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custom tool boxes

Jeremy R

<b>x</b>
Nov 15, 2001
9,698
1,053
behind you with a snap pop
My portable kit is super trick: A Dewalt drill bag. Super compact. I've thought about a roll to get a little better organized, but haven't found one I love enough yet, and I don't have any problem finding what I need.

Jeremy R, which roll did you get?
I found this one from CK magma. At first I wished it was bigger, but it lets me take just enough for day trips or a race day.

tool-roll
 

scrublover

Turbo Monkey
Sep 1, 2004
2,885
6,191
This just lives in the back of the car. With an old Topeak Joe Blow floor pump and a folding camp chair. Also a bin with a beat set of flat pedals, big ass cable locks/u-lock, and old Gravity Dropper post with a 31.6mm shim so it can be used on any of my bikes in event of my regular post shitting the bed.

IMG_8433.JPG
 

SylentK

Turbo Monkey
Feb 25, 2004
2,287
854
coloRADo
This just lives in the back of the car. With an old Topeak Joe Blow floor pump and a folding camp chair. Also a bin with a beat set of flat pedals, big ass cable locks/u-lock, and old Gravity Dropper post with a 31.6mm shim so it can be used on any of my bikes in event of my regular post shitting the bed.

View attachment 138896
^^ That beer coozie doesn't look like it gets used enough. Just sayin'... LOL

Oh and nice clamps from the OR. The wife has "borrowed" a few of those for me too. Haven't really needed to use them yet, tho...
 

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
85,559
24,182
media blackout
^^ That beer coozie doesn't look like it gets used enough. Just sayin'... LOL

Oh and nice clamps from the OR. The wife has "borrowed" a few of those for me too. Haven't really needed to use them yet, tho...
You can get non medical ones pretty readily too.
 

scrublover

Turbo Monkey
Sep 1, 2004
2,885
6,191
^^ That beer coozie doesn't look like it gets used enough. Just sayin'... LOL

Oh and nice clamps from the OR. The wife has "borrowed" a few of those for me too. Haven't really needed to use them yet, tho...

Newest one, and I was off the bike a bit. It'll be broken in proper.

I've got a ton, a variety of sizes. Have come in handy for a lot of different things over the years. That and the large shears. Super useful!
 

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,227
20,003
Sleazattle
I used to travel professionally with a toolbox for working on CNC machines. Never got into the whole toolbox porn ADD thing. I didn't have time to get anal about organization. I have a few smaller boxes inside to hold small loose tools like sockets but everything else just got chucked inside. My micron resolution dial indicator had it's own protective box.

These days I just have multiple poorly organized boxes. One for metric motorcycles, metric bicycles, inch cars and metric cars, electronics, then a big box for the wood shop.
 

buckoW

Turbo Monkey
Mar 1, 2007
3,777
4,699
Champery, Switzerland
Nice wall o'shocks.
Thanks! I’ve got some shock hoarding issues...

The Andreani vacuum bleeder is a nice tool to have if you‘re working on shocks a lot. Here’s mine I got used when a German service center upgraded the the bigger models which hold more oil for moto suspension.
5D56D14E-43DB-4A4A-8839-28DABF88C374.jpeg


I'd rather have a super organized workshop than a nice toolbox these days. When I travel to races I just take a small box for on-the-day fixes. Most of my serious work is done at home in the garage and I'd rather have tools on a shadow board for organization.
Nice workshop Toodles! Here’s mine today. It’s raining and I‘ve got a new Ransom frame to build up.
CB4C31C2-731D-415A-9878-91127BA20433.png
 

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
85,559
24,182
media blackout
Thanks! I’ve got some shock hoarding issues...

The Andreani vacuum bleeder is a nice tool to have if you‘re working on shocks a lot. Here’s mine I got used when a German service center upgraded the the bigger models which hold more oil for moto suspension.
View attachment 138915



Nice workshop Toodles! Here’s mine today. It’s raining and I‘ve got a new Ransom frame to build up.
View attachment 138914
Those are some big drawknives.
 

buckoW

Turbo Monkey
Mar 1, 2007
3,777
4,699
Champery, Switzerland
Those are some big drawknives.
They were my wife’s grandfather’s. I got all kinds of cool old tools, vises and an ancient farm jack from him.

Parat makes some cool cases and bags.

