Show me your toolbox......
 

So, what are you guys using as a toolbox? I have a plastic caddy, but I've long outgrown that. It's time for me to upgrade.

What do you like or not like about what you have? Post a pic.

I have a Plano model 823 which I really like.

Its big advantage is that you can take the trays and spread them out, so you can find your stuff in case you're not the type that puts a tool back in the exact same spot every time. The clear plastic fishing lure style boxes on top are great for small bits like cable ends and small bolts. The two trays are of different depths so the heavier tools migrate towards the bottom. The bottom "well" is great for grease and tools with their own boxes such as torque wrenches and hex sockets, brass drift/hammer etc. The plastic is relatively quiet when you have your stuff in the car, and it's small enough to fit in the trunk along with my frame and wheels (separated), so nobody's the wiser that I have my tools along with me when I'm at an event or destination ride.

Most of the time I have my tools on the wall, but I used to use this all the time when I didn't have a dedicated space for wrenching. Excuse the floor, all the ski wax from last season hasn't been chipped off what's supposed to be my daughter's dance floor yet.

I had a snap-on box which I liked until I outgrew it :)

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7375/...2833b933_z.jpg

I've had this for about 15 years - don't remember the make. I like the 3 trays and the small compartments are very handy.

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5007/...7bfe68522f.jpg

Nice clean setup, Whatwolf. I've got a vintage stainless table with center drawer too. That's very nice.

Home


http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/...psqqfxabkx.jpg


Work


http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/...ps1c2fvrzf.jpg

Which one? The big one, or the one I put in the back of the car when I travel with my bikes?

http://www.os2.dhs.org/~john/shop.jpg

http://www.os2.dhs.org/~john/toolbox.jpg

I like vintage bikes and I like vintage tool boxes too. Can't have just one, I have a Snap on, a Cornwell, a Huot etc

That Snap On toolbox is bigger than a studio apartment in Manhattan and it cost more than a house in the city of Detroit!

Vintage Kennedy 520 Machinists Tool Box, a curb find which belonged to my old scoutmaster, holds bike specific tools. Kennedy boxes were made in Cleveland and are bomb proof. When I travel, the bike tools I think I need go into a canvas tool bag.
https://dl.dropbox.com/s/ss5y2tagop3pbje/P5030270.JPG

Husky unit holds manual tools such as sockets, screwdrivers, tapes, drill bits, hammers, cutters, pliers, etc.
https://dl.dropbox.com/s/hoe6qg2msenyl0d/P5030272.JPG

Then there is a tool room that has two 36" X 72" tall wire shelving units full of power tools.

Put the box on wheels.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8025/7...f4ca30c5_b.jpg

I'll be the "low rent" entry here as I barely have a tool box, if you mean bike tools. My shop serves many purposes for all sorts of machinery, furniture, toys, etc. Whatever needs work. So I have a small pile of bike specific tools that fit in a cardboard box that fits in a cabinet. Nothing to look at unless you like the "Bike Tools" sign on the front. The rest of the tools I need for bike work are integrated (aka scattered around) with all the others: All the torque wrenches together, all the socket sets together, all the generic metric hand tools together, the basic hammers, screwdrivers, pliers, measuring tools, knives, etc hung on the pegboard. I pullout what I need for whatever's on the docket then put em away until the next project's turn.

I'm a bit fussy though and its saves my sanity if I mostly clean up before lunch, when I'm leaving the property or at the end of the day. Facing a clear work space then next time I show up keeps my head clear. I also don't want curious eyes seeing all the great tools through those excellent south facing windows.

I also have a smaller Snap-On tool Chest Combo that sits next to my Transmission Overhaul bench. It holds all my Specialty tools, and some I've fabricated myself.

Small collection of bikes= small tool box. Old Kennedy flip top.
http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/...psa2caf0dc.jpg

For the other type tools in the garage. Old Snap On chest.

http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/...psc37f7d0c.jpg

After reading the posts, I'm embarassed enough not to show mine.
I have a 3-drawer Kobalt from Lowe's and some pegboard over a cheap bench.
I have no repair stand, I lean the bike against a railing and bungee the wheels together.
To check gears, etc, I use a "Stand By Me" or a Y-stand.

