Tool trolley recommendation

I was the technical consultant for an attempt a few years ago to make a Pycrete boat. Unfortunately my advice was ignored, and reducing the ice thickness to just a few inches between the cockpit and the hull outside resulted, as I expected and predicted, in a very rapid holing and sinking.
As you say, that was predictable. Pykrete is only potentially viable in massive lumps supported by continuous refrigeration; Operation Habbakuk expected to use refrigeration to keep the vessel frozen, and so did the pilot project. Hadn't the people concerned cooked soup from frozen? We often make soup with a high vegetable content and freeze it. When frozen it's probably a reasonable proxy for Pykrete, but it doesn't take long to melt it, despite it starting out as a solid block several inches across!
 
As you say, that was predictable. Pykrete is only potentially viable in massive lumps supported by continuous refrigeration; Operation Habbakuk expected to use refrigeration to keep the vessel frozen, and so did the pilot project.
The initial calculations for the small boat project looked OK - it was clearly going to get smaller, but should have lasted long enough for the five mile trip required. That's before the four inch thick section was introduced ...

By a happy coincidence I am in the middle of writing a course on fluid dynamics and in a section heat transfer I use melting of an ice cube as an example. Because the ice and sufficiently large body of surrounding water are both at constant temperature, the flow of heat into the ice cube is proportional to surface area, and so is the melting rate. As the ice cube shrinks, so does the rate at which it can melt, which is why the last slivers of in a glass always seem to last for ages. I need a case study for students to work though, and I think it will be Pykrete boats. Thanks for the reminder!
 
Halfords might be a good place to start, their so-called "Professional" range of tools is excellent and well priced with a lifetime guarantee.

Or Screwfix also do a range.
I have a couple of Halfords units (their 5 drawer chest & 5 drawer cabinet), I can't fault them. My only comment would be that unless you really have to spend the cash now then await their next sale, tool storage units invariably attract a significant discount.
 
Anyway, Clarke have won the day with the CBB215B five-drawer cabinet, which I bought from Chronos who are a little more expensive than Machine Mart but deliver for free (£255 vs £240 + 40). Halford close second. Many thanks to everyone who helped with advice and suggestions - I really appreciate it.
Turned out to be a bad decision. The chest arrived today and although it looks OK, I discovered as I started loading it that the bottom drawer was loose. One of the two (sic) pop rivets (sic) which is all (sic) that secures the bottom left runner in place has been torn out of the internal frame, leaving an enlarged hole in the frame - too big and irregular - for a new rivet and a badly twisted runner. It looks as if someone at some point must have stood in the open drawer.

I have therefore requested a return and a refund. Not a replacement, because for a drawer supposedly good for 25kg to be held in place by four pop rivets is, frankly, pathetic. A great disappointment.
 
Turned out to be a bad decision. The chest arrived today and although it looks OK, I discovered as I started loading it that the bottom drawer was loose. One of the two (sic) pop rivets (sic) which is all (sic) that secures the bottom left runner in place has been torn out of the internal frame, leaving an enlarged hole in the frame - too big and irregular - for a new rivet and a badly twisted runner. It looks as if someone at some point must have stood in the open drawer.

I have therefore requested a return and a refund. Not a replacement, because for a drawer supposedly good for 25kg to be held in place by four pop rivets is, frankly, pathetic. A great disappointment.
Shear strength of a 4mm blind rivet is given as 3.1 kN.
FWIW.
 
Is that really 300kg or thereabouts?

But it's the material it was fastened to that failed I suppose.

Anyway, sorry to hear about it.
 
Steel or Aluminium? Whatever, its more than enough for 25kg.

As James_Calvert suggested, the pop rivet itself is fine; it's the thin steel it goes into which is ripped.

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An additional problem: the drawers have no catch or detente, so with the slightest slope in the floor any drawer with more than a couple of screwdrivers slides open, which is annoying and potentially dangerous. The whole thing really is a pile of poo.
 
JumbleDuck I am sorry to hear about the problem.

However this thread got me thinking about doing some more organising in my shed. Starting with draw units and decide the best for me was this one. 334 US PRO BLACK TOOLS AFFORDABLE STEEL CHEST TOOL BOX ROLLER CABINET 5 DRAWERS | eBay

But whilst following different featured items I ended up buying a shelving unit at a bargain price.
SHELVING UNIT 5 TIER 1800 x 900 x 400mm BOLTLESS FREESTANDING SILVERLINE 666247 5024763143311 | eBay

Just another item I have bought during lockdown either for my boat, my shed or for my business. It been getting expensive.
 
JumbleDuck I am sorry to hear about the problem.

