Cabinet Suggestions
 

We're remodeling one side of the shop and have room for a storage/workcenter area. What Im thinking is about 15 feet long, 3 or 4 tall storage cabinets and a table with cabinets under (maybe some with drawers instead) and a few hanging cabinets above.

Does anyone have any company recommendations. I would love something US made to help out our economy however am looking into the 5K and under category. Some companies that sell cabinets can't tell me anything about the manufacturer of them and I'd rather not go in blindfolded.

Suggestions?

I don't have any recommendations for manufactures, but what i wanted to say, was when you do try to get fold up doors, i put cabinets in our garage that the doors fold up and in, and its turned out much nicer then my previous fold out units, i wont go back! :)

I saw these guys at SEMA. The product looked really nice and the website claims they are proudly made in the USA.


http://www.modulinecabinets.com/

http://www.modulinegarage.com/

I have three lista cabinets under my work bench. expensive though around $1200 a piece but each draw can hold like 250 lbs if i remember right.

Rich folks LOL Kidding. I would love to be able to afford the Lista cabinets, they are the best. I unfortunately have to go the sears route. I have a few of the roller bearing drawer cabinets in my garage and I love them. I also have some without the bearing slides. They are sturdy but when over loaded they are a B to pull in and out.

The bearing slides can hold oh, at least a hundred pounds or more and pull out easily. Lift the handle to unlock and one finger slides a hundred pounds of tooling out no sweat. I like the sears brand but would never buy the non-bearing slides again. JR

Thanks for the suggestions guys! I'm still researching it. I actually recieved some great prices on US made versions, I just don't know if i'll be able to go through with that big of a purchase.

Those are some nice but expensive cabinets. I gave up on the expensive tool boxes when I realized I would rather spend the money on better tools and cheap cabinets and boxes.

If you want counters Sears has stainless bench tops in 8 and 6' lengths that are a steal for the money approx $240 each. They are better quality than you would think. They have Sears quality bases and leg kits but you could always use others.

This is a funny thread -- and a good one...

Everybody has a different "budget"... so what is the "best" for one is way out of line for someone else.

Personally - my "shed" has some pretty decent tool cabinets and I've looked at lots of built ins - they're so dang nice - and many are ultra high quality... I just can't bring myself to splatter paint - grease - welding splatter - etc all over something like that "regardless" of my budget.

I figure when I get a little bit older (already the age of dirt) and quit banging and building - then I'll tile the floors and put in "beautiful things"... but then again - I'd probably just plaster decals all over them anyway! :rofl:

I looked very hard at this line that was showing at Barrett Jackson... Really nice stuff...

http://www.baldheadcabinets.com/

That really is the key. What does the budget allow. I have a 15' long bench on one side of the garage that I built from 2x4s and high density fiber board for the top. I set my sliding compound miter saw at about the center so I could cut molding. I made the bench when I was doing wood work also. Thats a long gone hobby. But the bench serves me well still. Strong as heck. I use it for my heat treating and inspection bench now. And I have a 700lb cnc lathe on one end of it. The miter saw is still there. Been thinking of removing it for more room.

But the under side of the bench was gonna be finished off will doors and accuride rails and shelves to hold tooling. But that plan never came through. Ended up throwing a sears cabinet in there and used the remaining space to hold all the tools that come in plastic cases. Big pile of plastic cases under there now. And some metal cases. I did finish off one of the sections for my electronic equipment. Like O-scope, power supplies, and other sensitive equipment. I sealed it all up to keep out the dust and "stuff" and hung doors.

But that 15' stretch of bench could have been made into a very long storage space with sliding drawers and the accuride ball slides with doors on wide opening hinges to seal it all up.. At a fraction of the cost to purchase proper cabinets. And more custom to the needs of the builder. An honest woodworker can do great things with wood. Not me :)

But even a sheetmetal worker can make up his own cabinets also. Back in the day, many years ago I was a sheetmetal mechanic. And thats what I did, made cabinets. They were laboratory cabinets for labs but just as easily could have been tool cabinets. Many ways of doing something. Money will usually dictate that.

Oh, one of my cabinets comes from a bank. Bank lock box units. I have two of them. All the 1/2" SS doors have been removed. But the cabinets are really strong. Welded two units together and mounted it all on wheels. Its prolly got a 1000lbs of tooling in it. Thats where I keep all the lathe tooling. This garage is full of odd crap. Money dictates for me. JR