The 3-drawer Kobalt also holds pretty much the rest of my tools as well.
I use one drawer for bike tools and the pegboard area for the rest.

Anytime I get items that are attached to/held in a hanging display package, I keep it.
Then, I either tape it back together or use a staple or rubber bands to repair it.
Hanging parts/tools, etc saves a lot of space, which I don't have.

Given to me by my wife and kids for Father's Day.

[IMG]http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k2...psvtkpybml.jpg[/IMG]

Given to me by my parents when I was 14

[IMG]http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k2...pszq7br3nx.jpg[/IMG]

Repurposed table as work bench. I have to say, having a dedicated water source for bike and other work is really nice.

[IMG]http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k2...psfx4c7qce.jpg[/IMG]

Machinists boxes seem to be in vogue.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-o...504_114402.jpg

My toolboxes are used for several of my hobbies, so not specifically bike related. This one contains metric and imperial sockets/wrenches, and lots of general hand tools, as well as specific tools for my cars, scooters, etc. Another workbench with drawers has most of my woodworking hand tools as well as those more specific to household chores, such as pipe wrenches, plumbing tools, etc. Cabinets contain mostly car or scooter related tools plus cleaning supplies, oil, etc. Handheld power tools are stacked under another workbench, and stationary power tools (table saw, drill press, etc) are crammed against a wall. I need a bigger garage!

Bike specific tools and consumables are in a Plano toolbox under a bench.

http://smorris.smugmug.com/The-Garag...SC00339-XL.jpg


It is *never* this clean! There are four scooters and seven bikes stuffed in there, too.

http://smorris.smugmug.com/The-Garag...SC_2096-XL.jpg

Very clean looking MGA, pre rubber fenders. Are you still running the original engine block and head? Knock-offs look great! I had a 1955 TF1500 in my school days.

Yep, all correct for 1958. An 1800 MGB engine is being built to swap in. (Rubber bumpers didn't appear on the MGA, just the MGBs after 1967.)

I think that there is a LOT to be said for doing a large variety of tasks with the tires on the ground, and I often loop either a toe strap or double-loop a rubber band around the brake lever and handlebar, to hold it steady with the brake applied.

For many tasks, wall is handy to lean against, a wall that isn't slippery-smooth, and the same goes for the floor, gotta have at least some grip.

The repair stand has some useful applications, but I use it only about 10% of the time.

As long as one doesn't have to rest their knee on nothing but a hard floor, just having the bike leaning works quite well, provided that there isn't any destructive interaction to either the bike or the wall.

It gets better when one has mastered pedaling the bike from the side, while checking shift functions, with the side of one's shoe driving the cranks while standing on the other leg. This comes in super-handy when performing tests/work quickly in the field. It doesn't impress me when I see riders working on an upside-down bike, I have to say.

As for my portable toolbox, it's just barely visible on the floor in this, my only handy old photo of my rollaway/chest-O'-drawers:

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7402/...b875e2d3_c.jpg

And, some old photos of what's inside:

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8088/...e03552ba89.jpghttps://farm9.staticflickr.com/8384/...5fbf6e18b2.jpg
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7058/...a8544b4f1a.jpghttps://farm8.staticflickr.com/7026/...481e106462.jpg

My 'for travel' tool box is an old traincase . . . bought it used for 2 bucks. Works for me.

I have two old Craftsman boxes. One holds my metric tools and the dimensionless tools which turn out to be useful for working on bikes. The other has my SAE stuff. I usually can't close either one without significantly rearranging everything inside. You may not see them.

I'm a bit of a tool slob.

http://i1266.photobucket.com/albums/...psyal1ro46.jpg

My tools are in a couple of Craftsman boxes now that I've left the suburbs and my workroom for an apartment in the city. But, what I'll share is the custom kit that was passed to me by my mentor, who is now 80. He gave them to me along with with his 1971 PX-10E. He made the box by hand, with a removable top tray. It's a treasure...

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