Adam Savage's Mythbusters Toolbox

Sourced some detail hardware: handles from Rockler - will need to get a second matching pair from them. Very similar to Adam's, although his are probably Leather (these are vinyl).

Also sourced 2" caster wheels from Home Depot -- looks like in the original they are all pivoting, so the size needs to balance well the tower above (or... crashing down it comes :).
 
Have you looked at modifying a small motorcycle jack?

There are many scissor models (usually red painted ones) that are around that size, yet will still lift upwards of 230kg - I know, coz they lift my bike with ease.

Some even come with castor wheels that you can raise/drop, to wheel around or hold still as you require.

I did look around a bit, and found MX Bike lifts that can take up to 300lb like this one:

http://www.denniskirk.com/denniskirk/b2c/product_images/e/4/1/600pix/e41100022.jpg

Unfortunately, all of those I have seen seem to have "feet" (an extension below the base plane of the scissor) that would crimp the design.
 
I got the hinges down, working on the latch.

One question: am I missign something? How do the boxes' lids sit in their open position?
 
I got the hinges down, working on the latch.

One question: am I missign something? How do the boxes' lids sit in their open position?

Simple, There is a 4 wires or chains that hold them open. You can see them in this picture.
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Good eye - thanks!

speaking of that picture... what's that little thing hanging by the handle on the right?


If you notice, Adam has lot's of items attached or strapped into the lids of the tool boxes. This appears to be one such strap as it's clearly coming from the inside of the lid.

e42734strapo228.jpg
 
Good eye - thanks!

speaking of that picture... what's that little thing hanging by the handle on the right?

If he has the same layout on the tool as he had in the old boxes it might be this clock on the right side.. Or that object on the left side between the pliers....
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Mr Savage, If you could show somemore pictures of the latching mechanism (the blue) That would be great.:thumbsup
And im guessing that it's Velcro that holds the Boxes together when they are not standing up. (Yellow)
Thanks

toolboxe.jpg
 
I recently found an old document from my ILM days and thought you guys would like this:
A comprehensive list (and nearly comprehensive explanation) of all the tools in both boxes.

Here it is: (It's long!)

