Shadow foam toolbox/case

[weeksy]

Long been thinking about this for the race day tools.

There's companies you send the box and tools to and they make it all fit.

Or you buy the box and foam and do it yourself

https://www.redboxtools.com/product/cus ... ing-tools/

It's something I'm considering but I honestly don't have the aptitude for this sort of thing myself. However I think paying someone would be incredibly expensive

[David]

That looks a bit spendy.....

[weeksy]

That looks a bit spendy.....

Using eBay/Amazon for the box I'd be at £50 for the case
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/164904796511

Then about the same for foam
https://www.shadowfoam.com/standard-sheets/

It's the just a question of time and patience

[Rockburner]

It's relatively easy, just time consuming, especially if you want a really nice finish (which you'll probably want.... )

I still have a couple of sheets, i don't have enough space in my tool chests to put everything in foam!

[KungFooBob]

The foam just restricts the amount of tools you can fit in the box. What's wrong with mixing it all up and spending an extra 3 seconds finding what you need?

[weeksy]

The foam just restricts the amount of tools you can fit in the box. What's wrong with mixing it all up and spending an extra 3 seconds finding what you need?

That's kinda how things are currently. But I have 2 boxes in van and a fair few tools in there, so some are in box A, some in B, when I'm working on the bike at a race I often send the bot to get tool xyz and it'd be nice for it to be a bit more structured.

At race meetings you have days where you barely touch the tools but days where you're in the spanners every 20 mins.

[Rockburner]

The foam just restricts the amount of tools you can fit in the box. What's wrong with mixing it all up and spending an extra 3 seconds finding what you need?

That's kinda how things are currently. But I have 2 boxes in van and a fair few tools in there, so some are in box A, some in B, when I'm working on the bike at a race I often send the bot to get tool xyz and it'd be nice for it to be a bit more structured.

At race meetings you have days where you barely touch the tools but days where you're in the spanners every 20 mins.

It definitely makes finding things easier, once you've learnt the pattern. Planning and making the insert yourself helps there because the layout follows your own internal logic.

[ChrisW]

Works well for boxes that you need to travel with but it does cut down the number of tools-per-drawer, if that's a consideration.

[weeksy]

I've got a pattern to it all in my head. Using the logic of most commonly used tools and bits on top layer, with the lid layer having specific tools for common use too, then secondary tools beneath etc

[Felix]

You can get pre cut foam inserts. OK its all squares and not ideal for every tool but its better than having tools rattling about in the van when listening to ABBA Gold. https://cpc.farnell.com/unbranded/cubma ... 7957997169!

[Mr. Dazzle]

All our drawers at work at lined with it, we just buy it on RS. I suspect most punters websites mark it up loads, ISTR it's pretty cheap.

CNCing out is nice but generally total overkill, I think I know of only one time we've bothered. Get busy with the scalpels!

I don't know of anyone who does it in a toolbox, as above I've only seen it in bench drawers. TBH I'd think you were a bit special/anal if you turned up with your hand toolbox all done out in it

[weeksy]

All our drawers at work at lined with it, we just buy it on RS. I suspect most punters websites mark it up loads, ISTR it's pretty cheap.

CNCing out is nice but generally total overkill, I think I know of only one time we've bothered. Get busy with the scalpels!

I don't know of anyone who does it in a toolbox, as above I've only seen it in bench drawers. TBH I'd think you were a bit special/anal if you turned up with your hand toolbox all done out in it

https://m.pinkbike.com/news/interview-b ... acing.html

[Mr. Dazzle]

F1 mechanic's toolbox



In the garage though, with benches/drawers...yeah foam lined.

[weeksy]

Lovely. He'd be a fucking load of use at a MTB race when needing new wheel bearing with that kit

[Mr. Dazzle]

Chap does seem a fan of pliers

[mangocrazy]

Lining a toolbox with Shadowfoam and then cutting out all the intricate shapes would need a level of anality (is that actually a word?) that would be way beyond most folk. This is what I did to house a cordless drill, charger, four batteries and cordless impact driver, and by the time I'd finished that I really had had enough. Trying to do something similar for a toolkit full of small items would drive me nuts (or even more nuts, to be fair).

DSCF3540.JPG (1.08 MiB) Viewed 1395 times

[Mr. Dazzle]

I can see you got to the plug/wire and said "fuck it, square hole"

[demographic]

I half like the shadowfoam idea but you need one more tool and it looks like shite.
Every neat box has a "random tools that didn't fit on the other drawers" drawer.

[Mr. Dazzle]

IME the primary reasons to do it are when you're moving expensive/delicate/important stuff all over the place, or when you've got fancy pants gear which is easily lost, broken etc and used by a lot of people.

Case in point as above, F1 ship all their stuff in shadow foam cause it's $$$ but then the mechanics just use little trays of tools when they're actually working. All the really expensive or custom stuff the teams designed themselves, so it's a piece o' piss to smash out the foam on a CNC machine 'cause you've got the tools in virtual world already. Most tool manufacturers will also provide CAD of their tools when asked (all of the said tools would have originally been designed on a computer after all)

We keep all our gear in shadow foam in the labs etc. cause a) it's pricey and b) lots of people use it. Stops all the "wear is the XXX?" type Qs.

But yeah - doing it at home for every spanner and socket. Back to what I said, I'd think you were a bit special or a bit anal if you bothered Whatever floats your goat. If you just wanna stop your stuff rattling in the Van, the generic 'squares' stuff linked above is pretty good. That's what Peli cases come with by default.

[Rockburner]

IME the primary reasons to do it are when you're moving expensive/delicate/important stuff all over the place, or when you've got fancy pants gear which is easily lost, broken etc and used by a lot of people.

Case in point as above, F1 ship all their stuff in shadow foam cause it's $$$ but then the mechanics just use little trays of tools when they're actually working. All the really expensive or custom stuff the teams designed themselves, so it's a piece o' piss to smash out the foam on a CNC machine 'cause you've got the tools in virtual world already. Most tool manufacturers will also provide CAD of their tools when asked (all of the said tools would have originally been designed on a computer after all)

We keep all our gear in shadow foam in the labs etc. cause a) it's pricey and b) lots of people use it. Stops all the "wear is the XXX?" type Qs.

But yeah - doing it at home for every spanner and socket. Back to what I said, I'd think you were a bit special or a bit anal if you bothered Whatever floats your goat. If you just wanna stop your stuff rattling in the Van, the generic 'squares' stuff linked above is pretty good. That's what Peli cases come with by default.

Also for use in places where accidentally leaving a tool lying around can be "bad", eg aircraft workshops, submarines, etc.