In addition to a broad range of fresh power and hand tools and yard and garden machines, CRAFTSMAN is bringing more than 80 new metal tool storage and garage organization items to market. All of the tool chests, cabinets and workbenches are made in America in CRAFTSMAN’s Sedalia, Missouri, plant. But, that aspect of this massive product launch actually isn’t new to the brand.

“Sedalia has been proudly manufacturing CRAFTSMAN metal tool storage since 1978,” says Matt Sallee, director of marketing for metal storage. “(The plant) has manufactured everything from small portable products to 75-in.-plus-wide industrial quality items for CRAFTSMAN.”

Part of the reason for the plant’s longevity as a metal storage supplier for CRAFTSMAN has to do with its centralized location within the U.S. and, Sallee adds, “Our talented workforce.”

The Sedalia factory employs around 700 workers.

But, there are other aspects of the more than 900,000-square-foot facility and warehouse that also make it a one-stop solution for quality tool chests and cabinets. Sallee says the plant’s manufacturing equipment is highly automated and designed for efficiency, speed and quality. It offers the flexibility for the plant to change quickly to meet new consumer demands.

“We have both powder and E-coat painting systems,” Sallee reports, and our engineering, design, quality and testing labs are all in house.” The plant also is home base for customer service and service parts for our products.

Massive coils of raw, cold-rolled steel enter the plant on one end, and finished CRAFTSMAN products come out other end, ready for shipment. There are quite a few steps to the process in between, and Sallee simplifies it this way:

“The steel coils are first slit to width, then the sheet steel travels to a press where it’s stamped or cut to size. Parts are then formed and welded. From there, they travel on a conveyor through one of our paint systems and then on to assembly. Here, the product is met by dedicated employees who assemble the slides, drawers and other components to create the finished product. At that point, it travels through final inspection and on to the end of the line to be packed out.”

Steel is, of course, a critical commodity for metal storage products. Sallee says the majority of the steel used for CRAFTSMAN tool chests and cabinets is from the United States, “and we try to source locally when possible,” he adds. Due to the wide range of products made at the Sedalia plant, the thickness of the steel varies from 14 to 24 gauge, depending on the application.

While all of the model options for CRAFTSMAN’s new metal tool chests and cabinets are not yet available, Sallee says there will be three primary quality levels. CRAFTSMAN’s “1000 Series” chests and cabinets have 30- to 50 lb. load-rated drawers with standard ball-bearing slides. These products have 300- to 500 lb. overall load ratings and roll on 3×1-in. or 4×2-in. casters. Products in the “2000 Series” can carry up to 100 lbs. per drawer, which ride on soft-close, ball-bearing slides. Overall load rating increases to between 650 and 1,500 lbs., and the chests or cabinets have 4-1/2-x1-1/2-in. or 5×2-in. casters.

“All of the open-till chests in the 2000 Series also include power outlets with USB charging and gas cover struts,” Sallee says.

At the premium level, “3000-Series” CRAFTSMAN tool storage options have drawers capable of holding from 120- to 200-lb. loads and ride on soft-close ball-bearing slides. Large 6×2-in. casters help the chests or cabinets carry up to 3000-lbs.

“Here we’re offering a new 22-in.-deep platform with an innovative new appearance and design,” Sallee says. “The chests have power strips with USB charging, and drawer liners are included.”

Three tiers of storage solutions with multiple feature sets will enable CRAFTSMAN to offer solutions for a wide range of users. Sallee points out that soft-close drawer slides, built-in power, gas struts, full-extension drawers, heavy-duty casters and I-frame sides are all key elements of the product portfolio. They’re also features customers want, according to feedback and research.

CRAFTSMAN will continue to launch new metal storage solutions through 2019, with warranties ranging from 3 to 10 years, based on the product series. Most of these will be produced in Sedalia. A few tool storage and garage accessories will be produced outside of the USA, as well.

