99% Don't Know This About Kennedy Tool Boxes!

[@johnlehman2157]

When I was in the Air Force, late 50's, I was stationed at Loring AFB A&E squadron. In the squadron there were several hundred men, and each had a toolbox. Over time there was quite a collection of different shapes, sizes. colors and styles of toolboxes. During an inspection this was noticed by a One Star General and we were told to order new boxes for everyone so they would look nice and be uniform in shape and size. That's the military way, right? In a few weeks the new Kennedy toolboxes arrived and they did look nice when all lined up. But wait there's more. We were then told to paint them to match the shop walls, Eye Rest Green. Several hundred Kennedy toolboxes all painted a pique green. I am proud to have served under such wisdom and leadership.

[@BELCAN57]

You could have been in the Navy, then every box would have been grey.

[@bruceanderson7762]

Yeah, huh?

[@RomeoFoxtrotShallWeDance3670]

Queer General back then.....

[@ian5780]

If you went in today you'd be painting them ghey

[@truss6282]

@@ian5780 🌈 🏳️‍🌈 🌈 🏳️‍🌈 🌈 🏳️‍🌈 🌈 🏳️‍🌈

[@kevinnickel7529]

I'm an apprentice machinists. I have a tri-level Kennedy that I bought from a Machinist that passed away, and restored it to factory (or as close as possible) and its bones were still flawless after years of abuse and coolant flooding. In fact I didn't even want to take it to the shop because it looked so good in my dining room..greatest hundred bucks I ever spent, and one of my most prized possessions. I buy any Kennedy whenever I find it. Gershner oak boxes if found are even better if you can find them for your fine measurement stuff. But women caught on to how great they are an use them for jewelry and stuff, so they are upwards of 500 dollars or more.

[@Convolutedtubules]

I just got a great deal on a used Kennedy box from a colleague who is moving on. First impression is that it will surely outlive me. Best 100€ ever spent.

[@davidheubel3462]

Kennedy is to the machinist and industrial mechanic what Snap-on is to the auto mechanic. We are willing to pay for the best and we are proud of them.

[@BigLeagueDrew]

Snap on isn’t the best

[@terrydawson5304]

Being a machinist for 40 years your toolbox and tools could almost describe how many years you were in the trade. After you got your tool and die card you would buy yourself a gerstner wooden box. Basically showing you went through all the shit to get to this point. The wooden box older gentleman were your teachers in the trade and deserved and demanded RESPECT. Times have totally change. Love your channel watch it all the time. Buy the way I paid 650 for my top and bottom box in 86.

[@kevinnickel7529]

Gerstner are outstanding.

[@ronconnelly]

I think I paid the same for mine right then. I'm an engineer but "needed" it for home, and really respected the toolmakers at work so bought a Kennedy top & bottom.

[@richardgilmore2992]

I have owned 5 Kennedy tool boxes in my time as a machinist and later a tool and die maker.still own 4 and been retired for 6 years and still love them.

[@jamesu]

My grandfather was a machinist and when he returned home from World War II had one of these boxes. He and I later gave it to a friend of mine who was a Machinist in 2010 who has it to this day.

[@bluesdawg8014]

I found a large bottom box with wheels and 2 sit on top multiple drawer Kennedy boxes at a yard sale here in Lakewood ca. The guy sold me all 3 for $50. These boxes have organized my tools better than every before, I love them. I had no idea of their value until now. Thanks for the information, I prize them more than ever now. US Military Veteran and Patriot

[@OneWildTurkey]

THAT was the day you should also have bought a lottery ticket! Your luck was busting out all over.

[@benjaminwilliams3568]

My Dad Actually Had one those Kennedy Toolboxes. It sat at the top of his CraftsMan Roll away toolbox. Wow This vid brought back memories of spending time in the garage with my pop. Good times.

[@timwood6115]

Da Bear is a great storyteller! I had never heard of Kennedy before this video, but I watched the entire video. I like the stories about classic tools that people post. I don't have much except for a set of Vise Grip pliers made in Nebraska. They could easily be 50 years old and they are better than any locking pliers I've bought. I also have a Thorston ratchet wrench. It's an original, made in the U.S.A. It feels very solid. There's something special about those made in America tools from days of old.