1” square steel heavy square
Great for small construction, allows a square non sticky edge to use as a square guide, can be used with styrene, balsa, etc.
12” folding wooden and brass ruler
I keep this just because it's beautiful.
12” steel straight edge.
36” collapsable straight edge
Just a really cool straight edge, it’s like a tape measure but reverse sprung. This is the only one I’ve seen. I’m on the lookout for one with more clear numbers on it.
3 way scale ruler
Has 3 sides, each with measurements in different scales.
4 in one Screwdriver
These things strip like the dickens, but obviously, as space is a concern for me, so I buy one about every six months or so.
4” Square
I can’t seem to have enough squares in my toolbox, nothing reads to the eye faster than a line slightly out of true.
6 piece micro screwdriver set, made my Wiha.
These guys are expensive, but worth it, they make a full set of 7 sizes in both phillips and flathead, but small medium and large works well for me. They have tempered heads, and I haven’t had one strip on me yet. I’ve had many different types of mini screwdrivers, but these make a great case for buying the best once.
6” Steel rule
For measuring in those small places. For a couple of bucks, what can you lose.
Airbrush
I use a simple single-action airbrush for 99% of everything. I've pre-fitted it with the most common quick-connect, but I also have an adapter for the other most popular kind of quick connect just in case.
Airbrush bottles
Airbrush wrench
Airbrush tips
Allen wrench set
Another “must have” tool, I prefer the long neck ball end version, which allows for off-angle operation. English and Metric.
Angle Cutter
This cutter has a flat plate on the bottom, with angles marked on it and a tall guillotine blade on top that allows nice registration of things like styrene plastic.
Angle Finder, Steel.
Basically a compass, with markings to delineate the angle, but I have 3 different kinds depending on where I'm trying to measure the angle.
Assortment of piano wire plant wire wired styrene
This stuff falls within the realm of being prepared for anything. Looking for just the right wire for a certain situation, I always cut an extra length or two and stick it in. One more thing I don’t have to go looking for.
Automatic Punch
This thing is great, for marking a starting divot for drilling precise holes, no hammer is necessary for this. You just press and it has a spring release inside that ‘tink’ makes a little nick. Allows for precise placement because you don’t have to go looking for a hammer.
Awl
Another all purpose when-you-need-it-nothing-else-will-do kind of tool. I only use it 2 or 3 times a year, but when I need it... Mine was my grandfather's.
Bevel Gauge
A master carpenter told me this tool was the soul of woodworking. I know just as much carpentry as I have to to be dangerous, and this tool allows me to duplicate angles between the work and the saw and such ,and never have to bother with pesky compasses or rulers.
Blue tack
For temporary holding of things
Bone saw
I’ve had this for years.It was my great grandfather’s (he was a surgeon) and it’s perfect for deepening grooves and such. It got used for “The Mummy” in the opening shot of the temple.
Bottle Brush
Rarely used, but nothing else will clean out stuff in those tight places.
Bull clip
Bullclips, are just clample, take up no space, if I use it once a year it justifies it’s real estate.
Butane powered Soldering iron
Now this is the ****. It charges just like a lighter, holds enough for about an hour of soldering, and takes up almost no space. Weller makes an amazing one, but it costs a little dough, and I haven’t picked one up yet. Another on the long list of tools I’ll upgrade eventually.
Brass Stock, assorted
From K&S Engineering, this stuff, mostly sold for model trains, is a modelmakers dream, I beam, tubing in every size (and telescoping) square stock, solid stock, I always kept enough to get me out of a small jam.
Brushes
Always a complement of brushes:
Acid Brush (x 4)
1” and 1/2” chip brushes (x 2 each)
Assorted fine paint brushes (perhaps a dozen of different sizes)
Wire Brushes (x2)
C-thru 8” square
Maybe you can't see it, but this has a steel edge on one side, great for a cutting edge. I bought this years ago in a past life as a graphic designer.
Calculator
It’s presence is obvious, but it really is indispensable.
Carving knife
A whittler's knife, with a nice wood handle and a short blade.
Chalk Marker
For marking on steel, metal.
Channel locks
Again, one totally critical tool for the toolbox. You can rip a doorknob right off the door with these.
Chargers
All the cordless tools need chargers, my toolboxes had chargers built in for the Dremel, the Cordless Screwdriver and the Cordless drill.
China Marker
Makes marks on glass, metal everything.
Circle Template
Honestly, the more ways you have to draw circles the better
Clay tools
Part of the general sculpting tool arsenal. For, you know, sculpting.
Clip leads
Critical in any electronics wiring. Provides a bridge for the handy little electrons to make things work at your disposal.
Cloth scissors
For cloth, cloth and only cloth. Or you die. NEVER cut anything else with them, I have another pair for other ****. But always one pair for cloth.
Clothes pins
Clamp, wedge, whatever, useful dingbat
Combination square/level
Got this cleaning out my grandfather’s workshop, cleaned off the gunk to find out it’s a starret. (Thats good) Square is good.
Compass
Drawing circles comes up constantly. I have a nice one for drafting, it's served me well for decades.
Crescent Wrench
Large
Small
Cutting Matt
For cutting, umm, that’s it.
Deburring tool, for holes
I made the handle from aluminum and knurled it for comfort, takes the burr off of a drilled or milled hole. It's basically a countersink bit with a handle
Deburring tool, regular
For cleaning up the edge of cut metal.
Dental Picks
Dial calipers
Digital Calipers
Dremel: Cordless Dremel
For me, the corded dremel is too fast. This one is about half the price, allows really tight control, and goes nice and slow.
Cordless batteries, as many as I can keep.
Dremel Bits
Cutters (emery and steel)
Sanders (small and large)
Sanding drum replacements
Extra cutting wheels
double helix carbide cutters (can cut through glass)
Stone grinders
Drill, cordless
A large cordless drill with a 1/2” chuck.
Drill bits
English drill bit set
Super long drill bits (used in the aircraft industry, indispensable
Plexiglass drill bits, 1/8”, 1/4”
Unibit stepped drill bits.
