Jobsite Box / Steel Storage Chest makes a great gear l

by **Str8Shooter** » Sat Aug 13, 2011 8:52 am

Rigid Jobsite Box / Steel Storage Chest makes a great gear locker.

I purchased this one from Home Depot about a year ago:

It's 48" wide and 24" deep. I spray painted the outside Olive Drab mainly because I wanted it to match my ammo cans but also so it wouldn't stand out if someone peeked through the blinds of one of the garage windows.

I didn't bolt it directly to the floor but I did run a heavy 3/8" welded link chain through the handle and lock it to an eyebolt thats anchored in the floor under the box. I also keep a bunch of archery and welding crap stacked on top to further disguise the box.

According to Home Depot it weighs 144lbs. empty and in that I have about 9 ammo cans filled with ammo plus 3 or 4 500 round sealed boxes plus 2 range bags. So as it is right now I'd say it weighs 700 - 800 lbs and I'll be adding atleast 6 more ammo cans in the next month.

The pad locks bolt into the recessed opening and you must get the exact size pad lock that's called for. I opted to get the heaviest duty pad locks the HD had and they are keyed alike.

It has a built in deep tray with removable dividers and a hole in the bottom to pull an extension cord into. I plan on putting a dehumidifier rod in it since it's in my garage and in humid S. Florida.

by **Rob Van** » Sat Aug 13, 2011 10:01 am

That looks nice!
It looks like it could be used as a residential security cabinet. The description implies it is more heavy duty than than the Stack On stuff. The locks definitely seem superior.
What are your thoughts?
Cheers,
Rob

by **SwampRat** » Sat Aug 13, 2011 10:27 am

My little master forge is also rust and stained. I'm glad I'm not the only one. Have you ever been able to cook any thing in it without burning it?

by **Str8Shooter** » Sat Aug 13, 2011 12:19 pm

Rob Van wrote:That looks nice!
It looks like it could be used as a residential security cabinet. The description implies it is more heavy duty than than the Stack On stuff. The locks definitely seem superior.
What are your thoughts?
Cheers,
Rob

I've have only seen one Stack On at a gun shop. It was a 14 gun cabinet and it was very flimsy. It looked like it could easy be pried open. Plus I could pick it up by myself (it was empty of course). I have a 350lb. 10 gun safe for my guns and a 500lb. safe for all my valuables. Both safes are in the house and bolted to the floor. But I would not think twice about locking my guns up in this box if I needed to or as an overflow box.
Gear locker or residential security cabinet, most definitely!

by **hatchtrikk** » Sat Aug 13, 2011 1:51 pm

Very nice. That is now on my short list.

by **bluesquid** » Sat Aug 13, 2011 1:55 pm

really cool. I have a friend thats looking for something like this. He has been using old high school lockers. lol

by **111t** » Sun Aug 14, 2011 9:22 am

-like.

by **Str8Shooter** » Sun Aug 14, 2011 8:37 pm

SwampRat wrote:My little master forge is also rust and stained. I'm glad I'm not the only one. Have you ever been able to cook any thing in it without burning it?

I bought mine to use on our pontoon boat. As long as I watch it really close and keep the dial turned down low i can cook anything from hot dogs to bubba burgers. First time though I did over cook some steaks :shock:

luckily we had a bunch of hot dogs also. So far it's lasted 1 season and it was much cheaper than what the marina has.

by **SwampRat** » Mon Aug 15, 2011 3:24 am

I've had mine almost two years, sat out side on the picnic table the whole time. It's held up fine but I have the hardest time keeping it from flaring up and scorching stuff. More On Topic. I like what you did there. I am going to take a look at these when I get home. Seems like it would be good to put in the shop to give my tightly packed gun safe some breathing room.

by **Str8Shooter** » Mon Aug 15, 2011 4:36 am

SwampRat wrote: Seems like it would be good to put in the shop to give my tightly packed gun safe some breathing room.

Thats exactly why i bought it. I had 4 or 5 ammo cans stacked inside my gun case and all my guns were jammed together. Now i have a hanger on the door for extra mags and ammo and i dont have to move two guns to get at one.

by **bufordtjustice** » Mon Aug 15, 2011 2:13 pm

Great idea and great post. Thanks for the write-up and pics. I am considering one of these for my farm and like what you did.

by **Equuleus** » Mon Aug 15, 2011 8:18 pm

Does this have any ability to be bolted to the floor? Or even access to the inside of the legs where I could drill holes so that I can bolt it to the floor?

by **Str8Shooter** » Tue Aug 16, 2011 8:07 am

Equuleus wrote:Does this have any ability to be bolted to the floor? Or even access to the inside of the legs where I could drill holes so that I can bolt it to the floor?

