Replies

1. 
   andybuildz | Dec 27, 2003 09:19pm | #1

   I "really" love my Duluth Trading Co. rolling tool BAG with telescoping handle.

   I've heard from others that the telescoping handle has gotten bent in some cases.....so be careful. I am and its worked fantastic for me so far (about 1 year)

   PS.you dont by chance happen to work for my cousin Warren do you?

    (Peal Construction)

   Be well

          andy

   My life is my practice!

   http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM

   
   

   ---

   Edited 12/27/2003 1:21:15 PM ET by Andy Clifford(Andybuildz)

1. 
   BradR | Dec 27, 2003 09:26pm | #2

   Try a search for tool Kaddies or maybe Kaddies.com- I have some  literature around somewhere and think this might be just what you are looking for. I will post a link if I can find it.

2. 
   pm22 | Dec 27, 2003 11:18pm | #3

   Alan,

   I bought on of those service carts from Harbor Freight. Others are available. Then they had a sale on 10" pneumatic casters so I bought a set. Large casters reduce rolling resistance. You can make your own modifications to the basic structure: I added a couple of large hooks to hold extension cords and a power strip. Also I inverted the top self and added a 3/4" plywood top to serve as a work bench. Boltholes added for grinder, drill press and vice - although vices are illegal on construction sites, you might be able to get away with one if you're working alone and your clients don't turn you in.

   Now the stairs issue is a problem for that sort of four wheeled set up. In that case, I would base something on a sturdy, big wheeled hand truck.

   As for the parking issue, I feel your pain. Your best best is to buy an ambulance. These usually don't get parking tickets as far as I know. They also have a lot of room and have mysterious ways of getting through traffic. And you get earn some money in your spare time giving free mammary exams.

   ~Peter

1. 
   Remodelboy | Jan 13, 2004 07:20pm | #18

   Paul-

   I'm from Southern California where the only vices not allowed on the jobsite are smoking and drinking.  What state are you from that doesn't allow vices on the jobsite and why?  I'm not making fun - just want some trivia to yak about on the jobsite.  Thanks!

   Roland

1. 
   pm22 | Jan 14, 2004 05:04am | #21

   This is like one of those questions like "Why don't sportscars have turn signals?"

   Actually I'm in San Diego under the flightpath to Lindberg Field.

   I am assuming that somewhere there is a law stating that vises are illegal on the jobsite based on the fact that I've never seen any vices on any of my jobsites. And I can't believe that construction people are so ignorant of tools as to fail to avail themselves of the benefits of such a massive invention. There are times when you are trying to cut, sand, drill, file a small piece of material and it is very hard to hold a small piece of wood in one hand and cut it with a SawZall [a two handed or pawed tool]. I've seen this guy cutting pieces of rebar with a SawZall and the rebar was vibrating all over the place. I came to the rescue with my large ViceGrips clamp [LC 12] but I don't think it made a deep impression.

   Story

   There was a large room in a school and I came across an electrical apprentice named Stuart who lives on a houseboat and he was cutting some EMT tubing [Hey Jerry Ford referred to "FDR Roosvelt"]. So he had the hollow cylinder resting on his instep and was trying to cut it with a PortaBand saw.[Shift + Enter = no space between paragraphs] Now it so happened that this was a shop room in the second most famous highschool in the United States and it was loaded with about a dozen large workbenches and each workbench had a couple of big, light metalic blue Wilton vises on it. Ignoring the ethical dilemma, I showed him how these complicated machines worked. I placed the piece of metal wrapped air in between the "jaws" and turned the "handle" and thus the piece was firmly held.

   As for smoking and drinking: we are allowed to drink water, soda, GatorAid and so on. Until the finishing stages, smoking also happens but only tobacco products. AFAIK.

   ~Peter

1. 
   GoldenWreckedAngle | Jan 14, 2004 09:22pm | #23

   That shift+ enter tip is a keeper -Had to reply just to try it out. Ah-pree-shate-cha!Kevin Halliburton

   "I believe that architecture is a pragmatic art. To become art it must be built on a foundation of necessity."  - I.M. Pei -

3. 
   Frankie | Dec 28, 2003 12:19am | #4

   I feel your pain. Customer and Contractors in other areas don't understand/ appreciate the cost of doing business here in NYC. We have hoops to jump through which few have.

   I love the ZAG rolling toolchests available at HD (($30 or $40). They have 2 trays and it is hard to fill them with enough tools to make them too heavy to carry. When they are, you just have to take out a tool or two for the moment.