However this thread got me thinking about doing some more organising in my shed. Starting with draw units and decide the best for me was this one. 334 US PRO BLACK TOOLS AFFORDABLE STEEL CHEST TOOL BOX ROLLER CABINET 5 DRAWERS | eBay

But whilst following different featured items I ended up buying a shelving unit at a bargain price.
SHELVING UNIT 5 TIER 1800 x 900 x 400mm BOLTLESS FREESTANDING SILVERLINE 666247 5024763143311 | eBay

Thanks. When I have sent this trolley back I'll certainly consider that. The price is good, and it looks OK in the pictures. I good do with more shelf space but the walls are completely occupied with shelves or benches, so I my just have to - shudder - reduce the amount of stuff.

Just another item I have bought during lockdown either for my boat, my shed or for my business. It been getting expensive.

Tell me about it. On the other hand, I normally put seventy quid's worth of diesel per week in the car and I've driven about 30 miles in the past four weeks, so there are economies there. Plus (or maybe minus) no takeaways, no meals out ... I'm lucky to have a job that's unaffected so my income is the same as ever. Thank goodness for Amazon and eBay.
 
JD, sorry to hear you were let down. I recently bought one of these on personal recommendation :
420 US PRO AFFORDABLE TOOL CHEST BOX ROLLCAB TOOL BOX ROLLER CABINET | eBay

The seller has many others which you may prefer. Of course it is nowhere near professional quality, but the drawers have a detente (possibly a tad firm) which stops them lying open when moved. Also the runners seem far better than the unit you pictured. They're also cheaper!

That said, you seem happy to engage in pretty fancy engineering projects up there, so please don't take my word for it. PM if you'd like to call to have a look at the unit operate via a videocall or whatever.

No association whatsoever with seller; early days yet, but probably a happy customer!
 
the OP has started something here.
I'm looking at a pile of hardwood oddments and thinking about a toolmaker's chest project. And some new drawers under the workbench.
The US Pro set looks a lot like the Draper and Hardcastle ones I have. Except mine have a naff up and over door on the cupboard bit.
The drawers have never opened by themselves, even bumping it over the garage threshold onto the drive.

Proper storage for things like routers and circular saws is an issue. Awkward things.
 
Proper storage for things like routers and circular saws is an issue. Awkward things.

I have a shelf under a bench with plastic storage boxes for such things - one has angle grinders, one electric drills, one a planer and a a sander and one a circular saw. The saw is a Bosch one which I bought a few years ago when my workshop was getting intolerably crowded, but I worked out the that it could sit on a shelf under the woodworking bench. So I fought my way through to it, cleared my way in and put the saw on the shelf ... right next to the other Bosch circular saw which I had bought five years previously and forgotten about.

At least my shelving policy was consistent. Talking of which, anyone need five spare door handles for a Reliant Rebel?
 
You can get a trolley, with wheels, from Lidl for a pound.
I don't think they like you taking them!.. Having said that, many years ago I noticed that the local Tesco had a few broken trollies in a heap round the back. I asked the manager If I could have the castors off one. He said, fine by me but they are welded on. I looked, and all of them were, except the oldest one which was a trolley some careless shopper had crushed with a car, and its casters were nice bolted ones, so I had those.
 
I have a shelf under a bench with plastic storage boxes for such things - one has angle grinders, one electric drills, one a planer and a a sander and one a circular saw. The saw is a Bosch one which I bought a few years ago when my workshop was getting intolerably crowded, but I worked out the that it could sit on a shelf under the woodworking bench. So I fought my way through to it, cleared my way in and put the saw on the shelf ... right next to the other Bosch circular saw which I had bought five years previously and forgotten about.

At least my shelving policy was consistent. Talking of which, anyone need five spare door handles for a Reliant Rebel?
Are you secretly sharing my workshop??? Sounds incredibly familiar! I love a workshop thread :)
 
Snap on are lovely, but way to dear for diy use, halford pro or normal are more than good enough.
Make sure you check sizes, as not all boxes are created equal!
 
I have a shelf under a bench with plastic storage boxes for such things - one has angle grinders, one electric drills, one a planer and a a sander and one a circular saw. The saw is a Bosch one which I bought a few years ago when my workshop was getting intolerably crowded, but I worked out the that it could sit on a shelf under the woodworking bench. So I fought my way through to it, cleared my way in and put the saw on the shelf ... right next to the other Bosch circular saw which I had bought five years previously and forgotten about.

At least my shelving policy was consistent. Talking of which, anyone need five spare door handles for a Reliant Rebel?
Power tools are mostly plaasticky and lightweight these days.
My work benches are weighed down by my stockpile of wood and metal.

I too have two Bosch circular saws, mine and the one I inherited from my Dad.
I also have a silly number of power drills, I had a few then inherited some more. The best one is a Bosch from 35 years ago.
I have inherited some right crap tools, but the lathe makes up for it.
 
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