Paint looks fantastic. I bought a couple almost 20 years ago for $50/piece. I painted them red with black drawers like my Craftsman 42" bottom box. These bookend each side of my 42" box for a work bench and looked amazingly professional. I love the top slideout drawers. I made slider trays 1/2 the drawer width for all the rest. Store bigger stuff underneath the tray. It's unbelievable how much you can pack in these cabinets.
I removed a large bank of wooden shelves. Replaced with 4 of the same cabinets in black. I really like the functionality they give me with my storage. I went so far as to create an inventory of what is in each drawer.. Remember, I have 20 to keep track of. If I forget, I can go to the clipboard.
I’ll bet the thumbs down folks are just mad that they didn’t think about doing something like this and that they paid $15k for their big storage cabinets. Great joy!
Brillant. I think you just cured my problem. I live in the Philippines now and had to leave all my big roller toolboxes behind. The Philippines does not have big toolboxes available, but lucky for me they have a lot of file cabinets and paint shops. Love it. Thanks
Similar to the file cabinet, for small parts I have used card files. Where yours beats mine is the paint job. all of a sudden, it looks like a tool box and not some old file cabinet.
lateral file drawers work awesome as tool cabinets. there are many large tools and box sets items that will not fit in roll-a-ways. the paint is a great touch as well as the badge. a badge thocould beanything, car, motorcycle, bicycle, boat, aircraft. nicely done
Watched a lot of diy shop cabinet videos today, have not liked or commented on any of them ... until this one. Great idea. Best luck to you and your channel.
I remember this guy who took off work to pick up a Snap On tool chest. Brought it home, disappointed that it wasn't legit and had a fake Snap On badge. The guy was a jerk on site too, karma dude..
Bravo, absolutely beautiful job. Perfect choice of paint, especially with the added hardener! I found a short lateral file about 36" high a few years back. Very heavy, ball bearing drawer slides. Not quite so wide as yours. I paint all of my wall cabinets and painted this cabinet the same red case, gray drawers to match my mechanic boxes. I slapped an old Craftsman badge on mine when done and loaded it with all of my heavy grinders, drills, air tools, c clamps, very heavy stuff and it handles it well. I bolted a big vise to the corner then set my mid box and top box full of strictly metric mechanic hand tools. One of the smartest moves i ever made and best looking cabinets in my shop. Great job and super share!
Just what I was thinking too,I used filling cabinets in the shop like 10 years ago the old timers will tell you whatever you can get to store stuff in use it so that what I'd do,best thing is get it off the floor.
Wheels. Dude, got to put locking Harbor Frieght casters on the bottom. Now I'm picky. I would have taken the drawers out, top door and slide out to paint insides where eggshell. G W Hardware and other stores sell black rubber mat you can buy by the foot. It's wide enough to do truck beds. For this, one strip could do the bottoms for all the drawers. Angle bracket cut, drilled, bolted with the casters would really make that dog hunt! But thats just me! 😆
I wanted to do casters but my garage is on a slope so even with locking casters im afraid on it tipping top heavy. I would have painted the drawers but they already have a nice texture black finish. And I went in afterwards and put drawer liners in. I have a stash that I forgot about.
I bought 3 filing cabinets around 25 years ago from an Army surplus store for about $20 a piece. Sanded two of them down and roll painted them with good quality brand can paint in semigloss black. Not being a professional I am a bit chicken and fussy with painting so I did it indoors, by daylight and 20 degrees celcius. One is still used as a filing cabinet in my office and the other as a shoe cabinet in my apartment. Till this day they still look great. Material cost and my time added I surely did not come over 30 bucks when I was finished. Yours turned out nice and looks very professional with the additions you added. Wanted to put mine on casters too, but never got around to doing so (they only need to be moved by renovation) which means removing the draws because they are so heavey. So I too would surely advise anyone that needs to move them often to mount casters. Having the right tools and room to work in is of course always a big advantage. If someone likes a modern apartment I can imagine them even being used for Clothing cabinets or in the kitchen used for dishes, pots/pans and so on. When one looks at the draws in cook islands from brand name Kitchen cabinet manufactures they are nothing else only made out of wood and crazy espensive. Not everyone has thousands to invest in a kitchen.
Would like to see a video of what you store in it and any ideas on how to keep things separated on the inside and it dividers or something that you thought of
I just stumbled on this video and the timing couldn't be better. I recently moved, at my old house I used an old IKEA dresser as my work bench with tool storage. It was a great way to store tools and it attached two 3/4 plywood to the top as the work table. However like many things that are IKEA, it lasted about 10 years from some serious abuse and wasn't up to be moved when we moved houses. So I tossed it, which I was sad to do because it did make a great work bench. However at my new house, the previous owner installed two work benches and they are solid. However they are only benches without any storage. So I have been looking at getting a cheap dresser for my tool storage. I couldn't find anything decent used for below $100 and below that it was just pure garbage. I didn't consider using file cabinets but I just looked on Marketplace and there are several of the same exact ones for $50 and I found one thats 2x2 with a work top for $100. So I think I know which way I'm going. Thank you for the idea.
I have a normal size 5 drawer file cabinet in my shop to for the same use. But the top drawer is used to keep manuals, receipts and log books all in one spot and organized
I use desktop paper sorters to keep my receipts and sandpaper. Saving all my receipts has really saved me a few times when iv had parts with lifetime warrantees go bad.
Been doing this for years. That big cabinet is good for hardware. Nuts, bolts, screws, washers are easy to find in those cabinets. Put some Snap-on stickers on them & they look even better.