Miniature drill bits 61 thru 70
Dykes cutters
Electrical tape
Electronix Solder/ silver solder
Exacto
Blades
Long curved exacto blades are ideal for cutting silicone molds apart
Straight exacto blades, you can NEVER have enough. I keep them in boxes of 100
Blade holders, fat and skinny.
Exacto Saw blade
Exacto circle cutter with blades
Erasing template
For mechanical drawing, a stainless steel template for erasing with precision
Files
Rat Tail
Flat
Diamond point
Diamond flat
Diamond bent rat-tail
circular file
Super-flat scoring file
Large steel file
Flexible Ruler
Flush cutters
Glass Cutters
Glues: Rapid Setting Glues
The soul of the special effects industry. I would never leave home without the following
Cyanoacrilate Glue thick
Cyanoacrilate glue Thin
Cyanoacrilate Glue Accelerator
5 minute epoxy thin
5 minute plumber's epoxy
Araldite or JB weld
Weld-on #3 (for Styrene, an essential tool for gluing styrene ship parts together.
Barge Glue (by far the best contact adhesive out there)
Goosnecked Flashlight
Hair cutting scissors
Hammer
A modelmaker doesn't need a big hammer, but I always kept two small ones:
Jewler’s hammer (A beautiful small hammer with a peen on one end, and a flat on the other)
A thwacker (a 1.5” by 2” piece of solid aluminum stock on a handle, for thwacking)
Heat shrink tubing
For doing neat electronics wiring, a few pieces are always in my kit.
Heat sink Clamp
Heavy scissors
Helping Hands soldering tool
Hemostats
Medical clamps, I'd keep a shorty and a long one.
Hole Saw set, with Arbor.
Isopropyl Alcohol
An excellent remover, cleaner, prep liquid.
Japanese flush cut saw. Kept in 2 pieces, it cuts everything wooden super quickly.
Jewlers Clamps
Knife, Opinel french knife
For some reason these are awesome for carving urethane foam to make fake mountainsides.
Knife saw
Basically a hacksaw
Knife Sharpener
Knipex cutters An amazing tool, can cut piano wire and hardened steel all day long with no ill effects.
Knitting Threader
Level
Bullet and Button levels
Lighter
Light bulbs
Since I did a fair amount of miniatur lighting, I'd keep an assortment
Machine screw assortment (0-80 through 8-32 cap head allen, Countersunk Allen and button head allen. Also nuts, locknuts, washers, split washers, fender washers and wingnuts)
Maglite
Magnetic Pickup on a telescoping arm
Marking Fluid (Dykem, transported to square bottle)
Measuring Gauge
Micro torch, butane powered, with tips
Mirror
Extended mirror, on a telescoping arm. For seeing around and deep into corners.
Multimeter and leads
A digital multimeter is a voltage detector, a continuity tester, an ohmmeter.
Nibbler
For making square holes in sheet metal.
Nippers
Oil,
3 in One
WD-40 (small bottle)
Tapping
Paper clips
Pencil leads (kept for the compass)
Pencil torch
Pencils
Paper mate makes a mechanical pencil. It's my favorite
Pencil Sharpener
Pins (make excellent clamps, holders etc.)
Straight pins
Hat Pins
T-pins
Map pins
Pin Vise (self drilling)
Pipe cutter (mini, for brass stock)
Plastic knitting needle
You never know when you might need to poke something
Pliers
Needle nose
Bull Nose
Wire Bending
Jeweler's pliers (about 4 different kinds)
Flat Jaw
Regular slip-jaw
extra extra long needle nose
paralell jaw pliers
Pocket pal, pocket reference guide
Pounce Wheels
Q-tips
Regular
Long with wood stalks.
Razor Saw
Rectangular spatula
Regulator, Air
This allows me to regulate the shop air into something my Airbrush can use.
Rivet Tool
Rivets
Rivet backing plates
Sawblade with no handle (a simple razor saw with the handle removed, for super fine flush cutting
Scissors
Hair Cutting
Paper cutting
Sheet Metal cutting
Scoring Tools
Screwdriver, cordless
Milwaukee makes one that bends in the middle, with a drill chuck attachment, super useful.
Scribe
Plastic: for scribing the little v-indented “panel lines” in spaceships. Looks like a hook.
Metal, a straight one for
Sculpting tools
There are many and varied types, and everyone has their favorites, I'd keep about 10, some wire loops for clay of differing shapes, some small metal paddles and such (often used by dentists etc.
Also a set of stainless steel paddles, awesome for bondo work.
Set of Taps and their Drills
For every tap, there's a corresponding drill, keeping them together makes tapping holes quicker.
Ratcheting tap wrench
Small tap wrench (for tiny taps, the smaller the wrench the better the feel for the tapping)
Sewing supplies
Sewing needles
Sewing thread
Sewing needle threader
Silver Solder
Silver Solder Flux
Single Edge Razor Blades
Also can never have enough of these.
Sketchbook
Sockets:
Socket set (a basic compliment of english and metric sockets)
Socket wrench, large and small
Socket Universal Joint
Socket Extension
Smooth long pliers
Snap Knives
Crazy useful, easy to replace and always in the kit.
Snap Knife Large
Snap Knife Small
Snap Knife Blades
Soldering iron (butane)
Solder (electronics)
Springs, assorted
Since I do a lot of mechanical work, it aways behooved me to keep some assorted hard-to-find springs around.
Staple Gun
Staples
Strike anywhere matches
String
Wax Twine
Regular String
Monofilament Heavy and Light
Sewing thread
Leather thong (some finely cut Kangaroo hide thread, for fine detailing)
Styrene glue dispenser
Basically an upside down tin can glued to a small board, filled with Weld-on#3 is ideal for ship detailing with model parts.
Switchblade
Tape
Teflon
Scotch
Electrical
Aluminum
Masking
Tape Measures
I usually carried 3. A tiny one for small places, about 3' long, a big carpenter's 25 footer, and a 5' soft seamstress' measuring tape.
Thimbles
Tongue depressors
A super vital modelmaking tool, for mixing, sanding, spatula-ing and in a pinch, they can be used structurally.
Tongue Depressor Sanding sticks
I made these about twice a year. Much of modelmaking is about sanding things, and the ability to precisely sand is critical, I would glue sandpaper to tongue depressors in various grits: 80, 100, 120, 180, 220, 400. I'd always keep about 6 each of every grit.
Toothbrush
I'd always have at least 2 toothbrushes, for cleaning, roughing, anything.
Trammel Points
Allow for drawing large circles, a good set lets you turn any piece of wood into a compass arm.
Tweezers
Super long
Super sharp (for placing the smallest of bits
One for splinters
Water spritz bottle (small)
Wide spatula
Wire nippers
Wire Nuts
Wire Rope Cutters
For cutting braided cable perfectly, another expensive tool worth every penny.
Wire strippers, automatic
Nothing makes electronic wiring easier than these. Worth every penny.
 
