I didn’t acquire my first real toolbox until high school. I had an internship that allowed me to leave school early every day to work at a speed shop, which was located next to a pawn shop. My boss knew I needed a box but couldn’t afford a Snap On box like everyone else in the shop had, so he suggested I buy a Waterloo tool box they had at the pawn shop. I still have it, and almost every tool box I’ve bought since has been a vintage Waterloo. Heck, now I collect them (so let me know if you find one!). Here’s the original top box, and it still has the first set of Snap On wrenches my grandfather gave me when I started working on cars. All of this has been more than 30 years ago. It is indeed sad that Waterloo went out of business.
'Twas either a black C-Man box that my grandfather gave me, which has never left my childhood home except to ride around in my OT Barracuda, or the C-Man socket set that @Dave G in Gansevoort got me for Christmas one year back in the Dim Ages (although for many of you the 1990s may still be recent history). They both serve a helpful purpose, but that socket set continues to earn its keep wherever I take it!
My first tool box was a carpenters chest/toy box. Got it about 72 years ago. My fathers drinking buddy woul give me a carpenters tool every Christmas. Still have many. Tool box /toy box is now at my daughters house and I give her tools every Christmas. This year it's 20 Volt Dewalt batteries and buffer/ polisher.
I used to have one of those Waterloo top chests, still have 2 of those 4 drawer risers. Years ago, I bought a nice 1/4 drive socket set at an auction. The tin box it came in had a sticker from "The Waterloo Valve Spring Compressor Company", the original name of Waterloo Industries. Sold it as a collectable. Gary
Mine was a western auto about the size of a shoe box I bought with my newspaper routes money saved up when heading off to trade school mechanics course. It was full of hand me down cast offs from my grandfather and uncle that was a diesel mechanic. But I was the Honor Graduate when I graduated in 1967 so I won a complete set of blackhawk tools and a box worth $150.00 back in 1967. Used it through my whole career in the automobile world. But alas I had to leave it behind when I made the big move 1/2 way around the world. I did manage to bring all my tools over here a bunch at a time to fill up my airline tickets weight allowance. Still have and use wrenches from my grandpops marked from the later 1890's. But was forced to buy a bunch of new ones because mine were USA sizes and everything here is metric.
Here is mine, 73 years old. Pretty sure my dad made it for me out of a drawer front. It has a hasp on the other side. The electrical outlet was installed so I could plug in my 'kinga saw'. Dad was a carpenter at the time and his Skill saw made a 'kinga' sound as he finished a cut. I had a cord from and old toaster that I was allowed to plug in that and only that receptacle. Seems that I had tried to test the voltage in a kitchen plug with a fork. My folks left the black spot on the wall until I was old enough to understand. I was probably 3 or 4 when they repainted over it. Right now it holds a selection of drywall screws.
I have several Waterloo tool boxes, it’s very sad that they are no longer around. When did they go out of business? I’m also still mourning the loss of Sears and the real Craftsman Tools. I will give you they may not have been quite as good as Mac or SnapOn, but still damn fine tools for the money. Unfortunately, today there are no tool options like Craftsman for us to buy. The new Craftsman is mostly made overseas and getting any kind of warranty is an absolute joke, especially if what broke was part of a set. You have to return the ENTIRE set for one piece. It pains me to admit it, but Harbor Freight is much easier to deal with on warranty than the retailers that sell new Craftsman.
Your uncle was in a Helicopter squadron according to the painted on HMM 365 a pretty active unit in Vietnam https://www.mag26.marines.mil/Units/VMM-365/About/
I still have my first tool box and my first work bench that my great grandfather built for me for Christmas when I was around 7 years old. He was a very skilled carpenter, wood worker.
The first one that I bought for myself was a gray Craftsman top box. I got it and a bunch of Craftsman tools when I got back from the Gulf war. I was still living in the barracks, so space was at a premium and the only place it would fit was under my rack... barely. I had to lift my rack up and slide my toolbox under it (on a towel) so I didn't scratch the floor. Ah, the good ol' days.
My advice to students starting out was to get the Craftsman 299 piece set for about $300 if they could afford it. Great range of tools for the money even if 10 of the pieces were hacksaw blades. Craftsman vs. Snap On quality wise: We were doing a lot of V-6 Toro-Flow diesel head gaskets in the late 60's. Fourteen bolts per head with a 9/16ths 12 point head, approx. 130/140 ft./lbs. (IIRC). Craftsman socket would take both heads off and torque 1 & 1/2 heads back down. I still have my Snap On socket.