Quick note for file cabinet users: The drawers are designed so that most of the strength is in the sides of the drawers where the file hangers rest. The floor of the drawers is kinda flimsy, and heavier items will bend/dent/bulge the floor of the drawer to the point that they sometimes hang up on the neighboring drawers... or pull the whole drawer out of shape enough that the glides bind up. Especially large drawers like the one shown in this video (which turned out really great!). My simple fix has been to make a sheet metal false floor for each drawer. You will see this in most quality tool chests, except that they are done beneath each drawer where you never see them (go open the largest drawer in any tool chest and see what I am talking about). Anyway, a single thin piece of sheet metal, bent strategically like small corrugations, that fits snugly into the floor of the drawer is enough to increase each drawers strength 10 fold. Or, if made low-profile enough, you can stitch weld a channel against the underside of each drawer. Even a thin, snug sheet of plywood will work to make the drawers super strong. Anyway, great video.
And buy the way NONE of my QUALITY Kennedy machinist tool boxes are built like you are talking about either. So now tell me how cheap and flimsy they are too. Kennedy makes snap on look like toy boxes.
@@FastEddy5 I'm glad you're happy with your Kennedy boxes. I own some and like them, they're quite nice and they are high quality... for their drawer size and overall stature. Except that they aren't tool chests like the ones discussed on this video or the ones I described. They are TINY. The drawers are designed for small, precise items like end mills, reamers, indicators, mics and gauges, or fine woodworking tools... all fairly light until you get a few hundred end mills in the drawer and then those Kennedy drawers sag and bind like they're made of foil. Kennedy claims a 120 lb limit, but in my 30 years in machining, if I exceed 60 lbs, they start to stick or the belly of the drawer sags until it drags on the drawer beneath. The only way I can get more weight in them is if the tools are in a wood or hard plastic tray that spreads the load. Most machine shops invest in Vidmar/Stanley cabinets for "tooling" because they have a 400 lb capacity in each drawer. The chests we are talking about are for hand tools... sockets, wrenches, etc. (or large tools like drill motors, air tools, Skil saws) where the volume of the drawer allows more weight, and they are ALL reinforced for that reason, if they are of any quality.
I work in the home appliance industry and my favorite thing for storage are the washer and dryer risers people always get before they realize they are actually bad for the machines. Stack em up and paint em nice. Best part is I get em free all the time
@@jeremyspecce with a front load washer the centrifugal force thats created is insane when the machine goes into a spin cycle and the farther away from the ground the more the machine wants to move. In turn the more it moves or shutters the more stress it puts on the tub support as well as the frame work of the machine and basically wears it out much faster then when put directly on the floor. About the only way to perfectly get a front load machine level and stable is with a concrete floor.
I love it! Paint came out really good after the buff. I love the Snap-On badge, although I think it would have looked just as cool with a 3D printed badge that said either “Snap-Off” or “Strap-On” 😂
I'd be totally embarrassed to put a snapon moniker or emblem on any tool box, ESPECIALLY if I built it myself. I never could buy into the snapon mindset. I understand that some of their tools are great and the service component of weekly or twice a week visits to the shop has some value, but at what cost does it stop making sense?!!! I seem to have managed fine with NOT snapon and have been employed at times in the mechanical trades - or "worked for myself" using tools- good made in USA tools that didn't equate a mortgage or business startup loan in scale and cost. I have a snapon screwdriver I found in a junk car I bought once. But uh-uhh, nope, no snapon labels on my tool boxes- My self image doesn't need to put on airs and the mere act of doing so - just thinking about doing so- leaves me uncomfortable and embarrassed. It maybe impresses small minds but the thinking man who works on his merits and perhaps even builds a mechanic's box from scratch (I made one of mine) would just laugh or dismiss anyone that felt that was cool or even thought it was needed, somehow. Embarrassing, at best, discrediting of oneself is worse than the embarrassment. I would, however, approve of "strap-on" or somesuch as that pretty much sums it up. I might also go for one's personal "brand" or last name; my latest toolbox purchase lost it's manufacturer badging and - like it's predecessor - proudly carries a repurposed 1980's jeep namebadge, "WRANGLER" and I have some 1971 Monte Carlo scripts, a 1969 VW Bus 'Volskwagen" badge, a "Chevrolet" square-body nameplate on others awaiting an appropriate placement on something- perhaps an artsy placement of them all on the bright blue 5' long and 6' tall acquisation? I just don't want it to be 'busy' or detract from the full-size Trans Am hood bird that's going on there:D No putting on of airs with those, and nothing to say, "fraud!!" - just 'enthusiast.' snapon logo fraud is tacky and, again, embarrassing to fraudulently say you bought in...
I found a three drawer one that didn't have top. The idea was in an office you would like a wall with them and build a counter top over it. I am going to build a woodworking top with a vice. I have scroll saws and skill saws to store in the drawers instead of wasting bench or shelf space storing them. I am going to install heavy duty lockable casters so I can move it to fit the space needed for size of project. I like the chrome trim idea. Thanks.
I was able to pick one of these same cabinets up a couple years ago from my job when they remodeled the building. I paid $5 for it. It's great for storage, especially larger things like sanders and skilsaws. I've used it for parts storage at my shop and for the larger blow molded cases for special tools.
Looks great. A tip on the locks for you or anybody working with filing cabinets. Most cabinets have a number stamped on them. Locksmiths can look up the number and get the key/tumbler pattern. Call the locksmith first, some require that you bring the lock with you. But also they often use a pretty common lockset so you can just buy a drawer & cabinet lock kit they usually come with a variety of cams but you can likely use the cam from the old lock on the new one.
Institutional Locksmith here. You are indeed correct! I work in a hospital and cut all kind of office furniture keys using the codes on the face of the locks. Your house keys also have the codes stamped on them as well, when you buy your lock new. It's always a good idea to take a picture of your key with the code and keep it in your phone. If need be a Locksmith can also cut a key from those numbers stamped on your key as well.
