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The ultimate machinist tool box combo (beach upper/lower) in Bowmanville, on

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Dan Dubeau

Ultra Member
Up for debate of course, but this is IMO , the ultimate machinist tool box combo money used to be able to buy. The beach boxes are no longer made, and newer boxes just aren't the same. That config of top box isn't very common.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplac...place_top_picks&referral_story_type=top_picks

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I was very tempted to buy this myself, and do a purge and swap out of my current boxes, but I'll be bringing my Beach B95 lower home from work next week, so I don't really "need it". Nor have space for it right now. I love the old beach stuff though.

Great deal for someone.
 
I've had Beach for over 30 years still solid but the drawer slides are friction no bearings some drawers are pretty difficult to move. I usually apply some Luberplate every couple months
 
Aliva said:
I've had Beach for over 30 years still solid but the drawer slides are friction no bearings some drawers are pretty difficult to move. I usually apply some Luberplate every couple months
Click to expand...
The problem w/ many of these is that the lubrication being used either dries out & causes friction or collects dirt, sawdust, etc., and, causes friction. I've refurbed a number of these & the slides have always worked better after being removed, soaked in Varsol, cleaned & re-lubed prior to reassembly, in addition to the drawer slide surfaces. Any dents, curves or twists also need to be straightened.
 
I looked at the same boxes in 1980. I decide they were to big and went with the 5 drawer roll cabinet and a six drawer top and a two drawer middle cabinet. The are still going strong 43 years later! Their on their third set of casters.
I used to take the drawer slides out and wipe them down and lube them once a year.
You can see the welds in the corners that cracked from the rough shop floor in one of the shops I worked in.
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Meh.

Not to put TOO fine a point on it, but I figure if you are talking about 'Ultimate' Machinist's Tool Boxes, Kennedy and Beach are OK, but the ultimate, is Gerstner!
 
trevj said:
Meh.

Not to put TOO fine a point on it, but I figure if you are talking about 'Ultimate' Machinist's Tool Boxes, Kennedy and Beach are OK, but the ultimate, is Gerstner!
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Gerstner is a nice looking machinists box but I don't think they'd would take a pounding in a service truck like my beach did.
 
Gerstner and Kennedy boxes are designed and built to sit on a bench for 50 years, under the right loading conditions. Then they are beautiful, functional and the reason they command high prices. Beach, Stanley and many others are meant for harsher work conditions in a garage, with heavier loading. Then you get to the 'best of breed boxes' intended for use in mobile applications. Different markets, different uses. (Beach seemed to be suitable as an entry level in the harsh use category)

I *love* my Kennedy boxes in my shop. - never in my truck, however.

I wish I could have gotten to those Beach boxes. My favourite Canadian producer of automotive style tool boxes!
 
I'm always on the lookout for Beach boxes . Do I need more tool boxes ? .... no , would I buy another one ? .... yes .

I've bought and sold a few of em , a Beach box I sold long ago came back to me and is in my shop . I've been a mechanic since high school so it only stands to reason , I've got lots of tools . I had one tipped off of a forklift into the street by a not so experienced driver , what a mess !! & much to the surprise of my colleagues I didn't flip out , it took a scoop shovel to pick up the tools while traffic whizzed by , the box survived , I still have it , it's my beater box . Another nice beach box combo I owned in the 80's recently surfaced on market place , I was almost tempted to buy that one back but it was gone quickly , the contents were all Snapon , Mac , Starrett , that one went for pennies on the dollar.
 
Personal opinion, but you couldn't pay me enough to work out of a Kennedy top chest every day. I have one (had 2), but it's at home, where I don't need it as much. IMO they're next to useless for how much they (don't) hold vs how much space they take up. Tiny little drawpulls make you feel like you're having a tea party with a child in her dollhouse. Tiny shallow drawers that don't hold anything. If I was a submarine machinist and bench space was limited, sure :D. But give me a nice mechanics style topbox for daily use any day.

The bottom boxes, sure, I like those, and would love to find one. But the top boxes.....nah, not a fan. They are nice looking and well made though. Just don't work for me.

I've no real strong opinion on a Gerstner. They're nice. I think their more for when you retire and want a nice place to put your fine measurement tools at home. I've only ever worked with one toolmaker that had one. They suffer the same small capacity as a Kennedy, but I do appreciate the wood craftsmanship. I have a bunch of 8/4 black cherry that was milled off my Gramp's woodlot many years ago, that I was a pilot on, that one day will become a nice wooden machinist chest with a tambour door. Slowly working my way back to woodworking after a 20 year detour into metal, but I'll get back there eventually....It was always my first love.
 
Dan Dubeau said:
but you couldn't pay me enough to work out of a Kennedy top chest every day.
Click to expand...
I have 3 Kennedy top boxes and one 'storage' box. I love them. But our use cases differ. -- And in my case they are supplemented by regular automotive boxes for larger and heavier items.

I also love wooden boxes, but never had access to an affordable one. Used Gerstner boxes are too rich for my sensibilities.
 
Gerstners main value imo is pride of ownership (which isn't to diminish their value), just feels good having something nice made out of wood in the shop. I like them and have a few, but the ultimate is a Lista or Vidimar, imo.
 
Most of my best tool boxes are just nice surfaces. I also like Cardboard Boxes. But I have been known to take advantage of Crappy Tire Tool Box Sales, Auctions, and hand-me-downs whenever I get the chance..... (Insert HAPPY face here.....).

I have one tiny little wooden tool box with drawers that I use to store HSS tool blanks and indexable inserts. It prolly cost me more than all my other tool boxes combined.

Life is really good if you don't look at the neighbour's wife too much.
 
@Mcgyver What about the Canadian version of the Lista/Vidmar? I can't put my finger on the memory, made in Quebec, (starting with the letter "D"?
 
We had a lot of Rousseau cabinets at work. Must have been a hundred or more located in different plant tool rooms. They were better than Lista in my opinion, Cheaper and Canadian made.
 
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