[clarke212]

I redid the inside of my tractor shed with barnwood walls and corrugated steel on the ceiling. Now, for some reason, I am interested in a vintage craftsman toolbox setup from the late sixties or early 70s. I guess I want my vintage deeres to feel at home. Lol

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[jd_joe]

Got any photos of what you are looking for? I bought a Craftsman 6 drawer chest in the mid '70s and it looks like the red chests they still sell today. The one in the pic below, I bought at auction in 2021 for $45 used. I don't know the age, but suspect it is the vintage you might be looking for? That is the auction pic and I haven't had a chance to clean it up or remove the Chevy emblem on top. It's waiting on me along with 371 other projects.

 

[lt230s]

I got a two drawer similar to Joe's I got from my parent's place when we sold their house. Keep my electrical supplies in it. Will get pictures tomorrow. It's not as nice as shape.

 

[clarke212]

Got any photos of what you are looking for? I bought a Craftsman 6 drawer chest in the mid '70s and it looks like the red chests they still sell today. The one in the pic below, I bought at auction in 2021 for $45 used. I don't know the age, but suspect it is the vintage you might be looking for? That is the auction pic and I haven't had a chance to clean it up or remove the Chevy emblem on top. It's waiting on me along with 371 other projects.
View attachment 289335

That's exactly what I am looking for

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[clarke212]

Something like this is what I have in mind

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[jd_joe]

Be patient and check your local auctions, ebay, flea markets, tractor shows, etc often. That top box matches mine. I don't have any use for a bottom chest as I can't bend down that far. Good luck to you in your hunt, because they are out there.

 

[TempletonJDguy]

I don’t think mine are that old. I do like the older stuff as it was built so much better. The big deep drawers get loaded with 100#’s or more and really need the good rollers to function properly.

 

[Stefan]

Most of those heavy duty tools are unfortunately in a bad condition. They are purchased and used by professionals and those mechanics have no time to keep them clean.
Before his retirement my grandpa was working as a mechanic for a big boiler company. He was always taking care of his truck and his tools. On a Saturday of 1997 we had started the restoration of his moped and I had taken his tools out of his toolbox. I had to remove 40 year old grease from the wheel hubs, messed up all the tools and when I had finished the work I put the dirty tools back in the box. The next Monday my grandpa visited one of their clients and opened the toolbox with the dirty tools. He was not mad at me, but he told me not to be a pig and taught me to clean every tool before putting it back in the box. Now, if I borrow a tool from my dads garage, I am in the same situation like my grandpa in 1997. It seems my grandpa was not that successful concerning my dads appreciation for tools.

Be patient and check your local auctions, ebay, flea markets, tractor shows, etc often. That top box matches mine. I don't have any use for a bottom chest as I can't bend down that far. Good luck to you in your hunt, because they are out there.

 

[jd_joe]

I live in northeast PA, about 25 miles from the NJ border. This general area used to be home to a lot of industry until the 1970's -80's, places like Mack truck, Bethlehem Steel, Taylor Wharton, Cincinnati Gear and many others. I retired from one of the few industrial equipment manufacturers still in business in 2017. My point being is that I see tool chests for sale at some flea markets and some of them are still full of tools. There is a store in Washington NJ that bought and sold tools and tool chests the last time I was in that town a few years ago. They still have a current website Get a Grip & More I imagine that places near Detroit, Dearborn, Pittsburgh, and other old manufacturing centers have tools available too.

 

[clarke212]

Found one. Now to fix it up. View attachment 289776

 

[jd_joe]

Glad to see you found a nice one that matches what you had in mind. Did it come with keys? I wonder if they all used the same key? Any tools inside?

 

[clarke212]

Glad to see you found a nice one that matches what you had in mind. Did it come with keys? I wonder if they all used the same key? Any tools inside?

No tools, no keys. It's a work in process

 

[N2 Tractors]

Got any photos of what you are looking for? I bought a Craftsman 6 drawer chest in the mid '70s and it looks like the red chests they still sell today. The one in the pic below, I bought at auction in 2021 for $45 used. I don't know the age, but suspect it is the vintage you might be looking for? That is the auction pic and I haven't had a chance to clean it up or remove the Chevy emblem on top. It's waiting on me along with 371 other projects.
View attachment 289335

I have that same exact top box. It’s not even close to that clean though. Roadside garage sale find.

 

[dhager4692]

Ihave a set like that and another one like the top box. They use different keys. Even my son's set uses a different key.