Homemade vintage carpenters tool box

[Erik Kegelmann]

Came across this in a local garage sale. I am wondering if anyone can tell me a little more about it. The latches all seem period correct and vintage etc. No name brands which lead me to think it was homemade. Any idea to a value on this type of chest? Any help would be great, thanks everyone!

[Nick Stokes]

I've seen them sell for $40 or so. It looks pretty cool though, neat little design.

[Erik Kegelmann]

I've seen them sell for $40 or so. It looks pretty cool though, neat little design.


Yea, a little clean up and it will be a nice piece

[Lee Schierer]

It looks like a carpenters tool box. A carpenter would carry his tools to and from the job in a box like that. All were home made and designs vary according to ideas of the carpenter than made them. It was probably a rite of passage for a carpenter's apprentice to make a tool box for their tools before becoming a journeyman. Do a search for "antique carpenters tool box (https://www.google.com/search?q=antique+carpenters+tool+box&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiD_YCnk5bOAhXGmh4KHZGbBlAQ7AkIUw&biw=1366&bih=604)" and you will see lots of similar boxes.

[Wayne Lomman]

I don't know if this is holds outside Australia, but a timber trades apprentice's first task either on the job or at trade school is to build a tool box. This looks almost identical to the one that was my father's that he made back in 1935/36. (I'm still a bit p....d that it was sold for peanuts at a garage sale after his death when I was too young to have any say.) My apprentices were always required to make something similar but usually out of ply. If this is an apprentices tool box, you won't find a brand but you may find a name or signature in an obscure corner. Cheers