For 19 years I worked and later part owned a commercial vehicle repair shop.
We packed it in at the end of 1990 as lease hire was killing the game and the senior partner who owned the premises wanted to retire, in hind sight it was a very good move.
So I moved back into engineering first getting a job at a company that made piano actions building special purpose machines for them.
When we closed the garage down we had a month to clear up, all the capital equipment got sold off and it was down to sorting scrap and pulling racking down. One big set of dirty wooden racks got started to be smashed up to be burnt but I realised that this dirty racking was actually oak.
So I put it to one side and next day took my saw bench to work, plus a simple router table, belt sander and engraving machine like you see in cobblers for doing trophy's.
Over the next couple of days I made these tool boxes on the left.
The ones on the right I had made years earlier hence the added labels. I still have these plus a few more from other people who have died as i collect them as keepsakes.
I have 4 sets of boxes at present with 3 'on order '
I tell the people concerned up front.
"I want your toolbox when you die " It always gets a laugh but they are willing to do this as they know it will be appreciated. I engrave a plate that says who owned it and the dates on it.
Dennis Jones was the guy who built the Jones racing bikes, I also have the toolbox of his twin brother Glynn who was development engineer at Myford's
Hopefully when i go these will them be passed on to other people who will appreciate them as well.
John S.