“At CRAFTSMAN, we are proud to be delivering an all-new range of high-quality products at a good value that stand up to the CRAFTSMAN name,” Sallee says. “We are excited to continue to grow this iconic American brand.”

Learn more about new metal storage options and other CRAFTSMAN products by clicking here.

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The material is soft, and one side has a textured surface to trap debris that could scratch or dent your project. Depressions along one edge can help to keep screws and fasteners from rolling off the bench. While you can roll the mat up for storage, it doesn’t have a memory and will always lie flat again.

The Silicone Project Mat XL from Rockler (item 59282) sells for $39.99.

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Its POWERSTATE Brushless Motor delivers 20,000 RPM. When paired with REDLINK Intelligence and a REDLITHIUM XC4.0 Battery Pack, it can make 12-in.-long cuts in 26-gauge sheet metal in under 10 seconds and 3-in.-long cuts in 3/8-in.-thick ceramic tile in under 9 seconds, Milwaukee reports. The reversible blade rotation enables users to control where the blade ejects debris and sparks.

The 12-volt tool accepts standard 3-in. blades with 3/8-in. arbor holes, and it will cut through materials up to around 5/8 in. thick (.64 in. actual). With an XC4.0 battery installed, it weighs 2.4 lbs. and is just under 9 in. long.

In kit form, Milwaukee’s M12 FUEL 3-in. Compact Cutoff Tool (item 2522-21XC; $199) comes with one M12 REDLITHIUM XC4.0 Battery Pack, charger, dust accessory shoe, blade wrench and a contractor bag. Three blades — metal cut off, carbide abrasive and diamond tile — are also included. Milwaukee offers a bare tool option (item 2522-20) as well for $129.

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Chris Marshall: Chalk paint sure is trendy these days and there are lots of attractive colors, but it really isn’t intended for exterior furniture — and if things on your patio receive even a bit of wetness from rain every now and again, I’d call that an “exterior” situation. If this were my table, I’d choose an exterior paint in a flat sheen instead of using chalk paint. Considering the overwhelming range of paint colors at any hardware store or home center, I’ll bet you can find a color that comes real close to the chalk paint you have in mind, with the added benefit that you won’t have to worry about it ever getting damp. The paint will be formulated to stand up to it, and a “flat” sheen will approximate that chalky look you want.

Tim Inman: Nothing outside will hold up forever. Chalk paint will, well, chalk. How long it will last depends on the binder (the “stick-‘em”) used with the paint base. Even though you don’t anticipate water or wet surfaces, the daily/nightly change in temps and humidity will have a moisture degradation effect. If you want the paint to last a long time, then choose a modern exterior-grade product. Once it’s selected, move toward making THAT product look like an antique chalk or milk paint surface. You’ll want something that is dead flat in sheen with subdued colors — colors that are “greyed out” instead of bright intense pigments.

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– Elias Stratakos
Greece

You can check out the step-by-step process of building it on his YouTube channel.

See the Gallery Below:

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For some, it’s traditional artwork on their walls. – Editor

“I took you up on your request for workshop art. Hope you like.:- David Nafis

“I built a small, 150 square foot shop 18 years ago. After commenting that there was no window in my shop, my daughter offered to paint one for me. There were no limits as to what would appear in the window, so she came up with this underwater scene. She completed it before leaving for her senior year at New York University in 2000. Even though wall space is at a premium in my shop, that is one section of wall that will never be covered.” – Bob Hartig

“The attached photo shows what I have on mine.  My son, also a woodworker, made it for me.” – Walter Hayes

For some, it’s a matter of inspiration. – Editor

“I have a poster of Ferd Nimphius in his shop (an unheated revamped dairy barn) standing next to one of the boats he builds. Ferd is dead now, but he built wooden boats large and small for clients all over the world.  All in an old dairy barn and assorted sheds in the middle of nowhere in central Wisconsin. I visited his shop years ago. The work he and his crew did was truly art writ on a large scale (often in excess of 60 feet.) And all using mostly hand tools.” – Tom Flader