I picked up six of these cabinets for free this summer from some people just wanting them out of their storage and this is my plan for them. Problem is I don’t have a garage yet 😂
If you know What you are looking for..Harbor Freight has some good stuff. I used the same exact spray gun you used, to paint a Cessna 140 (single engine airplane).
Just very innovative!All I need is your advice on how to store my mechanics tool box actually I have is an old water tank dismantled now I need to go to my local fabrication store to weld the tool box you just painted,nice job.Thanks for the advice.
Great job!! I have four 3 drawer lateral file cabinets in my shop/garage. I'm actually going to set them up and incorporate them in a miter saw station. Now after watching this I guess I'm also going to have to paint mine as well to match my red tool boxes!!
I've been using a similar lateral 5 drawer filing cabinet for tools for the last 20+ years. A local dentists office threw it and two others away. Mine has all open front drawers like your top drawer. I never really thought about painting it. I did cut a commercial butcher block top to fit the top of it so I cold put things on top. I have a pair of small machinist's chest sitting atop mine. I like the chrome trim idea. Your right about the weight capacity, they take far more weight than any tool box. I also made a heavy caster base for mine out of 1/4" x 3x3" angle iron with proper tool box wheels I salvaged from a junk Snap on box. Adding the casters made the whole box about 6" taller overall, which made it easier to bend down to reach the bottom drawers. I have the top drawer will all my sockets and ratchets, the second drawer is all wrenches, and the rest is all bulky tools. Being able to roll it around when needed really comes in handy.
I like the idea of a butcher block top. I was going to use some rubber mat that came with my tool box to lay on top but wood would look really clean and match my other box. Thanks for the input!
I started using filing cabenets for strage in my shop and garage about 10 years ago. The print shop where I worked did some upgrades and were throwing out all of their old filing cabinets of every size and configuration you can think of. Been using them for storage ever since. Tou just have to use your noggin when loading them and make sure not to get them top heavy so they don't fall over when you open a drawer.
Great job, now some LED strip lights in the drawers just to add a nice touch when the drawers open. Think I will have to look for one on marketplace. Thanks
Very well done. My complements! I must say I and apparently many others did have that same thought - filing cabinet prices just went UP. Ah well...While walking the dog last week, just down the strett someone put out a Hon four door upright filing cabinet for letter size papers with a FREE sign on it. It is waiting for me to sand it and paint it. I, too, am going to use rustoleum white paint. This is for our business office. Anyhow, I am going to start looking for your style cabinet for my garage becuase I need to clean it up out there. Thank you for the video.
Damn good job I'm actually going to do the same thing but to a three drawer cabinet hopefully when I get it done I'll post it and see what everybody thinks thank you for the idea
2 drawer mobile pedestal file cabinets make great mobile stands for planer, belt sander, small drill press. Built in steel drawers and already on casters. Cheap at used office furniture stores or craigslist. I currently have 3 and added plywood to strengthen the tops. Also look at audio visual stands. They are mobile with storage.
Restore aka Habitat for humanity stores, I picked up three file cabinets for 25 dollars, repainted two of them to match my glass and aluminium desk and looks like they came with the desk. The other is in my shop a 4 5 drawer unit and it holds all my shop tool manuals and sand paper along with other items. Govdeals.com also as the state, local city and federal gov is always selling office stuff and sometimes woodworking tools from schools, colleges and universities or even federal, state trade shops.
Cam across this video a couple times and skipped it cause of the thumbnail. I’m like yes right a new snap on tool cabinet like that for cheap? Then I finally decided to watch it and damn thank god I did 😂
Thanks for the tip on the hardener. I’ve always found that Duplicolor automotive paint is far better quality than rustoleum. Its not the best, but Rustoleum on its own doesnt stand up to elements over time. I’m sure that hardener does wonders tho. And When you dont have a choice and you’re spraying in cold weather, keep a heat gun handy. Heat your surface before spraying. Also soak your cans of paint in warm water. And on your final pass, lay it wet, but immediately follow it up with the heat gun evenly. This will prevent it from getting any runs. Otherwise it wont flash correctly and you’ll have stuff go wrong with the long dry time.. i use Hi temp engine paint alot for quick fixes. You can blast it with a heat gun and have it dry to handle in minutes sometimes. Best part is no orange peel!
Ended up with a couple of antique surplus typewriter tables from work. They have the mechanism that raises and lowers the wheels off the ground. They make the best tool stands ever.
@@thetonezone8164 weird dimension and filing cabinets don't really have the structure on the bottom for that. You'd need to weld a plate of sheetmetal to the bottom to give it rigidity.
I bought a cabinet dolly that is steel with the casters already mounted with locking wheels and it works great. It's basically a pan with wheels that the bottom of the cabinet sits on. Just added a handful of self tapping sheet metal screws and I don't intend on dragging it out of the garage so it should be fine.
I just picked up the same cabinet . Yours looks awesome. Thanks for the advise. Mine will be orange. But I will now put chrome trim on. Thanks again and good luck on all your endeavors. Ron
Hey Seth, If the SNAP-ON guy comes after you, all you got to do is hide in one of those draws.......Probably one of the best things on TH-cam.....YOU DONE GOOD !!! Bought mine the night I watched this....thanks man
I've been using file cabinets for some time now they're all different colors but I've labeled every drawers for efficiency plus these Puppies gets heavy so don't forget quality casters if you haven't just yet, and your idea of taking step further with matching paint and so forth is epic no doubt.