Colin Bailey’s bag of tools is pretty sweet too.
 
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slyfink

Turbo Monkey
Sep 16, 2008
9,288
5,028
Ottawa, Canada
They were my wife’s grandfather’s. I got all kinds of cool old tools, vises and an ancient farm jack from him.

Parat makes some cool cases and bags.

Colin Bailey’s bag of tools is pretty sweet too.
 

toodles

ridiculously corgi proportioned
Aug 24, 2004
5,479
4,719
Australia
Nice workshop Toodles! Here’s mine today. It’s raining and I‘ve got a new Ransom frame to build up.
View attachment 138914
I'm still setting up after moving a bunch of stuff around. I definitely prefer the wallboard option over having stuff in drawers where it tends to get buried and just stashed.

That setup of yours is mint - I've got a stainless hook-up through work but opted for a lacquered wooden benchtop just to stop blinding myself from glare and for noise. I've got a huge stainless table around the corner in the garage but it basically gets used to store helmets and body armor now.

I've got the same Hope bottle opener btw. The detail on those things is friggen amazing, but the Park one falls to hand much better. The Pedros one was mild steel and got tarnished too quickly so it stays in a toolbox drawer now. I'm actually tempted to get one of those wall mounted openers and bolt it up over the bin.
 

buckoW

Turbo Monkey
Mar 1, 2007
3,777
4,699
Champery, Switzerland
My biggest goal for the bike garage is to put some concrete down on the floor. Currently it’s a dirt floor in a house built in 1783. I’ve been lazily adding rocks, wood and osb panels without a plan for 10 years. When my builder friends give me a hard time I tell them to think of it as a wood carpet...not a floor. I guess I’d rather buy almost anything than some concrete. One day I’ll have a clean shop like yours.
 
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HAB

Chelsea from Seattle
Apr 28, 2007
11,580
2,005
Seattle
^^See how much more you can fit in there?



My really serious work, like involving complete frame realignment, wheelbuilds, steering tube straighning, exclusively occurs in parking garages at whistler or some colorado joint at 1am .
I once rebuilt a friend's wheelset in a hotel room, starting at 10 or 11pm, after a solid 6 hours of drinking. He rode those wheels for at least a couple full years after that.
 

HardtailHack

used an iron once
Jan 20, 2009
6,628
5,442
Buying Knipex snips just for doing cable ties on a bike is pretty crazy, full flush cuts aren't much good for anything but trimming cableties or leads on PCBs, they suck for wire stripping.
Hit and Marvel from Japan make some functionally nice but aesthetically bland non bike specific hand tools, they get rebranded by a few other companies.

I have a B&W case for work and have been slowly buying tools to kit it all out but I'm not there yet, I'll have to have another for elec gear.
My bike tools just get thrown in to the bike toolbox from a distance, if I rummage through the drawers I get covered in glitter, DIY sealant was a stupid idea!

Does anyone know of a full set of 1/4" inhex bits to suit common bike size cap screws? All the sets I have found are 1/4 and 3/8 and I don't want to have to run an adaptor on the torque wrench.
 

canadmos

Cake Tease
May 29, 2011
20,190
19,155
Canaderp
My biggest goal for the bike garage is to put some concrete down on the floor. Currently it’s a dirt floor in a house built in 1783.
They sure dont build em like they used to... That's actually cool to see. Oldest buildings around here that are still inhabited and not a rotting pile or part of a historic site are built in the late 1800's. And those are few and far between. Usually it's just the old church and cemeteries that survive.
 

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
85,559
24,182
media blackout
My biggest goal for the bike garage is to put some concrete down on the floor. Currently it’s a dirt floor in a house built in 1783. I’ve been lazily adding rocks, wood and osb panels without a plan for 10 years. When my builder friends give me a hard time I tell them to think of it as a wood carpet...not a floor. I guess I’d rather buy almost anything than some concrete. One day I’ll have a clean shop like yours.
this just reminded me of my great grandfathers farmhouse in west virginia. he was a coal miner and subsistence farmer. his workshop barn had a dirt floor. nostalgia'd hard.
 

