Making a Metal Tool Cabinet - Ultimate Toolbox Build 

What kind of custom tool box would you build? What features would it have and what would material would you use? Let me know!

Not sure where I heard this. “You can’t buy cool you can only make it.” Mad skills man👊🏻

Screw those HF comments, your channel is called "Making Stuff". I just got my CNC plasma cutter running and found your process most informative. I would have made the same mistakes you showed here, but now I won't. Thanks for all the tips: 14/16 gauge, weld heat and truck bed liner.

OMG, after that paint job, that box is professional looking as hell.

Great build! The only concern I have is the welded drawer glides because they are your weakest component. Riveted would have been plenty strong enough and much easier to work with when your son or grandson eventually needs to replace the glides. 😁

Crappy toolboxes have angered me for years. I LOVE that someone finally said "NO!" to China Freight and made something better! Finally I see a good use for making a cnc plasma cutter. Fantastic work, I noticed those Fireball tool magnetic squares too...👀 I want an entire home full of furniture made like this 😍How much heavier do you imagine this would be if you used 12 Gauge sheet for all of it? Also- subbed. This is awesome work

You can go to a box store and buy a toolbox, but you won't get that kind of quality box,shop built is always better. Great job.

Beautiful cabinet and impressive craftsmanship. Agree about making your own is fun. You also learn something every time.

Good job! In my opinion, making something with your own hands is always more interesting than buying ready-made. Congratulations!

Awesome toolbox! Just got done making a base for the bike stand - with three built-in drawers. Birch plywood, screwed and glued.

Looks great. You could salvage the first drawer by adding vertical dividers and several spots to pull it straight and weld a lid with some hinges to use as a screw box or parts box.

Awesome! I noticed that you oscillate the welding torch. That technique is usually for making heavy welds. The wider the oscillation, the wider and heavier the weld. For sheet metal, you might try a simple straight back and forth movement, or no movement at all. In addition, positioning the work so that you can make vertical down welds will also help make smaller welds and put less heat into the work. Just some thoughts that might help. Regards

That thing is beautiful. And I know it feels better, smoother, and is about 10,000x stronger/stouter than a hf box. Good work!

Watching this video really makes me appreciate the factories in China that makes tool boxes that you can buy for a good price.

You've inspired me mate. Im looking forward to making a sizeable work bench with drawers . Thanks a lot 🙏

This turned out quite amazing. Love the quick squares!😀

“What’s the fun in that?” Exactly!

Love the fact that its heavy duty. So many of the store bought are flimsy and fall apart too soon. Good Job. Heavy also means it will be harder to steal.

Great Project, I say $300 dollar general tool box or custom 14 gauge beast.. Go for the beast!! I would add fold up shelves on the sides; as those seem to be handy for at the work station possibilities.

Those of us with smaller shops benefit a lot from custom made. Sometimes I don't have 36" for that cheap weak HF box and I need a good strong 30" box to fit in the only hole I have at the moment for a box. And it needs to serve double if not triple duty by also being a sturdy worktable for my 300lb metal lathe... Great looking box, keep it up.

That's so cool. I don't have a cnc table, but I am going to use my manual plasma cutter and build a box. I will post pics on your pinned comment when I have a finished product. Thanks

Absolutely agree with you! Much more satisfying ti build something with your own hands, than to buy it! Nice job brother

I ran to the store and bought a toolbox, which is still sitting in the box. Now, I'm looking at videos on how to build one. You're so correct....where's the fun in buying something when you could build it! Thank you for making this video! I'm sure I'll take some of your ideas.

I agree with your position on building. Way more satisfying. Looks very solid . Glad to see you using the Fireball squares, haha.

Your tool box idea is great idea. And you gave some good tips. Keep up the good work.

Awesome looking tool box, nice job!

Yes you said it.... It's stout 14g . I learned the hard way when making a 14g plasma catch pan. I warped the crap out of it solid welding it. I managed to salvage it by brute force. I liked your cut out of flat sheets leaving the tabs for easy bending. Nice idea. Box is top notch and HF model isnt nearly as well built

I've thought about making a tool box like this, but the thought of making all those drawers line up just right sounds like a dang nightmare. Good job and awesome build!

Nice project. That looks awesome! I really need a CNC plasma table.

Several years of use? I'd say more like many lifetimes! Built like a tank and it looks outstanding!!! I'm impressed!

Awesome looking toolbox. Can save money by using old bed frames and the tin from old dryers or washers that people throw out. Not thick enough for the drawers, but good for the sides. I would add a handle on one side and a folding tray on the other side. Thanks for the video! I use the door from old dryers to make folding trays for my existing rolling toolboxes.

That does look like fun!!! Nice video 👍👍👍

Keep on making stuff. I made a wooden tool box for my compressed air nailerd and air staplers. I made them butterfly style, when I open it up, on one side are my two air staplers and on the other side are my two nailers in between are the nails, Staples, oil and other accessories....

If i had your welding skills I would build one also. Instead, I have woodworking skills so I make everything out of wood. Great job!

man! he just built that! out of of nothing! welding's amazing!

Very good job, great skill in making that 👍👍

Great looking toolbox 👍 Found your channel when I was gatherijg info about plasma cnc I'm currently building (mpcnc primo) and found a lot of interesting projects 👍

Awesome build man! Subscribed!

Great video., excellent job. Thanks for sharing. Cheers

such an awesome job! and personally i would absolutely have loved to watch you paint this lol

good job. I have been kicking around building a tool box out of aluminum. Keep up the good work

A beautiful build. I love to recess on a top that will stop tools and drills and taps and what not from rolling off. I would never go to that store you mentioned and buy a toolbox...

I love your videos. You do great work!

Awesome work mate!!