Looks great. Have a bunch of repurposed file cabinet storage in my shop. Especially like the lift-up fronts like your top elevation for their ability to play nice with multiple drawers concealed behind each one.
having converted a filing cabinet with some planks inside to store stuff i have noticed that when you pull out a drawer and its weighed down it pulls the whole cabinet forward , aspecially if the rest of the drawers arent locked when one drawer is open
Nice job with the cabinet, great idea to upcycle and make something that is useful. I copied your idea with a file cabinet i got from the local recycling site which is 4 draws high, sprayed mine midnight blue as that is what i had on hand for paint then used bed liner on the inside of the draws for protection and easy cleaning, then added some foam to the bottom to deaden the sound of tossing in tools. i also added some cheap thin self sticking foam to the inside of the side and back panels to deaden noise in general. Biggest difference was to make a rolling frame for the cabinet to ride in so i can move it if needed and make it match up with the other wheeled benches i have. I really like the top draw of your tool box. i'll have to keep an eye out for one like it. Take care,God bless one and all.
Nicely done! Now put some casters on it and get some Kaizan foam for the drawers and tool storage. Seriously, good job. Has me surfin' C-list for used cabinets now LOL! .
I think you did a super job! You could snag a HF magnetic paper towel holder. I’ve been sitting here trying to figure out how you could add interior type lighting that when you open a drawer, lights come on in that particular drawer. I know there are fellas out there that could do it with no problem. Now maybe you can upgrade your original file cabinet.
Cool idea, I have a similar one in my shop. All the draws are like top one. I have an idea for you that I am about to do as well, wheel casters! Look at the ones on your red tool box, get some similar.
I've been using 4 and 5 drawer filing cabinets (which I picked up free) as tool and storage cabinets for many years. I have 2 in my garage and one downstairs in my basement shop.The one you just finished is the one I'm looking for as my next tool cabinet. I keep looking! :) Nice job on yours, by the way. :)
Great build. Perfect for cased tool kits. I will be doing a similar build on three 60 inch wide lateral cabinets. I'll be fabricating a frame base to accept 6 inch locking swivel casters. I'm also going to make use of polished aluminum diamond tread plate to strengthen it substantially.
Thanks for the inspiration on this. I'm doing it. Mine will be black though. Maybe I'll hold out for a black cabinet and I'll just have to put a badge and chrome on it.
My father always used the filing cabinets like the first one you spoke about he used to save the old half gallon and quart sized square milk cartons and cut those to a height of what the drawers were it allowed you to open and close the drawers and keep smaller items organized one drawer was dedicated to painting items and all his brushes could get stored vertically in the containers both he and I are mostly Woodworkers and we took a lot of pride in our finishing tools he always had both latex and oil brushes only for me I am also a boater so I use special brushes for my Spar Varnish and for other yacht enamels FYI I have brushes of my Dads that he bought and used in the 1960s some of my personal brushes I’ve owned and used for over 35 years ! You take care of a brush you pay 15 or 20 plus dollars for or you can go broke the cool thing is you can train your brushes to apply the finish you really are proud of oh yeah I do not loan brushes out and I do use special combs to clean the bristles
McCall pattern cabinet works great as well. 30 years ago local variety store was remodeling. Got 3 cabinets. Sold 2. Wish I still had all 3. Built to hold as many clothing patterns as could be shoved in. Ball bearing drawer slides. Havent reached load limits yet.
............... Those old McCall cabinets were designed to hold more than they actually did. They were built to last many years in the public eye. So they were built to last. I kick myself in the ass for not buying a few that were for sale when an old dept store nearby shut down. They sold them with all the patterns still in them. Heavy was an understatement.
Paint looks fantastic. I bought a couple almost 20 years ago for $50/piece. I painted them red with black drawers like my Craftsman 42" bottom box. These bookend each side of my 42" box for a work bench and looked amazingly professional. I love the top slideout drawers. I made slider trays 1/2 the drawer width for all the rest. Store bigger stuff underneath the tray. It's unbelievable how much you can pack in these cabinets.
I removed a large bank of wooden shelves. Replaced with 4 of the same cabinets in black. I really like the functionality they give me with my storage. I went so far as to create an inventory of what is in each drawer.. Remember, I have 20 to keep track of. If I forget, I can go to the clipboard.
finally someone who paints with equipment and not with spray paint cans !!!! I was spectacular !!!! congratulations
I’ll bet the thumbs down folks are just mad that they didn’t think about doing something like this and that they paid $15k for their big storage cabinets. Great joy!
Or maybe it's the shitty audio.
OR people who cringed at the 'snap on' treatment. Creative thinking would have been smarter.....just sayin'.....
Or that buy making a "DIY Toolbox" all he did was paint a cabinet red
That paint job is stunning. Thanks for sharing.
I just went out and bought 3 cabinets cant wait to get started.
th-cam.com/users/shortsk5Bmgj_Muyo?feature=share
Brillant. I think you just cured my problem. I live in the Philippines now and had to leave all my big roller toolboxes behind. The Philippines does not have big toolboxes available, but lucky for me they have a lot of file cabinets and paint shops. Love it. Thanks
And this is probably The nicest cabinet out there. Definitely looks like a serious box.
Similar to the file cabinet, for small parts I have used card files. Where yours beats mine is the paint job. all of a sudden, it looks like a tool box and not some old file cabinet.
The fact that it's obviously not a FapOff box makes it so much better. Love it.
snap on emblem getting super glued to a filing cabinet with harbor freight... some snobs are gonne love this.
lateral file drawers work awesome as tool cabinets. there are many large tools and box sets items that will not fit in roll-a-ways. the paint is a great touch as well as the badge. a badge thocould beanything, car, motorcycle, bicycle, boat, aircraft. nicely done
Watched a lot of diy shop cabinet videos today, have not liked or commented on any of them ... until this one. Great idea. Best luck to you and your channel.
Great idea. Looks great
That filing cabinet came out looking beautiful when you were done with it!
for " not being good enough " of a painter, you did a Heck of a job on that tool box
Ohh the sacrilege of adding the Snap-On badge. I love it. The paint came out awesome and the “chrome” trim tops it all off.
"sacrilege"?...probably not...foolish, certainly...off putting, you bet; thanks for the Magic brand paint clue
@@michealfigueroa6325
Sarcasm. Definitely.