iRider

Turbo Monkey
Apr 5, 2008
5,648
3,089
My biggest goal for the bike garage is to put some concrete down on the floor. Currently it’s a dirt floor in a house built in 1783. I’ve been lazily adding rocks, wood and osb panels without a plan for 10 years. When my builder friends give me a hard time I tell them to think of it as a wood carpet...not a floor. I guess I’d rather buy almost anything than some concrete. One day I’ll have a clean shop like yours.
I take you don't have a problem with Radon in your area (and I am not talking the bike brand)?
 

toodles

ridiculously corgi proportioned
Aug 24, 2004
5,479
4,719
Australia
Buying Knipex snips just for doing cable ties on a bike is pretty crazy, full flush cuts aren't much good for anything but trimming cableties or leads on PCBs, they suck for wire stripping.
Hit and Marvel from Japan make some functionally nice but aesthetically bland non bike specific hand tools, they get rebranded by a few other companies.
We use the Knipex stuff at work for electronics and whatnot so I've gotten them off reps at Xmas time and kept them. They're like a $80 sidecutter for the flush cut ones so I wouldn't be buying them if I had to build a set. The cheaper brands would work just as well, even ebay specials or whatever. My go-to pliers for work are Marvel MVA-200s - rate those things so highly, dunno why so many guys froth about Channellocks or whatever. I've been lucky enough to have tools supplied over the years so I've built a pretty decent collection of stuff up and duplicates end up being used for bike stuff.
 

HardtailHack

used an iron once
Jan 20, 2009
6,628
5,442
We use the Knipex stuff at work for electronics and whatnot so I've gotten them off reps at Xmas time and kept them. They're like a $80 sidecutter for the flush cut ones so I wouldn't be buying them if I had to build a set. The cheaper brands would work just as well, even ebay specials or whatever. My go-to pliers for work are Marvel MVA-200s - rate those things so highly, dunno why so many guys froth about Channellocks or whatever. I've been lucky enough to have tools supplied over the years so I've built a pretty decent collection of stuff up and duplicates end up being used for bike stuff.
Nice, yeah I have the normal Marvel pliers and 8" snips, some Koken sockets and Vessel Screwdrivers, I didn't know that JIS screws existed before I bought them, now I just get JIS as it fits both standards, I tried to get some KTC Nepros tools but they wouldn't accept my card, good for my bank balance I guess.....

Off topic, but as you seem to have elec stuff do you have or recommend some crimpers for formed(shitty stamped) terminals with a range from say 12-20AWG? I was looking at the cheap Molex MX150XL but finding out which crimpers work on what sort of terminal is a pain in the bum, I am otherwise sorted from bootlace to 400mm2.
 
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iRider

Turbo Monkey
Apr 5, 2008
5,648
3,089
Not that I know of but now i’m curious. Thanks for the heads up.
Check the map here: https://map.geo.admin.ch/?layers=ch.bag.radonkarte&lang=en&topic=ech&bgLayer=ch.swisstopo.pixelkarte-farbe&layers_opacity=0.75

But be careful, they usually only give the probability on how likely it is to have radon in your building. This is often not based on many data points (at least here in Denmark, not sure about Switzerland). Best is to test for it and normally the city/district administration can order dosimeters for you and send them for analysis or at least point you in the right direction where to get them.

@all: sorry for the spam, RM wouldn't allow me to PM buckoW.
 

Flo33

Turbo Monkey
Mar 3, 2015
2,057
1,298
Styria
Nice, yeah I have the normal Marvel pliers and 8" snips, some Koken sockets and Vessel Screwdrivers, I didn't know that JIS screws existed before I bought them, now I just get JIS as it fits both standards, I tried to get some KTC Nepros tools but they wouldn't accept my card, good for my bank balance I guess.....

Off topic, but as you seem to have elec stuff do you have or recommend some crimpers for formed(shitty stamped) terminals with a range from say 12-20AWG? I was looking at the cheap Molex MX150XL but finding out which crimpers work on what sort of terminal is a pain in the bum, I am otherwise sorted from bootlace to 400mm2.
Haupa makes decent electric tools for little money, don't know if they are available in kangaroo country. Their crimpers did the job for me when working as an electrician.
 

