I pick up a lot of my tools secondhand — garage-sale specials — and those slick molded cases are usually long gone by the time I get my hands on ‘em. But if I ever want a case, Carry Cases Plus offers plastic, blow-molded cases in a variety of sizes. They’ll protect anything from high-priced power tools to your collection of antique hand planes.

The cases come in three levels of quality: Standard, Infinity, and Defender. Build quality and internal protection increase with price. Sizes range from the smallish 7.5″ x 8.125″ x 3.53″ to models that are 26-inches long. You can order cases either empty or with your choice of internal foam padding. For a fee, they’ll even custom-cut foam inserts from submitted CAD files.

Prices range from about $10 for the smallest cases to $80 for large models with well-protected insides.

Carry Cases Plus [Official Site]

What’s better than one tool bag? Thats right, two tool bags. You can get this duo over at Sears for $7.50.  Each bag — one is 10-inches and the other 12-inches — features a large interior, three outer pockets, two full-handle grips, zipper top with a steel reinforcement bar, and double stitching on the base, which provides resistance to both water and abrasion.  Offer ends March 22.

Craftsman Tool Bag Two-Pack [Sears]

If a windstorm has ever scattered your deck furniture across the neighborhood, Deck-Tiedowns from Bishop Innovations could save you a lot of grief. They’re simple stainless steel rings with “T”-shaped ends — you just slip ‘em between your deck planks, and twist. They provide a secure anchor for grills, patio furniture, etc, when weather threatens to blow them away.

You can find Deck-Tiedowns in some hardware stores, but if your local store doesn’t carry ‘em, you can buy ‘em directly from the website. They’ll fit boards up to 1-1/2″ thick. A four-pack of tiedowns costs $6, and a 12-pack runs $15.

Deck-Tiedown [Official Site]
PDF Order Form [Decktiedown.com]

Cars and tools are so closely connected, some people have trouble separating the two. You can’t really have one without the other. In the case of Snap-On’s ’57 “Glomad” Chevy, we have to say we had no idea tools could look so damn good on a car.

The Glomad sports actual wrenches that make up the two-tone on the sides and the rails at the rear of the trunk — and the lug nuts on the bad-ass rims are sockets. It also comes complete with a huge, fold-out Snap-On tool system in the cave-like rear area.

(more…)

Before the days of the slick Snap-On or behemoth Waterloo Industry tool chests, machinists stored their tools in wooden machinist chests. Gerstner’s been making ‘em since 1906, and they remain the standard against which wooden machinist chests are measured.

In 1910 Gerstner designed the #41, a typical chest, to hold precision instruments for machinists. You can cover the #41’s seven lined drawers with a front lid, and you can lock the whole thing up — including the lined top tray — just like a contemporary machinist chest. Gerstner makes the chests with tongue and groove wood panels in your choice of golden oak, maple, cherry, or walnut. You can further customize the chest with hardware finishes and black or green felt. It also features a mirror mounted to the lid, one feature you don’t see too often in contemporary chests.

In today’s world the wooden chest has become more of a showpiece than an everyday necessity, and the prices reflect that — the #41 has a street price of $710 to $740 depending on what finish you decide on. Gerstner produces a “Gerstner International” line for those who want an economical option — the overseas manufacturers who make the International line hold themselves to less-strict standards. Either Gerstner USA or Gerstner International chests could become prize pieces to enjoy for a long time.

Gerstner #41 [Gerstner]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]

If you watch the History Channel at all you’re going to run across things like the Lumb-R Grip hanger. Basically, you slide it over some exposed timber, give it a quick yank, and it grips the timber in two places.  The system claims each hook can carry a 200 lb load.  Street pricing is about $5 a pair.

We don’t doubt that the hook will hold once installed or that it’ll carry a heavy payload.  Our question is, why would you do that when there are much better and cheaper ways to mount hangers on your wall that hold more weight?

What do you think?  Are we just too old and stodgy?  Is this the next revolution in storage?  Let us know in comments.

Lumb-R Grip [As Seen On TV]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]

With all the tools posted on Toolmonger, you’re gonna need somewhere to put ‘em all. Stanley recently added this 4-in-1 Mobile Work Station to their FatMax line, and Amazon is selling it for $80, with free shipping. The cantilever multi-level rolling cart gives you access to all of the storage areas — a toolbox, part bins, portable tray, and a larger oversized bin on the bottom — at the same time.