Holy Frak! I got about half way down and had to take a nap. That's some serious tool-age you've got going there Adam!
 
Thats alot of tool :)
I live in an apartment and have my tools all over the place and i think making one of these Toolboxes would be great. Could you give the mesurements for it?

toolmesurmanet.jpg
 
Today I made a ducttape/cardboard mockup to see the scale.
toolbox2.jpg
toolbox.jpg

length 15, 3/4" width 9, 2/4" height 11, 3/4"

It will work great with my tools. Later this summer im going to buy Aluminum sheets.
 
Adam, that's a crazy amount of tools to be packed in there ;-) Thanks for the list!

Contec, did you pick the ratios from the pictures like I did? How did you arrive at the numbers? Visually, the mock-ups look quite close.
 
Great mock up Contec, I need me one of these.. this is the most amazing toolbox ever! Quite the stock list as well. Thanks for that Adam!

Contec could you transfer your A,B,C,D,E measurements to your mock up photo please?
 
Shouldn't be too hard to scale and get the proportions right. Figure the pop rivets have 1/4 diameter heads or its probably 1 inch x 1 inch aluminum angle and go from there.

I've been keeping track of this style bag on ebay for awhile and the measurements are literally all over the place.

Just keep in mind:
1) the tools or tubs you want to put in it... ie would stink if you wanted an 18 inch machinist rule in there and its 15 inches long and you have to find a way to organize the box with the ruler fitting diagonal between corners. Or you have little organizer tubs and your 1/4 inch short of fitting 2 wide.
2) more length and width = greater stability especially if you do the scissor lift and it's in the up position.
3) on the flip side, larger = more stuff to cram in it and weight to lift up/extend or fall over on your foot.
 
im a bit fuzzy on the locking mechanism to keep it standing up. If anyone could enlighten me, that would save me the problem of trying to engineer it myself
 
Sorry for the delay. Here are some pix.

For the record: the scissor struts are 1" square alum tube, with 1/8" wall, cut into c-channel on a table saw. The first version (which I have somewhere) was made with ****ty soft hardware store c-channel and it collapsed under it's own weight almost immediately. This application calls for some 6061 or comparable aluminum.

The locking mechanism is simply a large UHMW catch, on an aluminum tongue, that catches the top moving strut from the scissor.

You should be able to parse all the measurements from these photos. Please post links of your toolboxes. I love this.

The links between the struts are (IIRC) 10-32 all thread, with K&S brass spacers and nylock nuts as keepers on the outside. It worked great.
 

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