[@denoftools]

There is a cool story about the old vise grips. After Irwin bought them they pulled out of the US and sent manufacturing overseas. About a decade later Malco buys the factory back in DeWitt NE and proceeds to start making some of the best locking pliers ever under the Eagle Grip brand. I might even have a video on it.

[@MikeBrown-ii3pt]

As I've said many times, I was raised on S-K tools living in Kennedy boxes. I own many of both including my grandpas 1/2" drive S-K ratchet and his Kennedy 620 machinists chest. Grandpa wasn't a machinist but that 620 box, the ratchet and many other tools rode around on his wrecker for years. The 620 does indeed still have its Kennedy Kits decal, as well as some if its original green felt lining. I also just scored a great deal on 3 more old boxes. The side box will be going on my triple stack while the 2 drawer middle box and big machinist chest will go on my bench to house noise maker cleaning and reload supplies.

[@dv8214]

I got used tools from a retired millwright. my favorite adjustable wrench is a kennedy.

[@toddlfrank]

I have 8or 9 Kennedy boxes I’ve been a machinist for 35 years they’re the best boxes. My brother just retired from Kennedy. They are more expensive now days but we need to keep American jobs.

[@spevakdesigns]

I have more than half a dozen Kennedy boxes. They're great. I love finding them for sale used with tools. You can often find them priced quite nicely if you consider the value of the contents. I just bought one this weekend with ten starrett mics, a 4 piece combo square set, a half dozen threading dies and much more. Planning to empty it out, fill it with things I have doubles or triples of and bring it into work so I have access to better measurements and layout tools there. I work as a technician in aerospace testing and we have some nice stuff, but are also missing a lot of more precision stuff at the facility I'm at.

[@cerneysmallengines]

as a machinist that is now a mechanic, I can testify that I brought my organization into the mechanic field. my toolbox has those matco tool organizers and I have everything laid out very nicely.

[@ppicaso1458]

Was it a simple transition, I'm a apprentice machinist and do want to become more industrial maintenance. I also serve as a injection mold technician as well.

[@jackjmaheriii]

“I made what you asked for. If you don’t like it, ask better next time.” Machinist are the computer programmers of the 20th century.

[@FWDSUXARSE]

Sounds about right. Coding is all about output directly related to the input commands.

[@kiyosenl.3889]

Im a machine operator, my boss is a machinist of 50 years, ive heard him say similar things to his boss lol

[@Gary_OwenC126]

That's a part of it, the bigger part is the knowledge of how to go about manufacturing a part or die set or whatever. How to make something without screwing yourself in the process!

[@GH-oi2jf]

But the differnce between software engineering and programming is like the difference between mechanical engineering and machining. The machinist may not be an engineer but should have some engineering skills - enough to know if a design is too weak.

[@OneWildTurkey]

@@GH-oi2jf That's a pretty good analogy. The only weak spot is that people keep changing the definition of software engineer.

[@andyporter3640]

My grandfather worked for Kennedy on Van Wert, retiring from there in the mid 90's. I have several Kennedy tool boxes, many of which I inherited when my grandfather passed away. He was involved in design for several years. I'm always looking for Kennedy boxes at auctions and garage sales. They are worth the premium!

[@carportchronicles1943]

When I saw the thumbnail photo, I thought to myself, "That's just like my dad's old toolbox!" He worked at Boeing for a few years and lost his job during the historic layoffs in 1971. I still can't get over how smoothly the drawers on that thing opened. I wish I knew where that thing went.

[@js12278]

I’ve got an old Kennedy box that belonged to my father. Top , middle and roller cab. He was a machinist and he kept his precision tools in this storage space.

[@johnsradios484]

Owned a Kennedy tool box on or about 1977. Was working as electrician apprentice. Did that for a year and a half. Went in another direction but that was a great

[@raygoble274]

That Craftsman rolling tool box, with the drawer that's completely jacked up, as is tradition.

[@shimjocky]

Journeyman tool and die maker here. All throughout my apprenticeship I spent tons of money on tools. A large part of that spending was on my Kennedy boxes. This was back in the 90s, and even then they were a big chunk of change. You buy a Kennedy once and you have it for life.

[@christopherdahle9985]

Sadly, I only had mine until some bastard stole it.