I remember this guy who took off work to pick up a Snap On tool chest. Brought it home, disappointed that it wasn't legit and had a fake Snap On badge. The guy was a jerk on site too, karma dude..
It should have been a parody badge... such as Snap-Off or Crap-On, Warp-On?
Bravo, absolutely beautiful job. Perfect choice of paint, especially with the added hardener! I found a short lateral file about 36" high a few years back. Very heavy, ball bearing drawer slides. Not quite so wide as yours. I paint all of my wall cabinets and painted this cabinet the same red case, gray drawers to match my mechanic boxes. I slapped an old Craftsman badge on mine when done and loaded it with all of my heavy grinders, drills, air tools, c clamps, very heavy stuff and it handles it well. I bolted a big vise to the corner then set my mid box and top box full of strictly metric mechanic hand tools. One of the smartest moves i ever made and best looking cabinets in my shop. Great job and super share!
I like the metal cabinets with vertical doors and shelves.
great now there goes the prices of filing cabinets
Just what I was thinking too,I used filling cabinets in the shop like 10 years ago the old timers will tell you whatever you can get to store stuff in use it so that what I'd do,best thing is get it off the floor.
Hahaha!
Yep, I was thinking the same..I drove two hours to buy 4 for $30 another $40 in paint and they look great.
It seems like people selling them always want a lot but, if you keep your eye out, you'll find people giving them away pretty regularly
Were I live you get them for free
Wheels. Dude, got to put locking Harbor Frieght casters on the bottom. Now I'm picky. I would have taken the drawers out, top door and slide out to paint insides where eggshell. G W Hardware and other stores sell black rubber mat you can buy by the foot. It's wide enough to do truck beds. For this, one strip could do the bottoms for all the drawers. Angle bracket cut, drilled, bolted with the casters would really make that dog hunt! But thats just me! 😆
I wanted to do casters but my garage is on a slope so even with locking casters im afraid on it tipping top heavy. I would have painted the drawers but they already have a nice texture black finish. And I went in afterwards and put drawer liners in. I have a stash that I forgot about.
I bought 3 filing cabinets around 25 years ago from an Army surplus store for about $20 a piece. Sanded two of them down and roll painted them with good quality brand can paint in semigloss black. Not being a professional I am a bit chicken and fussy with painting so I did it indoors, by daylight and 20 degrees celcius. One is still used as a filing cabinet in my office and the other as a shoe cabinet in my apartment. Till this day they still look great. Material cost and my time added I surely did not come over 30 bucks when I was finished. Yours turned out nice and looks very professional with the additions you added. Wanted to put mine on casters too, but never got around to doing so (they only need to be moved by renovation) which means removing the draws because they are so heavey. So I too would surely advise anyone that needs to move them often to mount casters. Having the right tools and room to work in is of course always a big advantage. If someone likes a modern apartment I can imagine them even being used for Clothing cabinets or in the kitchen used for dishes, pots/pans and so on. When one looks at the draws in cook islands from brand name Kitchen cabinet manufactures they are nothing else only made out of wood and crazy espensive. Not everyone has thousands to invest in a kitchen.
Would like to see a video of what you store in it and any ideas on how to keep things separated on the inside and it dividers or something that you thought of
Dude, you knocked it out of the ball park with this one!!! I'm definitely customizing one for myself. Thanks for this great video!
Great idea! I have a large two drawer one downstairs that I could do this to and put casters on. Thanks!
I have 7 file cabinets in my shop. Great storage.
I just stumbled on this video and the timing couldn't be better. I recently moved, at my old house I used an old IKEA dresser as my work bench with tool storage. It was a great way to store tools and it attached two 3/4 plywood to the top as the work table. However like many things that are IKEA, it lasted about 10 years from some serious abuse and wasn't up to be moved when we moved houses. So I tossed it, which I was sad to do because it did make a great work bench. However at my new house, the previous owner installed two work benches and they are solid. However they are only benches without any storage. So I have been looking at getting a cheap dresser for my tool storage. I couldn't find anything decent used for below $100 and below that it was just pure garbage. I didn't consider using file cabinets but I just looked on Marketplace and there are several of the same exact ones for $50 and I found one thats 2x2 with a work top for $100. So I think I know which way I'm going. Thank you for the idea.
That’s awesome! Turned out Amazing
I have a normal size 5 drawer file cabinet in my shop to for the same use. But the top drawer is used to keep manuals, receipts and log books all in one spot and organized
I use desktop paper sorters to keep my receipts and sandpaper. Saving all my receipts has really saved me a few times when iv had parts with lifetime warrantees go bad.
Awesome Idea! Watched your video at 2pm and found one like new on FBM for $80.00. Now it it is in the shop for a makeover!
Thank You!
Nice idea,
I would add a white Snap-on sticker on the top draw,
With 6 to 8” letters about 30" long, It will really catch everyone attention
Fantastic job and also the vision to see the potential of this kind of cabinet.
Been doing this for years. That big cabinet is good for hardware. Nuts, bolts, screws, washers are easy to find in those cabinets. Put some Snap-on stickers on them & they look even better.
Very nice work. Informative video. and for me it was inspiring.
Quick note for file cabinet users: The drawers are designed so that most of the strength is in the sides of the drawers where the file hangers rest. The floor of the drawers is kinda flimsy, and heavier items will bend/dent/bulge the floor of the drawer to the point that they sometimes hang up on the neighboring drawers... or pull the whole drawer out of shape enough that the glides bind up. Especially large drawers like the one shown in this video (which turned out really great!).