I like the drawer pulls I made something similar out of a steel foremans desk ;I used HF end wrench set for drawer pulls.

One of the strongest tool boxes ever made. Nice job.

Thats unique to you im a great believer in making ur own.

Nice build and good catch with the thinner material.

Looks great, great video!

That is heavy duty! Great build.

Wow. Nice, very simple.

Great work!

Brilliant, that cabinet is built to last forever

That was outstanding.

I miss my plasma table! Great project. That table will last for a hundred years, long after the store bought ones have been tossed in the city dump.

Internet trolls will be trolls! Making your own gear is the way to go! Thank you for sharing.

Funny enough, Buying the tools and metal sheets to make this is probably less expensive than buying an actual tool caninet

Nice work!

Bad ass fabricating. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for these tips

great job, I see you learned that stitching is best and more than adequate for sheet metal welds. I would also ad that your circular welding technique is also adding unnecessary heat to the weldment.

Built two sets of cabinets for my welding tables--one all 12 ga. with 3 drawers--39" wide; the other two all wood with 2 drawers each--28" wide. I put clear stained pine wood faces with full width angle iron pulls on all drawers painted blue and black. The first one was a pain--made mistakes that I corrected on the other two. Now...when do I get a CNC? That'd make the job a lot more fun.

Sick job!

Fantastic tool box!! That's way more built then any off the shelf tool box. Have you thought of adding wood to the top so it also a work top. Maybe even add a vice. Or are you planning on adding another part to the top

That would make an awesome chop saw cart

Wow, nice build! That cut and tab method you used for the draws is a terrific Idea! That jumps the problem that was holding me back from building my own toolbox (also building a bender) the draw bending! I believe I can achieve similar results with my 4 1/2" grinder since I don't have a table cutting system. I like the fact that you used the slides that let you see what is stored at the back of the draws, Are there any plans?

Nice work.

Sweet box man

This thing is fortified!!🔥

Great project as usual! and yes you might by your first welder FROM HF but there are 2 kinds of people in this world those who buy tool boxes from HF and HOPE they fit and those who make them EXACTLY to FIT (fingers crossed) lol

Nice work

Just found your channel and subscribed. Nice job. The only thing I didn't like is welding the castors on, real pita when one goes bad.

This is MUCH better quality than Harbor Freight. No comparison. Love it!

To hell with what anyone else says, you did a great job 👏 👍 🙌

Super cool😃

How i wish i have that tool drawer its awsome

Nice job sir

thanks for teaching me

I would definitely paint mine red and pretend it’s a Milwaukee box. 😂

I would build my cabinet 2 story high with a hot tub and a barbeque on the porch... :D :D

Yours is of better quality. I need a wide one. My tools have overgrown my craftsman box

Badass! So, what would be a good way to add a lock? Just a rod through the front?

Very cool

The locks tool Boxes always suck , I know you will secure yours . Great Box

Nice!!!

I don’t think there’s a single person who would suggest going to harbor freight and buying a cheap Chinese box. It’s already bad enough that the steel you’re using probably came from over there. Now you have quality and pride in YOUR product! Awesome job man!

Only 298 lbs? I'd claim victory if I were you! In all seriousness , great work. And you're right it is more fun (and satisfying) to build things yourself. Especially if you use them all the time.

Honestly rather than a toolbox, I think I'm going to borrow inspiration from this and build a n upright locking cabinet. My kids are getting nearly old enough to adventure into the shop sometimes when I'm not around, so being able to lock things up seems like a good idea for safety's sake.

If I had access to all your (toys) Tools, I would create a nice roller cabinet for my radial arm saw.

Great build. Looks good and works too. I have built a lot of things I could have bought cheaper.

I built a steel framed 60” x 28” bottom box ~25 years ago. Steel casters and wheels, MDF top, baltic birch sides and back with baltic birch drawers with drawer fronts of red birch I cut and dried myself. Nothing has failed yet. And though some questioned my use of the wood drawers at the time, I wasn’t worried. 25 years later it’s safe to proclaim my design and construction was and is sound including the 1-1/2” MDF top as a workspace. I didn’t build it like the one in the vid, and if I had to do it over? I’d change some ergonomics and esthetic points but build it the same. A couple of modifications are about to take place: an additional 3/4” of MDF will be added for 2-1/4” total thickness, I’m mounting my 8” bench vise to it. I am scrunched into a 28’ office trailer for a tool shop at present and plan to maintain that for quite a while into the future. Spacial Efficiency is required and I’m 70/30% decided I’m going to build a self-built rugged woodworking end vise on the right side as I’ve found this cabinet maker’s tool extremely useful for sheetmetal and many mechanic’s tasks. But holding portable electric tools for intermittent stationary use - like the bench grinder, or belt sander- is my immediate motivation- not merely keeping grit and grease off the woodworking bench. Nice tool box. My methodology would be different as I don’t have a fancy metal cutting phaser, but it looks good. I’d probably just TiG the drawer slides ‘live’ and call it good. So much faster to just space and shim the drawers and the slides will just be where they are.

sick!

Look so great u should make like a huge 1!!

As a DIYer yes its pretty fun, But its only fun if you have the right tools to make it.

Increible muy bien 👍

Seasonal greetings from Wales, U.K. That's a great tool box !! If I could weld I'd go for making one like that rather than buying one 100%.

great build, really like it but uit would be a bit too low for me, i would build it higher and with a wooden top. thanks for your video.

Dude, make sure you just rivet the slides to the frame of the box or tap them in solid welding a slide leaves a short area of replacement. Build a 72" box

Beautiful unit!!! love that 298lb joke LOL 🤣

Nice work ! You realize of course that unless you drop it off the 89th. floor of the Empire State Building this beautiful cabinet will OUT LAST you and me. L.O.L. Beautiful craftsmanship !!