[@frugalprepper]

I have a couple of Kennedy tool boxes. They were my father in laws. He was a machinist. I use one in my shed, and the other one live in my trunk for emergency tools. They are nice, and they still work perfectly.

[@Jay_dot74]

I've got my dad's 7 drawer Kennedy. I'm 48 and it was in use as long as I can remember. They're an heirloom piece and a workhorse.

[@mikeb.7972]

I've had a cantilever style Kennedy box for over 50 years. Still kicking and that crinkle finish is like new.

[@carlgodsoe9424]

Kennedy is the only tool box I have ever had. I started with the Versa platform back in the '80s and have added to it over the years. I also was able to obtain a couple of the large "suitcases" that I keep my Craftsman power tools & attachments in (Router & Sander). I have another Kennedy box on my wish list, just waiting for the perfect time to procure it. My son is a big Snap-On fan, but my Kennedy box will outlast his big time.

[@lukesw2]

We've mostly got kennedy boxes at work in my maintenance department. Main box, side box, bottom top box, and a top box with the folding top. First thing that happens to the new boxes after assembly is they go to the welders, who put together an angle iron frame and attach good casters before the box goes into it. They're great boxes that can take a beating.

[@OGFC]

In the 50’s and 60’s my big brother used a Kennedy tool box as his fishing tackle box. Find memories digging thru it.

[@tomalealso]

The first time I saw a Kennedy tool box was more than 40 years ago, I feel in love and wanted one but knew it was out of my price range. well I piked one up the other day. I bought it a thrift store for15 bucks only special tools go in that box.

[@gregbenwell6173]

My father worked for the ORIGINAL Borg Warner shop in Ithaca New York, and I had done the tours of the shop as a kid in the early 1970s!! A lot of the machinists had Kennedy Toolboxes there, so that was my first exposure to the brand! As it turned out though around 1989 I was hunting yard sales when a guy and I were talking about the tools he was selling and he said "I have a couple of old Kennedy Machinist Toolboxes, that I was thinking about selling, but I only have a key for ONE box!" THEN he tells me "I am not sure what is in the other box, but the one is completely full of drill bits, Allen Wrenches and Starrett Measuring tools!"!!! I asked him what he wanted for BOTH boxes, and he told me "I'd take $0 for the pair!" SO I loaded them into my truck, handed him $40 and went on my way!! Turns out (as a lot of machinists that worked for Borg Warner did this) both boxes were keyed to take the same key!! And because his father, who originally owned the toolboxes, WAS a machinist at Borg Warner, which is where my dad retired from, BOTH boxes took the same key!! Ultimately I got over $2000 worth of tools out of those two boxes, many of which I still use to this day!! I sold off what I didn't need, couldn't use and didn't want, and what I kept has been well worth the $40 I spent on them!!

[@DKbananas]

I use several 20" Kennedy machinist boxes for small precision tools, soldering tools, modeling knives etc. Usually find mine for a few bucks at garage sales. As a bonus sometimes flipping the machinist contents triple my money back.

[@helomech1973]

I have an old one like that sitting in my shed. Haven't touched it in years.

[@bearsrodshop7067]

A lot of great and history filled comments here. Mine wont come close to others, but my fathers Kennedy's suit case model from the late1920's that his father passed to him, still resides with me. At 70 now, I just (July 5th 2023) picked up a Model 256 in great shape. It too will be written in my Will, that both remain in the Jerry Marcy family for decades to come. Love the content, and history you shared. BRS, Hobbyist YT creator & machinist. The name Bear was taged on me in 1971 so I meet another Bear in lifes journey 😎

[@mikestaihr5183]

Thanks for expanding on the history of my father's old machinist box from the 1950's. He worked in aerospace until the late 60's.

[@frankfortunato1271]

Glad I still own my father's old boxes still use em today for my hobby machine shop.

[@gulzeb]

I found my Kennedy on nextdoor. Came full of machinist tools. $200. The last owner knew it was worth much more but she just wanted it gone. It had been sitting in her garage for 10 years since her husband had passed.

[@gulzeb]

Roll around, top box and side box.