   I love and also use the Stanley 50 gal. toolchests. They are great! Trouble is they can get VERY heavy, but are sooo easy to roll down the street and much lighter and less intrusive (for the Client) than the steel job boxes.

   I found the stacking Stanley's to be okay. The 2 drawers are nice. It comes apart so you can carry it up stairs in separate units and the separate compartments make for good organization. The tilt-out lower storage compartment sometimes gets stuck by tools/ items which have shifted while traveling. The spine also has a feature to accomodate an extesion cord.

   The nicest thing about any of these units is that the Client sees your tools organized. Three bags with tools hanging from pockets does not make the same statement. I use bags too, but mostly for the multi-trade tools.

   I wish ZAG or Stanley made a unit that was an in between size with the dual trays. Oh well, a boy can dream.

   The Duluth rolling bag is at http://search.netscape.com/ns/boomframe.jsp?query=duluth+trading&page=1&offset=0&result_url=redir%3Fsrc%3Dwebsearch%26amp%3BrequestId%3D2df2fb736f243050%26amp%3BclickedItemRank%3D1%26amp%3BuserQuery%3Dduluth%2Btrading%26amp%3BclickedItemURN%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fduluthtrading.com%252F%26amp%3BinvocationType%3D-%26amp%3BfromPage%3DAppleTop&remove_url=http%3A%2F%2Fduluthtrading.com%2F.

4. 
   redlead | Dec 28, 2003 01:56am | #5

   How about one of those garden carts with the bike wheels? You might look a little girly, but if you know your trade, you'll have the last laugh. No slave to fashion myself. I use a Rubbermaid rollaround cart, but the 5' wheels are nfg for stairs. Good luck.

5. 
   kostello | Dec 28, 2003 02:42am | #6

   i've got 2 of these:

   http://www.axminster.co.uk/default.asp?part=015130

   but i have stacked them one ontop of the other. bolted the lower lid to the top box and hold them together with rachet straps.

   it works ok. no good for stairs though. its a bit top heavy but i haven't found a better way yet.

   also the plastic is brittle in the winter and they only last about 18 months

1. 
   PhillGiles | Dec 28, 2003 08:58am | #8

   I have the same one, except mine is branded "ZAG" (ZAG is an Israeli outfit that makes most of the rolling boxes for various brands). About 4 years now (??), still looks in good shape, bought it at HD at some sort of major sale for roughly C$40..

   Phill Giles

   The Unionville Woodwright

   Unionville, Ontario

1. 
   ClaysWorld | Jan 12, 2004 06:47pm | #10

   I'v e been hunting around looking at some of these roll around type units, the supply is variable. But with your comment of Zag I've found that stanley bought them out a couple of years ago according to a press release some where around 2001. Kinda interesting to see that. Hope the supply improves alittle though. HD had the combo 3 piece metal plastic stacker on sale for 49$ around C-mas but it's nowhere around now. From looking at the stanley line they also have a larger 3 stack all plastic that  I would like to take a look at.

2. 
   Lateapex911 | Dec 28, 2003 10:38am | #9

   I had one of these, but it cracked in the winter.  Cool idea, so-so execution. YMMV..Jake Gulick

   [email protected]

   CarriageHouse Design

   Black Rock, CT

6. 
   JeffBuck | Dec 28, 2003 02:55am | #7

   every now and then I work in a coupla different condo units ...

   best results come from using a fairly big grey box from sears .... it had a deep bottom compartment and levels of smaller lift out trays .... has clamps on each side that clamp down strong ... and with a flat lid ... it doubles as a step stool.

   I ride around with that mostly empty ... and load it up as the job requires.

   I have a nice lightweight but strong 2 wheel dolly .. or hand truck ... and a bunch of bungy cords.

   The big square box on the bottom makes the perfect platform to strap eveything else to the dolly .....

   it goes up stairs too.

   back when I was in these condo's more that I liked to be ...

   I thought about making a 1/2" ply box to custom fit all my usual stuff ..... that could be strapped on and off the dolly.

   That way I could fit the compressor in tight on the bottom .... keeping the weight down low ... and still probably carried more than my strap it together system .... but never got around to it.

   Jeff

   Buck Construction   Pittsburgh,PA

        Artistry in Carpentry                

7. 
   reinvent | Jan 12, 2004 08:45pm | #11

   Check out the Tool Wheeler. I have'nt used one but it seems like a good idea.

1. 
   BillHartmann | Jan 12, 2004 09:45pm | #12

   You don't want to UPLOAD url's.

   Just copy and paste them in the text of your message, just be a space before and after it. Then it will become a clickable link.