My simple fix has been to make a sheet metal false floor for each drawer. You will see this in most quality tool chests, except that they are done beneath each drawer where you never see them (go open the largest drawer in any tool chest and see what I am talking about). Anyway, a single thin piece of sheet metal, bent strategically like small corrugations, that fits snugly into the floor of the drawer is enough to increase each drawers strength 10 fold. Or, if made low-profile enough, you can stitch weld a channel against the underside of each drawer. Even a thin, snug sheet of plywood will work to make the drawers super strong.
Anyway, great video.
And buy the way NONE of my QUALITY Kennedy machinist tool boxes are built like you are talking about either. So now tell me how cheap and flimsy they are too. Kennedy makes snap on look like toy boxes.
@@FastEddy5 I'm glad you're happy with your Kennedy boxes. I own some and like them, they're quite nice and they are high quality... for their drawer size and overall stature. Except that they aren't tool chests like the ones discussed on this video or the ones I described. They are TINY. The drawers are designed for small, precise items like end mills, reamers, indicators, mics and gauges, or fine woodworking tools... all fairly light until you get a few hundred end mills in the drawer and then those Kennedy drawers sag and bind like they're made of foil. Kennedy claims a 120 lb limit, but in my 30 years in machining, if I exceed 60 lbs, they start to stick or the belly of the drawer sags until it drags on the drawer beneath. The only way I can get more weight in them is if the tools are in a wood or hard plastic tray that spreads the load. Most machine shops invest in Vidmar/Stanley cabinets for "tooling" because they have a 400 lb capacity in each drawer. The chests we are talking about are for hand tools... sockets, wrenches, etc. (or large tools like drill motors, air tools, Skil saws) where the volume of the drawer allows more weight, and they are ALL reinforced for that reason, if they are of any quality.
I work in the home appliance industry and my favorite thing for storage are the washer and dryer risers people always get before they realize they are actually bad for the machines. Stack em up and paint em nice. Best part is I get em free all the time
That sounds interesting I might have to look into them!
As an aside, why are they bad for the machines?
@@jeremyspecce with a front load washer the centrifugal force thats created is insane when the machine goes into a spin cycle and the farther away from the ground the more the machine wants to move. In turn the more it moves or shutters the more stress it puts on the tub support as well as the frame work of the machine and basically wears it out much faster then when put directly on the floor. About the only way to perfectly get a front load machine level and stable is with a concrete floor.
I love it! Paint came out really good after the buff. I love the Snap-On badge, although I think it would have looked just as cool with a 3D printed badge that said either “Snap-Off” or “Strap-On” 😂
Or Knock Off
"...Strap-On..."🤣🤣🤣
I fully agree.
I'd be totally embarrassed to put a snapon moniker or emblem on any tool box, ESPECIALLY if I built it myself.
I never could buy into the snapon mindset. I understand that some of their tools are great and the service component of weekly or twice a week visits to the shop has some value, but at what cost does it stop making sense?!!! I seem to have managed fine with NOT snapon and have been employed at times in the mechanical trades - or "worked for myself" using tools- good made in USA tools that didn't equate a mortgage or business startup loan in scale and cost.
I have a snapon screwdriver I found in a junk car I bought once.
But uh-uhh, nope, no snapon labels on my tool boxes- My self image doesn't need to put on airs and the mere act of doing so - just thinking about doing so- leaves me uncomfortable and embarrassed. It maybe impresses small minds but the thinking man who works on his merits and perhaps even builds a mechanic's box from scratch (I made one of mine) would just laugh or dismiss anyone that felt that was cool or even thought it was needed, somehow. Embarrassing, at best, discrediting of oneself is worse than the embarrassment.
I would, however, approve of "strap-on" or somesuch as that pretty much sums it up. I might also go for one's personal "brand" or last name; my latest toolbox purchase lost it's manufacturer badging and - like it's predecessor - proudly carries a repurposed 1980's jeep namebadge, "WRANGLER" and I have some 1971 Monte Carlo scripts, a 1969 VW Bus 'Volskwagen" badge, a "Chevrolet" square-body nameplate on others awaiting an appropriate placement on something- perhaps an artsy placement of them all on the bright blue 5' long and 6' tall acquisation? I just don't want it to be 'busy' or detract from the full-size Trans Am hood bird that's going on there:D
No putting on of airs with those, and nothing to say, "fraud!!" - just 'enthusiast.'
snapon logo fraud is tacky and, again, embarrassing to fraudulently say you bought in...
I found a three drawer one that didn't have top. The idea was in an office you would like a wall with them and build a counter top over it. I am going to build a woodworking top with a vice. I have scroll saws and skill saws to store in the drawers instead of wasting bench or shelf space storing them. I am going to install heavy duty lockable casters so I can move it to fit the space needed for size of project. I like the chrome trim idea. Thanks.
I was able to pick one of these same cabinets up a couple years ago from my job when they remodeled the building. I paid $5 for it. It's great for storage, especially larger things like sanders and skilsaws. I've used it for parts storage at my shop and for the larger blow molded cases for special tools.
That Project came out SWEET..............................OFF the HOOK..................for sure !
It turned out super nice! Well done.
Looks great.
A tip on the locks for you or anybody working with filing cabinets. Most cabinets have a number stamped on them. Locksmiths can look up the number and get the key/tumbler pattern. Call the locksmith first, some require that you bring the lock with you.
But also they often use a pretty common lockset so you can just buy a drawer & cabinet lock kit they usually come with a variety of cams but you can likely use the cam from the old lock on the new one.
That’s really good to know thank you!
Institutional Locksmith here. You are indeed correct! I work in a hospital and cut all kind of office furniture keys using the codes on the face of the locks. Your house keys also have the codes stamped on them as well, when you buy your lock new. It's always a good idea to take a picture of your key with the code and keep it in your phone. If need be a Locksmith can also cut a key from those numbers stamped on your key as well.
I picked up six of these cabinets for free this summer from some people just wanting them out of their storage and this is my plan for them. Problem is I don’t have a garage yet 😂
You will be set for a nice storage setup when you get one!