[@alexsale1569]

I bought a top box from a retiring machinist at my first machine shop used and then found a roll cart at a thrift shop for $40 and had to fix it up a bit but they both are solid Kennedy USA boxes. Happy with them

[@janderson8401]

My uncles were carpenters and had matching Kennedy tool totes that they used to bring their hand tools to and from jobs. Back in the 60s the boxes would get loaded on the back of the F250 rack body truck every morning and every afternoon the would be off loaded back into the barn. In 71 the bought a half ton van and from then on the tools just stayed in the van over night and the rack body was used to pick up materials when necessary.

[@unknowndude1282]

I ended up getting an 80’s Kennedy rolling cart/top box filled with old machinist tools for $100. Snagged a “modern” one from an Estate Sale for around $120-$140. Now I gotta decide which to sacrifice to the Ebay Gods

[@chrisperry3525]

I'll have to check my wife's grandfather's box I inherited..looks exactly like your kennedy box and he was a machinist! Never knew this, Thanks!

[@davidschmidt1780]

I sold many Kennedy tool boxes in both brown and red finishes for a company I worked for never knew the history of the Kennedy Co. that was very interesting thanks for sharing !

[@chetleonard169]

I have a few Kennedy boxes and one of the Sears Craftsman ( Waterloo ) Kennedy Clone box, all purchased Estate Sales for $40-$50 each

[@randywheeler3914]

I used to deliver Steel to Kennedy in Van Wert Ohio which made these tool boxes among other things before they switched Steel suppliers

[@ronhaefner7833]

Oh I got a kennedy tool box, rock solid and 45+ years old. Tough box.

[@jacklaughlin5782]

Just got a 315x Kennedys tool box off Facebook. I already had a Kennedy my brother and dad and uncle and both grandpas all have Kennedys. We all all machinist or were machinist and these boxes last a lifetime.

[@rogerj.fugere3570]

I'm just a home wrencher but my favorite tools are my Utica torque wrench and my Kennedt tool box's. Was fortunate to have access to Kennedy in the mid 90s. Wish I had picked up a base roller also.

[@pealsteel100]

In the 80"s I bought the big versa-bench with ( 2 ) 6 drawer cabinets one on each end a center section that has lockable double doors on each side. At the time it cost around $1,200.00 in the early 90's

[@ronjon4010]

I have a 11 drawer Kennedy machinist chest that I bought used in the 70's. I bought it from an old guy that was retiring after 25 years there so it's hard to say how old it is. It still looks good in my garage though.

[@randerson4124]

"it held 7 wrenches, plus one in the chamber" I get that reference

[@v8packard]

Thank you for the video. I love the history of tool companies. More people should hear these stories.

[@geofftimm2291]

I've had a Kennedy for my small GS tools since the 1970s. Still nice as the day I bought it...More stuff in it.

[@dirtboy896]

I am a cnc machinist and i love my kennedy roller setup!!

[@rocko882]

I found kb24 for 5 bucks with 60dollars of goods in it. Did not realize it was a Kennedy till I dusted off the top. It was a great day it was .

[@kipvevea5731]

I was watching this and realized I have one of the 11 drawer boxes. So I went out to the garage and looked at it and it's a Lumidor Industries. It looks like an exact copy including the paint.

[@mikerayle6103]

I've inherited a Kennedy cabinet and side box I sold the top box as I do mechanic type work at home. I have a craftsman 3 tier midline box and feels cheap compared. I don't wrench everyday but I get the "fizz" when I open it. Much like grabbing certain snap on tools. You know it's just made better. And I often search market place for another cabinet not damaged for a good price but is a hard task.

[@treywarren9549]

Always enjoy your video's and love the history of tools. The nod to John Browning was appreciated😁😉

[@jameslong1644]

Picked up a Kennedy tool box and rolling cart last week for my son at a garage sale for 15.00 with a ton of extra tools!

[@dresdensvo]

My Cornwell roller cab came out of the local { Sedalia Mo. } Waterloo plant .

[@James-tn7uy]

I was a sock knitting machine mechanic for 49 years. I had several Kennedys. All the machine fi

[@SteverRob]

I have the Versa Cart. It was (jokingly) my dowry when I married. Her Dad gave it to me.

