive one for sale in our local classified Kijiji for $75 CDN which is roughly $68 USD,in mint condition,if I buy it I'll have to shuffle a couple of tools around to find room for it,and I wasn't sure this type of cabinet would be suitable for a woodworking shop.

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-tool-storage-...ationFlag=true

I have a Craftsman version, very similar to the upper unit. On a rolling shop-made base. This is where all my mechanical tools live - sockets, wrenches, allen key sets, channel locks, tin snips....you get the idea.

Not my woodworking stuff. I don't really like closed cabinets - gotta always open and close doors, and I'm pretty confident that for lower-use items, I would not always remember which that held the rabbit I need. So - tool boards, and for finishing stuff just some boring shelves.