Ford Safety Red in the Majik was a match for the Harbor Freight tool box and also a very close match to the Ikon professional boxes
If you know What you are looking for..Harbor Freight has some good stuff. I used the same exact spray gun you used, to paint a Cessna 140 (single engine airplane).
It came out really good, I would put some castors on the bottom to make it easier to move around
Just very innovative!All I need is your advice on how to store my mechanics tool box actually I have is an old water tank dismantled now I need to go to my local fabrication store to weld the tool box you just painted,nice job.Thanks for the advice.
Great job!! I have four 3 drawer lateral file cabinets in my shop/garage. I'm actually going to set them up and incorporate them in a miter saw station. Now after watching this I guess I'm also going to have to paint mine as well to match my red tool boxes!!
I've been using a similar lateral 5 drawer filing cabinet for tools for the last 20+ years. A local dentists office threw it and two others away. Mine has all open front drawers like your top drawer. I never really thought about painting it. I did cut a commercial butcher block top to fit the top of it so I cold put things on top. I have a pair of small machinist's chest sitting atop mine.
I like the chrome trim idea.
Your right about the weight capacity, they take far more weight than any tool box. I also made a heavy caster base for mine out of 1/4" x 3x3" angle iron with proper tool box wheels I salvaged from a junk Snap on box. Adding the casters made the whole box about 6" taller overall, which made it easier to bend down to reach the bottom drawers.
I have the top drawer will all my sockets and ratchets, the second drawer is all wrenches, and the rest is all bulky tools. Being able to roll it around when needed really comes in handy.
I like the idea of a butcher block top. I was going to use some rubber mat that came with my tool box to lay on top but wood would look really clean and match my other box. Thanks for the input!
I started using filing cabenets for strage in my shop and garage about 10 years ago. The print shop where I worked did some upgrades and were throwing out all of their old filing cabinets of every size and configuration you can think of. Been using them for storage ever since. Tou just have to use your noggin when loading them and make sure not to get them top heavy so they don't fall over when you open a drawer.
Jeeeeeeezzuuss, wow. Get a filing cabinet, paint it red. Boom 💥
Great job, now some LED strip lights in the drawers just to add a nice touch when the drawers open. Think I will have to look for one on marketplace. Thanks
Made a snap-on toolbox with Harbor freight tools. Love looking for box to day
Very well done. My complements! I must say I and apparently many others did have that same thought - filing cabinet prices just went UP. Ah well...While walking the dog last week, just down the strett someone put out a Hon four door upright filing cabinet for letter size papers with a FREE sign on it. It is waiting for me to sand it and paint it. I, too, am going to use rustoleum white paint. This is for our business office. Anyhow, I am going to start looking for your style cabinet for my garage becuase I need to clean it up out there. Thank you for the video.
Looks great! Snap-on hack tool box great idea dude! Just kidding the price of boxes with that boom boom boom! Lol
I’ve used these type of cabinets for storage for a while. The beat ones have the interior section rolls out once the door latch opens up
Damn good job I'm actually going to do the same thing but to a three drawer cabinet hopefully when I get it done I'll post it and see what everybody thinks thank you for the idea
Awesome job on the file cabinet I did the same with one from work they were going to toss out. Thanks for sharing video.
2 drawer mobile pedestal file cabinets make great mobile stands for planer, belt sander, small drill press.
Built in steel drawers and already on casters. Cheap at used office furniture stores or craigslist.
I currently have 3 and added plywood to strengthen the tops.
Also look at audio visual stands. They are mobile with storage.
Restore aka Habitat for humanity stores, I picked up three file cabinets for 25 dollars, repainted two of them to match my glass and aluminium desk and looks like they came with the desk. The other is in my shop a 4 5 drawer unit and it holds all my shop tool manuals and sand paper along with other items. Govdeals.com also as the state, local city and federal gov is always selling office stuff and sometimes woodworking tools from schools, colleges and universities or even federal, state trade shops.
Cam across this video a couple times and skipped it cause of the thumbnail. I’m like yes right a new snap on tool cabinet like that for cheap? Then I finally decided to watch it and damn thank god I did 😂
Thanks for the tip on the hardener. I’ve always found that Duplicolor automotive paint is far better quality than rustoleum. Its not the best, but Rustoleum on its own doesnt stand up to elements over time. I’m sure that hardener does wonders tho. And When you dont have a choice and you’re spraying in cold weather, keep a heat gun handy. Heat your surface before spraying. Also soak your cans of paint in warm water. And on your final pass, lay it wet, but immediately follow it up with the heat gun evenly. This will prevent it from getting any runs. Otherwise it wont flash correctly and you’ll have stuff go wrong with the long dry time.. i use Hi temp engine paint alot for quick fixes. You can blast it with a heat gun and have it dry to handle in minutes sometimes. Best part is no orange peel!
Nice job. It really does look like a genuine Snap-On.👍👍
That's awesome! Good job!
I've always loved using filing cabinets, although I've never gone quite so far to make them pretty like this! Nicely done.
Super cool. Wheels on the bottom
This looks amazing! Absolutely awesome bro. Will be trying this!!
Ended up with a couple of antique surplus typewriter tables from work. They have the mechanism that raises and lowers the wheels off the ground. They make the best tool stands ever.
Outstanding build, the only changes I’m going to make to mine is it will be black and I will put casters on mine. This is one hell of an idea!
Careful with casters. It could tip on you since it's a weird dimension
@@thetonezone8164 weird dimension and filing cabinets don't really have the structure on the bottom for that. You'd need to weld a plate of sheetmetal to the bottom to give it rigidity.
I have mine with the casters. There is a groove on the bottom and I fit 2x6 in order to create a stronger structure and attach casters to.