[@markmariz8618]

I have one like the picture picked it up loaded with tools old craftsman and few snap on small sockets

[@DavidHerscher]

I have several Kennedy boxes, and I also have one of those brown craftsman boxes. I can confirm that it is NOT a Kennedy box. It “looks” very similar, but once you get them side by side you realize they are significantly different and the sizes of drawers, features, etc are even slightly different.

[@timnewman1172]

I still have & use the Kennedy tool box my Dad gave me for Christmas when I was a teen... I never knew the story!

[@arthurcgans8198]

As a machinist I bought my Kennedy 11 drawer and base for $50 & $30 respectively in 1976 or 77. I still use them.

[@fw1421]

I bought a Craftsman machinists tool box back in the late 70’s. It has the wrinkle paint finish and I’ll swear it was made by Kennedy.

[@billyhooks99]

I still have my Kennedey roller cabinet that I purchased over 30 years ago.

[@branned]

Great video Bear! Any recommendation on S-K Crinkle Green spray paint?

[@denoftools]

All the SK stuff I remember seeing was a hammered finish. I hear the Deep Green is close, bit.ly/3KkQ53M

[@LongBinh70]

Wow. I got my Kennedy set (upper and lower) for my "car" tools in 1968! I didn't know they were such a premium. Still using them. My Dad had a German-made wooden box for his "precision" tools in his machine shop. When he retired I absorbed it and made it my gunsmithing box.

[@ruraloregon2347]

I have an old 3 level Kennedy stack. The chest and mid box are fine but the drawers on the roller cabinet are a struggle and feel cheap. It is pretty old though.

[@robertmcevoy24]

I enjoy your tool history vids very informative and well done ! Looking forward to more.

[@kenerickson4923]

I bought my Kennedy lunch box style in 1975 and still use it today.

[@farleyd]

I used a Kennedy tool box for all my hand tools for installing floors. I rode in the back of my trucks for more then 20 years The finish never scratched is had scuffs but no scratches. Even the rubber coated handle held up, Can't say enough good thing about that tool box.

[@stevenhintz5508]

Nice boxes but hate the little plastic drawer pulls

[@tombob671]

Back in the 60s and 70s I worked for Rockwell in the space program. Kennedy was a go to box for the machinist guys.

[@geraldf.1222]

Greetings from another aerospace guy. Hughes Aircraft Company, 1980-2017. Retired.

[@frrapp2366]

my dad had one of the 2/1/2 over 2 wide drawers on a 2 deep drawer and open bottom cabinet. he passed away newyears going to sell them at an auction in sept. good to know the history

[@karenstein8261]

Kennedy is fine, as long as you remember the purpose behind their design. First, they are MEDIUM duty boxes. Slide rails - no ball bearings. This means they don’t carry heavy stuff well. Second, they’re designed for old-time machinists. Ever notice how the middle drawer is just the right size for Machinery’s Handbook? Well, the other drawers are perfectly sized for sundry Starrett boxes. Modern CNC tooling they don’t handle as well. Likewise, they’re designed for an industrial environment. They won’t protect your stuff from extremes of either weather or corrosion. Locking provisions are suitable only for low risk areas. The wheels are more of a courtesy than a means for moving them all in ver the place.

[@squatchhammer7215]

Yep, I'm not against Kenedy boxes but it is a problem for anyone who has heavy tools.

[@johnmccrea8106]

Great video big bear!!! Thank you for the information. It is worth a million dollars!!!!

[@Verifraudreports]

Kennedy is a rite of passage as a machinist.

[@jerryarcher1923]

My father had one…it was very tough…brake fluid spilled on it took the paint off though.

[@johnasosajr]

I have a Kennedy tool box the lunch box style one it was given to me by a retired machinist

[@jackd4246]

I am a tool and die machinist. I have countless Kennedy chests in use, some date to the 1920s. Between all of the boxes I use there has been no real difference in quality. By far they are the best bang for your buck. I’d say their mechanic’s chests top even SnapOn chests.

[@dangrimes5078]

Hi Jack, I'm a machinist. I worked at a tool and die shop for a couple years when I was much younger. We made stamping dies. I'm just curious if you build stamping dies? I think mold makers are sometimes referred to as tool and die makers. In fact I know a guy who worked in shops that made Plastic injection molds and he called himself a tool and die maker. It seems a little confusing to me.