Others might combine traditional artwork with collections of interesting items. – Editor

“My two daughters are both artistically inclined and, as a result, my shop walls are littered with their endeavors. Also, I’ve worked for some interesting folks as a handyman, painter and a woodworker. I’ve even been asked to build a casket for a client’s mother. The family afterward asked me to stop by to help clean out mom’s house and take whatever I’d like. So, I ‘inherited’ a bow saw, a vintage lacrosse stick and a few other interesting items. The attached photos might give you an idea of the tone of my shop.” – Jack Heilmann

“I have several pieces of ‘art’ on my walls. Two bow saws, one antique and one that I made. Also, I have a very old leather golf bag that probably dates to the 1920s. One more thing that is dear to my heart  that is hung on one wall is my dad’s broken kayak paddle. It’s a handcrafted wooden paddle that he broke during a whitewater kayaking class that we took together. Everyone in the class and the instructors signed it after it was broken. Dad was 78 years old when we attended the class at the Nantahala Outdoor Center in North Carolina.” –  Lee Brown

“I would like to have more art in my shop/garage, but tools must have room also.” – Charles Exner

“Several of my shop walls are decorated with memorabilia from my parents’ and my lives. When my father passed away, I had the responsibility of cleaning the family home. The house, furniture and clothes were the easy part. What do you do with numerous generations of photographs and all of the items that were special to your parents? I feel that it is just wrong to pack up this lifetime of memories in a box and hide it in the attic! I decided to clean off a wall in my shop and devote it to displaying some of their favorite memories. I think that I will go back and add photos from my parents’ younger years years and photos of their parents and siblings.

“Since the shop wall art of my parents lives turned out better than I anticipated, looking at it made us happy! I decided to clean off another wall and display happy photos from my own past, car license plate collection, hunting and fishing photos, sports car club items, or photos of my houseboat, childhood and family photos and happy time photos with my wife and friends.

“Everyone that sees my shop wall art has positive comments, so I decided to clean off another wall that is nothing more than storage for old hand saws and planes that I haven’t used in years. These old tools will be packed into boxes and stored in a dark corner of the attic where the photos would be normally destined to reside. This new wall will display photos of my children and grandkids, their grammar school artwork and handmade birthday and Christmas cards. I’m looking forward to creating this art wall soon!

“All of the photos are mounted using glue dots on black foam board so they can be relocated to a new shop in the future.” – Carl Turnage

And, for others, their eye for art is solely on their tool collection. – Editor

“Art? On my shop walls? I can only assume there are walls behind all the tools hanging there. But, if ‘art’ can be defined as something that pleases and affects me, then a lifetime of acquiring tools that cover nearly every inch of wall space constitute ‘art.’” – Lynn Sperry

“Like I said in answer to your last question pertaining to what I’d like to add to my shop, there’s no room for even another screwdriver. Therefore, the only things on my walls are tools – wall-to-wall tools. However, lest you get the idea that I have an abundance of shop space, its a ridiculously small shop.” – Barry Saltsberg

“My shop art, or ‘aht’ as we say in Maine, is a collection of old tools, as you can see in the attached picture. Some came from my dad, others came with the camp he bought, and some were gifts. Every time I hit the antique shops, I end up in the tool corner and spend time looking for tools to rehab.  If I had a larger budget, I would come away with all manner of tools that have little redeeming value other than they look interesting or are unusual.” – Lee Ohmart

Update on Upgrading Batteries

We also heard, this week, from this reader who had personal experience with upgrading his nickel-cadmium tool batteries to lithium-ion. Be sure to check out other readers’ comments on this question, too. – Editor

“Chris Marshall states that the only manufacturer that offers an upgrade from NiCad to lithium-ion is DeWALT. That is incorrect. The Craftsman 19.2 volt system of battery power tools can be upgraded from NiCad to lithium-ion, and the new charger is dual-mode. I have done this to my 15-year-old Craftsmen battery- powered tools with success!” – Bob Beatty

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