toodles

ridiculously corgi proportioned
Aug 24, 2004
5,479
4,719
Australia
Off topic, but as you seem to have elec stuff do you have or recommend some crimpers for formed(shitty stamped) terminals with a range from say 12-20AWG? I was looking at the cheap Molex MX150XL but finding out which crimpers work on what sort of terminal is a pain in the bum, I am otherwise sorted from bootlace to 400mm2.
Does Pressmaster do anything that will work for you? Their crimper has interchangeable dies for everything from coax and data plus, through to spade bits, lugs, hexagonal crimps and whatnot and the dies are individually sold and work pretty well. RS sells them over here - https://au.rs-online.com/web/c/connectors/connector-tools-accessories/crimp-tool-dies/?applied-dimensions=4294965770

We're using the MCT series at work for fiddly stupid connectors that we don't do many of, and provided people don't lose the dies its a super handy set to build up on. Could be worth a look.
 

mykel

closer to Periwinkle
Apr 19, 2013
5,067
3,778
sw ontario canada
What size do you guys feel is the best for primarily bike stuff, but also general shop / around the house?

I was looking at jaw open sizing, and figured that the 7" would be good, more than big enough for fork top caps, but small enough to go into the travel toolcase. I was asked by SWMBO to pick a gift from the inlaws, and I figured Knipex would be a great idea. Asked for the 7" with the normal handles as the comfort ones look pretty bulky for packing in the travel case.

I figured maybe a set of 10" down the road may be a great addition...if I end up liking the 7" as much as I think I will.
 

maxyedor

<b>TOOL PRO</b>
Oct 20, 2005
5,496
3,140
In the bathroom, fighting a battle
I would get the 10” over the 7” if I could only have one. The extra jaw width makes them more useful for dumb stuff like drain clean out caps and gas line unions, plus the extra leverage is really nice for fork caps, lets you crank them open more smoothly with less chance of marring them up.
 

FarkinRyan

Monkey
Dec 15, 2003
611
192
Pemberton, BC
The true beauty of the Knipex pliers-wrench is that they do a better job at a lot of things than a tool that is apparently custom made to do just that job. If this thread hasn't yet convinced you that you need them, you need them. 10" are perfect for bike use. Be warned that once you own them you will forever covet the mini set, that cost just as much as the 10" pair, to carry in your enduro satchel.

The minis are currently on sale on amazon.ca if you're a Canadian monkey;
 
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ZHendo

Turbo Monkey
Oct 29, 2006
1,661
147
PNW
Do any of you tool nerds own the Feedback Sports T-Handle set? Been sizing those up for a few months as a potential Christmas/birthday present to myself and have heard some good things but have never seen them in-person .

Also, so I don't completely derail the Knipex love fest, I did have a genuine question about the love for them as a bike tool. While I totally see the at-home/auto use case, what are they so great for on a bike other than removing fork caps? Not a whole lot of wrench flats on bikes these days, so genuinely curious.
 

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
85,559
24,182
media blackout
Also, so I don't completely derail the Knipex love fest, I did have a genuine question about the love for them as a bike tool. While I totally see the at-home/auto use case, what are they so great for on a bike other than removing fork caps? Not a whole lot of wrench flats on bikes these days, so genuinely curious.
some frames still have them for pivot bolts i believe.
 

toodles

ridiculously corgi proportioned
Aug 24, 2004
5,479
4,719
Australia
Do any of you tool nerds own the Feedback Sports T-Handle set? Been sizing those up for a few months as a potential Christmas/birthday present to myself and have heard some good things but have never seen them in-person .
I've got a set of rubber handled T bars and they're brilliant, not a bike specific brand though. The Feedback ones look super nice but expensive for what you're getting. Worth it for good tools if they're nicely made though.
 

FarkinRyan

Monkey
Dec 15, 2003
611
192
Pemberton, BC
While I totally see the at-home/auto use case, what are they so great for on a bike other than removing fork caps? Not a whole lot of wrench flats on bikes these days, so genuinely curious.
Spoke nipples, valve cores, fork top caps, pivot bolts, shock sealheads, fork damper and air spring sealheads, rear-shock hardware, chain master links, brake pistons. You can also use them as a portable vice, or even as a set of pliers if you really want, I guess.

The parallel non-marring jaws and the force multiplication is what makes them real beauties though. You can fit them on to a work piece with a perfect, no-gap fit and used correctly it is physically impossible to slip off or round off what you're working on, they just get tighter on the piece the harder you try to turn them.
 
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iRider

Turbo Monkey
Apr 5, 2008
5,648
3,089