Went to an auction last week thinking I might be able to pick up some tools and possibly a tool box for the garage. As it turns out I didn’t bid on the box, so I’m still looking. Since most of us here are tool guys, we pretty much know what to expect with tool boxes, on the surface the construction looks pretty much the same, but the details make all of the difference, especially things like drawer slides. Cheap slides can really ruin a box, so, what if you eliminated the slide? How about putting the drawers on a swivel. That’s what happens with these boxes from Swivel Storage Solutions.
The Penner family has a metal fabrication business located in Canada and after going through a lot of boxes, they decided to build their own. Instead of the usual chest full of drawers on slides, they designed drawers that rotate on a steel post, making it easy to swing it completely open so there’s nothing hiding in the back. The shape of the drawers also makes it easy to fit the box into a corner where a regular tool chest doesn’t work.
They make quite a variety in lots of different sizes. The 12, 14 or 16 gauge metal is powder coated and prices run from $1000 to $5000. I think they look pretty cool and seem like they would be plenty durable. I might have to look these guys up.
randy says
Not new, been used for heavy tooling storage for a long time. If you are storing lathe chucks, face plates, tool posts, etc
Paul Crowe - "The Kneeslider" says
I’ve seen swivel drawers in the past in a few applications, though it’s been some time and I don’t recall seeing them used quite this way, especially in the variety of boxes this company makes. It would be interesting to know why we don’t see them more often. I think they would work great. Maybe there really are a lot of them out there and I just haven’t seen them. Interesting.
Steve says
One downside I can see is that you lose all the area in the corner, so the drawer can swing out. I need every square inch of space I can get!
Pushrod says
They’re pretty; but as Steve says, you lose half your storage capacity.
Paul Crowe - "The Kneeslider" says
Not on all of them. Some models are not as deep and have a center swivel. The drawers are curved on both rear corners but seem pretty roomy. As with anything, some will like these, some won’t. It’s worth digging around their site a bit to see some of the other models besides the one pictured above.
HMP says
Prices start at a grand? You can get nice ‘conventional’ toolboxes with BB slides for less that have more storage space.
Ken says
Yes, but they won’t handle the weight as well. The work benches have a 1/4″ steel top! Just looked at the website. The corner unit would come in handy in some applications. Definitely not made for the average home garage! But it would work nice in a machine shop or a industrial service shop (thinking John Deere or Cat. dealership).
todd says
My cheap, old Craftsman boxes work fine, thank you. The drawer slides are good for 50 # (top drawers) to maybe 100 # (bottom drawers), pull out all the way, and are as deep as the cabinet. I don’t try to overload the bottom drawers, I just use more drawers and other cabinets.
Looks like they’re a nice alternative if I was in the market.
-todd
Dr Robert Harms says
Am I missing something because I don’t get it. Are the drawers actually pie slice shaped within an overall rectangular shaped footprint ? Seems like a waste of space as the overall capacity is something around 50% of standard designs and tools just don’t fit into pie shaped drawers–besides how do you divide the drawers ? don’t these segment shaped drawers have to open up further for access ? Like I say, maybe it me as I sort of believe in the multiplicity of boxes design —http://s122.photobucket.com/albums/o268/Rharms1/Batcave/
Phoebe says
Pretty neat, but I won’t be replacing my Craftsman toolbox anytime soon. It’s already at least 25 years old and is showing no signs of dying anytime soon. And it spent most if its life in a damp, outdoor garage that would also occasionally flood. It’s a trooper =)
rohorn says
These drawers have 78% of the area of a “normal” one, not 50%.
Dr Robert Harms says
If you slice a rectangle from corner to corner you get 2 equal size right triangles aka 50 % . How do you get the additional 28 percent ??
Bob says
Maybe you didn’t look too closely at the video on their website. The drawers have the same footprint as a rectangular drawer except for the back corner diagonally opposite the hinge, which is radiused so the drawer can swing open. When the drawers are opened fully, the side next to the hinge that’s front to back rotates through 90° and is side to side. Not that much space is lost. I still can’t think of a reason why this would be better than a conventional drawer with full extension slides.
rohorn says
They are quarter circles (or quarter ellipses), not right triangles – hence the additional 28%.
Dano says
The Stanley Vidmar syle are still a better buy but they aren’t cheap either.
rich peabody says
The issue, I would think, is that the whole weight of the drawer’s contents is on the pivot….
I have seen tool boxes with “conventional” drawers tip when opened (that’s why I keep the heavy stuff in the lower drawers).
Too many shortcomings here for a serious mechanic: the obvious loss of storage is a negative and the easy shift of the center of mass towards the front will cause “tip-overs”….
But they are pretty
Gunner says
My old Schaublin lathe (from 1959) is the jewel in my workshop, being able to use for almost anything. The heavy base for that machine has the same type of swivel drawers for chucks, collets and other equipment. Even after 50 years of use, those drawers are like new, no sag or anything. The idea is not new, not cheap, but work well and I am sure these new tool cabinets will last for a long time. Real quality is always expensive, like my Schaublin or a good Rioja.
powermatic says
I own ‘Craftsman’ tool chests, but I’m sure not going to brag about them-thin metal, cheap non-ball-bearing drawer slides, plastic casters, and cheesy construction: as my old-time mentor would have said, “even a girl” could tell they’re built to the lowest price possible. They’re better than a cardboard box, but just barely. These ‘Swivel’ chests may not be cut out for all shops (including mine), but I’d like to see a grown man stand in the drawer of a Sears box as the ‘Swivel’ video shows. If I could afford it, I’d buy better chests in a heartbeat-‘Montezuma’, for one, makes beautiful standard drawer boxes.
But then, I never go to Wal-Mart, and I only order from Harbor Freight if I need a tool I’m only going to use once, and even then I feel like a moron. So maybe it’s just me.