Yes! He was a hydraulicsman on CH-46 "Sea Knight" and UH-1 "Huey" helicopters. I think he did two Caribbean exercises between '66 and '68. At least one was aboard the USS Guam. He was stationed in New River Air Station. He got orders for Vietnam in 1968 (Tet Offensive) and was deployed, but was pulled off before getting there and reassigned to a Phantom Jet squadron somewhere in Japan. This squadron was being brought there from Vietnam. He was one of the first ones to arrive where this squadron was coming to, before there was anything there except an empty hanger. He ended up setting up and working in warehousing and supply for them until returning to New River. Fortunately, the Marine Corps' reassignment probably saved his life.
The white one is a little kiddie tool set from when I was 5 or so. (I'm 60) My brother found it when he cleaned out the old garage before tearing it down to build a new one. Now on a display shelf in my garage. The black one was my first real toolbox. I was about 19 and bought a set of Craftsman hand tools. I did not have a toolbox so I kept them in the cardboard box they came in. I didn't need them for work, but kept them at the shop I was working in because I lived in an apartment. My boss saw my cardboard box and gave me this rusty old toolbox that was not being used. I sanded and painted it black with the industrial enamel we used in the shop. Its now covered with overspray and spilled paint, but still have it 40 years later.
First set of tools was Sears Happy Time set of carpenter tools for Christmas of '52. Still have the level and coping saw. First tool boxes I bought in '66/'67. Fresh out of the Army working as the truck mechanic's helper. Bought the biggest ones Snap-on had. Didn't want a stack so high I couldn't see in the top and figured I needed the length for larger truck tools. Paid $200 and change for the top box first, then $300 and a little more change for the bottom. My set of Craftsman tools didn't fill 1/2 the top box at first. Five to $15 a week to the Snap-on and MAC men took care of that. Every time I was almost paid down I would need/want something else.
i picked up a late 40s craftsman for 50 bucks last summer, its my first toolset that i haven't stolen from my dad!
10 hack saw blades, yep! Now it's a bunch of cheap driver bits. Jared from Wrench Everyday on Youtube just got a box and set of tools from that place many love to hate. He plans on doing a few projects working from that set as much as possible. He has a lot of pro tools on hand, but wants to try the entry level stuff out and give his opinion on it for those just starting out. So far, he hates the pliers. Yeah, the Kennedy boxes were the standard for machinists. Mechanics had no use those for short, narrow drawers! Here are 3 I've picked up in recent years at garage sales.
First box when I got into the trade and what I got now, more in my service van and at home . the blue cabinets are machine shop stuff for my lathe and press tools bearing tools etc
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ When’s the last time you used your MT-1665? I have a stand and a manual around here somewhere for it!
My first tool box that I can remember was actually an old discarded fishing tackle box that my old man had. Don't remember what tools I accumulated to go in it or where they came from, most likely tools my dad gave me as he was a radio/tv repairman part time and seldom used automotive tools.
As you know that thing was big bucks in the 90’s. I got it for a bottle of Rye , as all the manuals and attachments, I’ve used it a couple times over the years. THE EDGES ARE BLUE !!!!!
Hello, The first tool box was a small wooden box with a hinged lid that we made in the Cub Scouts project building days. It was done under the supervision of our Cub Scout master, in their garage. They supplied most of the stuff, but we did the hard labor of assembling it. The hinges were nailed leather scraps. One of the dads owned a hardware store and got us a bunch of small snap locks similar to the photo. We drilled two holes and used a rope with knots on the inside for the top handle. That was good for small stuff, but when we started to do work on cars, my brother bought a grey steel Craftsman tool box with the standard tool kit inside. Ratchet, sockets, open end, box, and paid extra for a torque wrench that would not fit inside. What happened to the wooden tool box? Since it was a nice box and secure, during our hot rod days, it held all of the fragile spark plugs in their boxes and loose ones used only for test runs. Like most, my brother got a complete tool box and great sturdy tools from Sears, the standard Crafstman Grey box with a lift out drawer. It was very heavy, but portable in the trunk of the 58 Impala tow/pit car during our 1940 Willys Coupe days. Jnaki When we were phasing out of drag racing and into desert motorcycle racing after two years of recovery, we used those tools inside of the steel Craftsman box. Those stayed in the trunk while our first tool box on the desert racing motorcycles had their own tubular tool box just for the simple necessities, spark plug, pliers, wire, screwdriver, etc. Those tubular small tool boxes were attached to the frame and came in handy 50 miles out from the pits. When my brother had his family in Santa Barbara, he took the Craftsman tool box with him. So, I bought a small tool box with just the sockets and wrenches. There was room for some others, but we never took the tool box out of the garage. No need for a large rolling tool box or a couple of drawers full of tools. Minimal repair tools did the job for the time we had our sedan delivery and daily drivers. YRMV
The Jalopy Journal