Yes, but you would have to drill a hole through the bottom and through the boxed "leg" than just use a long enough bolt to anchor it to the floor.

by **SwampRat** » Tue Aug 16, 2011 8:14 am

Seems like it would be easier to get to the bolt to cut it. Small issue if the thing is buried under garage stuff and weighs 500 pounds though. How hard would it be to remove the box leg and bolt it flat to the floor do you think?

by **Str8Shooter** » Tue Aug 16, 2011 8:36 am

SwampRat wrote:Seems like it would be easier to get to the bolt to cut it. Small issue if the thing is buried under garage stuff and weighs 500 pounds though. How hard would it be to remove the box leg and bolt it flat to the floor do you think?

The boxed leg is welded to the bottom and has end caps welded so it would be very hard to remove them and nearly impossible to get to the bolts if you install them the way I mentioned above. And really calling it a leg is not accurate (unlike a table leg) as the rectangular boxed leg, foot or what ever, runs the entire depth of the box (front to back).

Also, (an after thought) if you run the bolts through the way I mentioned, because the "leg" is capped on the ends, the bolts would not visible from the outside.

by **Equuleus** » Wed Aug 17, 2011 4:43 pm

Str8Shooter wrote:
SwampRat wrote:Seems like it would be easier to get to the bolt to cut it. Small issue if the thing is buried under garage stuff and weighs 500 pounds though. How hard would it be to remove the box leg and bolt it flat to the floor do you think?

The boxed leg is welded to the bottom and has end caps welded so it would be very hard to remove them and nearly impossible to get to the bolts if you install them the way I mentioned above. And really calling it a leg is not accurate (unlike a table leg) as the rectangular boxed leg, foot or what ever, runs the entire depth of the box (front to back).

Also, (an after thought) if you run the bolts through the way I mentioned, because the "leg" is capped on the ends, the bolts would not visible from the outside.

As with any set up I may be thinking of, I do not intend this to be access proof just very hard to get into. With that in mind, an alarm would be very important to limit the time frame a person has to work on this box as a form of layered security. Bolting this to the floor is another important step as even a 500# box can be moved by 3-4 people without too much effort and if you add in a hand truck and lift gate you could move it with one person.

Considering that the ends are capped and you wouldn't know it was bolted to the floor until you tried to move it, this Ridgid box beats out the Jobox brand where the bolt heads would be visible from the research I've been able to do.

My only real concern is the locks. As stated in the other thread where you first mentioned this box, another member said the box would be vulnerable to bump keys. I looked into this and found out that Master Lock has new technology out that is "four times more resistant to bump keys" and is available for their #5 locks which takes away some of my concern but the other would be making sure access to the key for the locks stays out of the hands of unauthorized users. I'm mostly thinking children here, but who knows. It would be up to the owner to ensure the keys were given limited access to by other people. Maybe I'm going a little far here.

by **Rob Van** » Sat Aug 20, 2011 10:47 am

Thanks for the feedback!
I am going to seriously look into this.
Cheers,
Rob

by **tacticoolkommand1214** » Sat Sep 03, 2011 12:51 am

The boxes are decent. We have one at my work. Only a few downsides. The locks don't come with it, and when you get locks they have to be a certain size to work as designed. And the hinge in the back can still be taken apart with a little knowledge. Ours was broken into and the mig machine was stolen.

As far as quality goes they are better than Stack-On.

by **FrankisSteezy** » Wed Oct 26, 2011 12:35 pm

this is such a good idea.. i actually sell these and i never thought of it actually using it for this.. brain fart. lol

The ones i actually stock all the hinges are hidden within the box as well and its made of steel and diamond plate with rubber seals and metal lips to keep water out.

by **Str8Shooter** » Thu Oct 27, 2011 9:40 am

FrankisSteezy wrote:this is such a good idea.. i actually sell these and i never thought of it actually using it for this.. brain fart. lol

The ones i actually stock all the hinges are hidden within the box as well and its made of steel and diamond plate with rubber seals and metal lips to keep water out.

Thanks FrankisSteezy, I've thought about putting rubber seals on it but since it's in my garage and probably never will be outside, I haven't made that a priority.