The handle telescopes for added maneuverability, and a single locking latch secures the entire cart. Stanley offers a limited lifetime warranty.

FatMax 4-in-1 Mobile Work Station [Stanley Tools]
Via Amazon (B000V29B7K) [What’s This?]
Street Pricing [Google Products]

Next time you have to bundle boards, pipes, siding, or whatever, don’t reach for tape or rope or twine — grab your roll of Stretch Wrap Flat Twine. If it’s good enough to withstand shipping by UPS, it’s good enough for Toolmongers.

Unlike tape, Flat Twine only sticks to itself, so there are no knots to remember — wrapping the Flat Twine over itself is sufficient. Since it stretches, you can bundle your stuff tighter than with rope or twine. And when you need to separate the materials, just unwrap the flat twine; no knots to untie, no sticky mess left behind.

Pricing starts at $4 for a 2″ x 178′ roll with dispenser. If you can find a rope that length for cheaper, I wouldn’t trust it.

Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]

These days, most manufacturers make their tool belts out of split-grain leather or nylon. Though split-grain leather has a good weight and flexibility, it wears out quickly. Nylon, a more affordable material, can be very stiff. Occidental Leather makes tool belts from full-grain leather to provide a quality belt that will last for years of hard use.

(more…)

With a label maker, you can organize your workspace and projects a whole lot easier — knowing what goes where prevents headaches long before they happen. DYMO ruggedized its Rhino 1000 labeler for use in an industrial environment. Its rubberized and chemical-resistant outside makes it tougher than your average office label maker. It also offers extra features specifically for the shop.

(more…)

Bucket Boss makes some really cool organizers — the Stacker and Super Stacker are no exception. Unlike a parachute bag, these stacking trays are made from rigid plastic, and their 10-1/2″ diameter fits most five gallon pails.

You can fit four to five of the 2-3/4″ deep Stackers in a five gallon pail, while the 4-1/4″ deep Super Stackers fit three to a pail. Both Stackers are divided into four compartments for organizing hardware, and each features a built-in drill bit sizer, pencil holder, and measuring rule.

(more…)

Stanley’s Mobile Work Station adds a few features to the increasingly common two-wheeled toolbox. You don’t unstack this work station like other rolling toolboxes — this one slides out on ball-bearing glides to reveal four different storage solutions: a portable tote, a toolbox, parts storage, and a large bin for heavy items.

When all the levels are stowed, you can use the top as a work surface. And when you’re ready to move on, the handle telescopes out to make it easier to roll away on its seven inch wheels.

(more…)

I don’t mean to start another pegboard war here — I only want to show the pegboard proponents a relatively low-cost solution to the hook pull-out problem. You could just snap little plastic clips into the pegboard to hold the hooks in place, a popular solution that works reasonably well — but Pegmate hook holders present a cost-effective and more professional looking alternative.

(more…)

When it comes to workspace storage and organization, Lista is the cream of the crop. They’ve earned their reputation by designing products that are easy to use and customize. I doubt there’s any convenience you could wish for in a cabinet or drawer system that Lista hasn’t already implemented.

(more…)

If you’ve ever frantically searched your tool bag for a set of batteries when you really needed them, you might dig the Personal Battery Caddy. Designed for pilots, the molded plastic case securely holds several fresh batteries in a compact package. And it glows in the dark to boot.

(more…)

We’re students of the old school when it comes to workbench design, so when we first saw Stanley’s Mobile Project Center we didn’t want to like it. We figured that a metal and plastic bench that stands high instead of wide wouldn’t last a week in the shop. We were wrong. Read on past the jump to find out why it’s one of our 2007 favorite tools.

(more…)

With this mobile tool workcenter, you can keep your Dremel (or other mini rotary tool) close at hand, along with accessories, work space, and extra storage. You can even sketch out ideas on a whiteboard on the box’s lid. The website mentions an “integrated vacuum hose port” but doesn’t provide much information about it — it looks like the unoccupied bench-dog holes might function as a downdraft table for dust control. Do any of you Milescraft MobileX1 workcenter owners care to fill us in on the details?

MSRP on this little beauty is $75, and street pricing is a pretty uniform $60, but I ran across it at All Electronics for $45, with shipping in the $7 range.

Milescraft Portable Hobbyist’s Workcenter [Digimode10]
Rotary Tool Workcenter [All Electronics]
Via Amazon (B000KIASXG) [What’s This?]