I bought a cabinet dolly that is steel with the casters already mounted with locking wheels and it works great. It's basically a pan with wheels that the bottom of the cabinet sits on. Just added a handful of self tapping sheet metal screws and I don't intend on dragging it out of the garage so it should be fine.
It looks excellent!! Thanks for the idea, I might have to replicate something similar for my new shop.....
I just picked up the same cabinet .
Yours looks awesome.
Thanks for the advise.
Mine will be orange. But I will now put chrome trim on.
Thanks again and good luck on all your endeavors.
Ron
Hey Seth, If the SNAP-ON guy comes after you, all you got to do is hide in one of those draws.......Probably one of the best things on TH-cam.....YOU DONE GOOD !!! Bought mine the night I watched this....thanks man
Well Done!!! I've had one in my garage for years, never thought of painting it. On the todo list now for sure!
I've been using file cabinets for some time now they're all different colors but I've labeled every drawers for efficiency plus these Puppies gets heavy so don't forget quality casters if you haven't just yet, and your idea of taking step further with matching paint and so forth is epic no doubt.
Looks great. Have a bunch of repurposed file cabinet storage in my shop. Especially like the lift-up fronts like your top elevation for their ability to play nice with multiple drawers concealed behind each one.
Awesome build I’m gonna add casters to mine. When I get to it::)
immediately went to offerup. got a perfect sized 3 drawer for $15! gona turn it into a little welding cart
having converted a filing cabinet with some planks inside to store stuff i have noticed that when you pull out a drawer and its weighed down it pulls the whole cabinet forward , aspecially if the rest of the drawers arent locked when one drawer is open
Nice job with the cabinet, great idea to upcycle and make something that is useful. I copied your idea with a file cabinet i got from the local recycling site which is 4 draws high, sprayed mine midnight blue as that is what i had on hand for paint then used bed liner on the inside of the draws for protection and easy cleaning, then added some foam to the bottom to deaden the sound of tossing in tools. i also added some cheap thin self sticking foam to the inside of the side and back panels to deaden noise in general. Biggest difference was to make a rolling frame for the cabinet to ride in so i can move it if needed and make it match up with the other wheeled benches i have. I really like the top draw of your tool box. i'll have to keep an eye out for one like it. Take care,God bless one and all.
Interesting idea! You know it can hold the weight, because those drawers full of paper would be crazy heavy. Looks like snapon made it themselves 😂
Nicely done! Now put some casters on it and get some Kaizan foam for the drawers and tool storage. Seriously, good job. Has me surfin' C-list for used cabinets now LOL!
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I think you did a super job! You could snag a HF magnetic paper towel holder. I’ve been sitting here trying to figure out how you could add interior type lighting that when you open a drawer, lights come on in that particular drawer. I know there are fellas out there that could do it with no problem. Now maybe you can upgrade your original file cabinet.
wow, thats one heck of a transformation
Really rare commodity these days........work pride. Sweet.
Love It! I've been collecting free filing cabinets for a few years now for a reloading room.
Cool idea, I have a similar one in my shop. All the draws are like top one. I have an idea for you that I am about to do as well, wheel casters! Look at the ones on your red tool box, get some similar.
I've been using 4 and 5 drawer filing cabinets (which I picked up free) as tool and storage cabinets for many years. I have 2 in my garage and one downstairs in my basement shop.The one you just finished is the one I'm looking for as my next tool cabinet. I keep looking! :) Nice job on yours, by the way. :)
Nice!!! Need some casters now...so to be able to roll it around...
Brilliant....I just found a free one on FB....you saved me a ton of money!
For the ultimate in storage capacity in a small space, get yourself a compactus shelving system
Great build. Perfect for cased tool kits. I will be doing a similar build on three 60 inch wide lateral cabinets. I'll be fabricating a frame base to accept 6 inch locking swivel casters. I'm also going to make use of polished aluminum diamond tread plate to strengthen it substantially.
Watch the curb. I've picked up two of the regular 4 drawer cabinets that way
Great idea ,looking for cabinet now. Thanks
Fantastic job, and I love the idea.
Thanks for the inspiration on this. I'm doing it. Mine will be black though. Maybe I'll hold out for a black cabinet and I'll just have to put a badge and chrome on it.
My father always used the filing cabinets like the first one you spoke about he used to save the old half gallon and quart sized square milk cartons and cut those to a height of what the drawers were it allowed you to open and close the drawers and keep smaller items organized one drawer was dedicated to painting items and all his brushes could get stored vertically in the containers both he and I are mostly Woodworkers and we took a lot of pride in our finishing tools he always had both latex and oil brushes only for me I am also a boater so I use special brushes for my Spar Varnish and for other yacht enamels FYI I have brushes of my Dads that he bought and used in the 1960s some of my personal brushes I’ve owned and used for over 35 years ! You take care of a brush you pay 15 or 20 plus dollars for or you can go broke the cool thing is you can train your brushes to apply the finish you really are proud of oh yeah I do not loan brushes out and I do use special combs to clean the bristles
Great video and use of file cabinets
I have several in my garage and my theme is black and silver or chrome.
Hopefully I can get mine painted since that’s usually where I do videos for my channel
That's way cool. Thanks for the idea on how to solve my storage problems and make it look good too.
McCall pattern cabinet works great as well. 30 years ago local variety store was remodeling. Got 3 cabinets. Sold 2. Wish I still had all 3. Built to hold as many clothing patterns as could be shoved in. Ball bearing drawer slides. Havent reached load limits yet.
............... Those old McCall cabinets were designed to hold more than they actually did. They were built to last many years in the public eye. So they were built to last. I kick myself in the ass for not buying a few that were for sale when an old dept store nearby shut down. They sold them with all the patterns still in them. Heavy was an understatement.
Nice work on your cabinet!!! That was a great project!!!
Thanks @RoadhogRNA 🙏🏻
It really does look great!