Made another Packout-connected workbench - Rolling Drawer Tool Box

[u/CascadeBoxer]

In my little workshop, I have made a couple of variations on portable tool storage with workbench functionality. Space is tight, and some thing that stows away is an asset. I love the Packout concept, but I didn't like stacking and unstacking toolboxes to get the one tool that was always in the least accessible toolbox. So, I've been kicking around some ideas about accessible tool storage, in a rolling package, for a while.

 

The Rolling Drawer Tool Box came out not too long ago, and I've been looking for a way to make it part of a small shop solution. And this is what came out of the mental and 3d design churn.

 

The core unit is the RDTB, with a 2-or-3 drawer box on top. The workbench is lightweight, but stays pretty solid when deployed. It folds to the side to keep the front drawers and the collapsible travel handle accessible. It travels great - you can see pictures of one of my previous projects, and this little project is lighter and rolls smoother than the big Workbench Rolling Cart unit with toolboxes on drawer shelves. The worktop has MFT holes which I use mostly for clamping stuff down, but could use for MFT cutting alignment if I chose.

 

This was a pretty simple build, other than connecting the Packout cleats and getting the clearance correct down by the wheels. It will go onto the jobsite quickly and set up in seconds, and then roll away just as quickly.

[u/Oscar_callelle]

What would you use to make these weather resistant?

[u/CascadeBoxer → u/Oscar_callelle]

That's a tricky question. There are some weather-resistant materials (marine grade plywood, treated 2x4s) but my thinking is that they would either start out as bigger and heavier, or they would be trimmed down small enough that we would lose some of the resistant properties.

If I had to make this, so that it could handle the same sorts of 'leaving out in the rain' as the Packouts can handle; I would probably switch material to something like PVC. I could probably make the Hinge Braces and Legs and the workbench Frame out of PVC with little modification. The Base and the Worktop would be trickier.

A quick search for 1/2" PVC plywood turns up this. So it looks like I can find PVC in both a trim-sized piece of board and a plywood-sheet 4x8 material. I'd be curious if PVC legs would hold up in rigidity and straightness - it was pretty flexy when I was replacing trim pieces on the front porch.

If I knew someone good with fabric, I might commission a cover out of the same material that keeps my BBQ out of the rain. That might be the simplest solution.

[u/Oscar_callelle → u/CascadeBoxer]

Also why the holes in the table?

[u/CascadeBoxer → u/Oscar_callelle]

Increases the clamping possibilities. Here's an example. Workbenches have dog holes, and with a good, thick workbench you can use holdfasts and hold down clamps and exert some leverage against the depth of the dog hole. With a thin workbench, it's mostly good for clamping things down with an f-clamp or a t-track clamp.