2. 
   BossHog | Jan 12, 2004 10:52pm | #13

   Is this what you're talking about?

   http://www.bulldogpower.com/Products/scaffolding2.htmThis morning I woke up to the unmistakable scent of pigs in a blanket. That's the price you pay for letting the relatives stay over.

1. 
   reinvent | Jan 13, 2004 02:30am | #14

   Yeah Sorry abought that. The 'scaffolding' collapses into a two wheeler to tote your stuff with. Then you unfold it pop the shelves off the sides and its a light wieght roll around scafold.

1. 
   elton1 | Jan 13, 2004 12:05pm | #15

        After tearing through my second gimmicky Rubbermaid box, I found a long, no frills steel box that takes plenty of abuse. It was a little heavier, though, so I welded two small, fixed casters to one end. They're not big enough to get in the way, and they only engage with the ground when I pick up the other end. I did this to help navigate the occasional long driveway, but find myself using them every time I move the box on the job. It may have made it too convenient, given the number of times my box has been relocated by a co-worker because of it's portability and apparent resemblence to a footstool. The wheels really paid off though, when my truck was towed in San Francisco and I had to get my tools home on foot, bus and train (although I did find myself wishing for two more wheels...and a motor).

        One thing I noticed when I went to a steel box, it seemed like my tools became slightly more prone to oxidation. After coating the entire inside with Hammerite paint (to facilitate cleaning) I tossed in one of those dessicant packs - the kind they use to keep electronics and aspirin dry during shipping- works well. A little hunk of cedar keeps it from smelling musty, too. 

1. 
   ravenwind | Jan 13, 2004 06:37pm | #16

   I also had the plastic rolling tool boxes like the stanley with the slide out handle w / wheels and the sears taller one w/o wheels that you need to carry  sears still ok but heavy when loaded , stanley locking clanps broke  bow its just a box on wheels and i have found nether one is all that good so im going to make one out of 1/2 plywood and mount  4 wheels onto it maybe 3 to  5 in wheels so it rolls good and is tall enough to roll around  thinking ill make it big enough to keep 4 gal tubs / rubbermaid  inside as they weigh almost nothing empty to help keep the weight down. this way i can keep drills misc tools in it and if i make it the same hight as my table saw i can use it as an outfeed table / id also have two locking hub wheels on it ,4 wheels only not 6    I think i know what i need better then stanley does .      Dogboy

2. 
   ClaysWorld | Jan 13, 2004 06:59pm | #17

   View ImageI've still been looking and this stanley huskey looks pretty good. I still am having problem locating stanleys full line of storage stuff.

    Also revising the date Stanley bought out Zag. Looks like it was more like 98, not 01 like I said earlier

   Clay

3. 
   GoldenWreckedAngle | Jan 13, 2004 10:59pm | #20

   I still am having problem locating stanleys full line of storage stuff.

   Here is the link to their complete on-line catalog:

   http://www.zag.co.il/

   Kevin Halliburton

   "I believe that architecture is a pragmatic art. To become art it must be built on a foundation of necessity."  - I.M. Pei -

   Edited 1/13/2004 3:14:07 PM ET by Wrecked Angle

4. 
   PhillGiles | Jan 13, 2004 08:17pm | #19

   The kitchen guys have a tool chest that's made out of the "waggon" frame you can buy from Lee Valley - really impressive, goes through standard door-ways. But they have an advantage that they have to set up ramps to bring their cabinets in fromt he truck (this is high-end stuff) and they can offer get the movers to lift in their chest.

   DW compressor in a cradle on top; top lifts off to show a fairly shallow tool pan; drawers all around with hardware. They bring in their power tools in a second waggon that looks like a kids red waggon on steroids (their tools are all in cases)..

   Phill Giles

   The Unionville Woodwright

   Unionville, Ontario

2. 
   toolbear | Jan 14, 2004 08:13am | #22

   The folding scaffold looks interesting.  Have you used one much?  Wheels look a bit small for the mud around our job site.  I have a hand truck with 6" wheels that gets thru the stuff.  Currently I am testing a pair of 20g. Brute trash cans stacked on it.  I can put my framing bucket inside one with lunch and small stuff and the saw and nailer plus cord and such in the other.

   ToolBear

1. 
   reinvent | Jan 14, 2004 11:25pm | #24

   No I have'nt used one, have'nt even seen one in person. But thought they deserved further lookse. BTW the loking casters(only engaged when it is configured as scaffolding) are 5" The 'dolly' wheels are 8" and the whole thing wieghs around 80#