[@jackd4246]

@@dangrimes5078 We are a shop that does specialty stamping and forming dies along with louver tools.

[@dangrimes5078]

@@jackd4246 sounds like interesting work.

[@ppicaso1458]

@@dangrimes5078 I'm a apprentice machinist that's more on the injection molding side serving as technician on the side. I'm being taught to repair and clean the molds and also make parts for those molds. At this point I call myself a tool maker rather than mold maker as I'm machining regardless if it's for the molds or dies.

[@dangrimes5078]

@@ppicaso1458 sounds good. Do you guys use EDM machines or is everything made with conventional mills and lathes?

[@alexmorris3106]

All tool boxes at mcas cherry point FRC East Depot uses them, Eck usmc

[@samus4799]

Its like a brown bedliner. Very durable.

[@FWDSUXARSE]

Good tool boxes are like family heirlooms. Can't beat the price when they can last many decades, even over a century if properly cared for.

[@douglascalhoun6471]

Looking at the current prices, I bet my 1998 machinist tool box would cost quite a bit. I was working in a tool and die shop at the time and valued to ability to lock things up securely. I still have that box and an older Kennedy box I picked up used. Some of the best money I spent back then.

[@jmegown52302]

I understood that Waterloo made many of the Craftsman machinist boxes.

[@gazzman2631]

I use OG Gerstner in my shop, but if I were ever to need to replace them it would be Kenedy, hands down.

[@jimtownsend7899]

I have seen a few vintage Kennedy boxes on Craigslist recently. One was completely rusted away on the bottom, the others weren't too bad, but I just wasn't in a position to buy another toolbox. I got the 7 + 1 joke, Red. "Don't forget ze vun in ze chamber!" Shine On!

[@kevinnickel7529]

The bottoms are subjected to a good deal of punishment in machine shops. Coolant floods, and God knows what else. Caustic chemicals..the rollers are usually made of steel because rubber casters rot away and get completely embedded with chips in about a week.

[@caseytbss]

It would be neat to learn or hear something about “Yorktown” tool boxes From what I can tell they were the company Matco bought to make their boxes

[@tomki6asp]

Bought mine in the 1970s at Van Wert factory.

[@mikeking7470]

I have 2 or 3 Kennedy tool boxes. I say it that way because one is a slightly different brown and not signed. That one also has "issues" with drawer slides etc. I bought mine, used, and greasy, one locally, the other two on that auction site. BTW some Kennedy boxes are red not brown and wrinkled.

[@3800scgp]

Machininst of ~20 years... The Kennedy boxes certainly have the best storage storage with their shallow drawers, but I could never get over the price. Especially for something with slide drawer rails. But if you can get a deal on one, go for it. I've had a few Kobalt boxes (at home and work) myself, and only bought new ones due to outgrowing them.

[@chuckhaynes6458]

I have a green Kennedy box that I got from my father-in-law in 1968.

[@dangrimes5078]

I have that Kennedy top box. It's sitting on top of my very old craftsman roller box. I have no idea it would cost $460 to replace it. Honestly I would look for a less expensive alternative. It's a fine box though.

[@johnstumbaugh4941]

Im super bummed that Kennedy dropped the 22 inch cantilever tool box :(

[@lacedxstrapped]

I've been trying to ID the year of manufacture on a Kennedy Kits bottom, middle and top box, but having no luck finding any info online. It's has the sticker/logo you mentioned in the beginning, but also has rounded corners. Any help???

[@OneWildTurkey]

Are the Kennedy boxes possibly such a high price because the DOD buys so many? They're in BIG demand just from those sales alone, then add all the others.

[@77gmcnut]

Did they make toolboxes for NAPA auto parts back in the days of New Britain tools?

[@Pro1er]

Sorry to the other commenters but I never could understand how Kennedy got the reputation they did. I was talked into a roller cabinet, top chest and tool box and I'm not impressed with them. I've had them for ages, they are the old school ones that are probably 50 years old now and they sit empty in my garage.

[@arod762]

I got a kennedy and it's pretty sweet. Looking to sell it

[@craigchiddo2794]

Here on long island kennedy was and is popular in the aviation industry you would think proto sbd would have picked them up