So I had an old 10 cu. ft. chest freezer in my garage that I picked up almost a year ago because it was "free for the removal". I won't fall for that again. I lugged a circa-1950 freezer (*very* heavy) out of my future brother-in-law's basement. I finally plugged it in and ... it didn't work. My neighbor is an HVAC tech & he figures it lost the freon charge. Faced with the prospect of loading it back in the van (it hasn't grown any lighter) to haul it to the recycling yard & reclaim some space in my garage, I hit on an alternate plan.

I have a problem with moisture from the air condensing on my tools & rusting them every spring. Because of the nature of my garage (the maple tree is slowly succeeding in pushing the garage over), I can't really do anything about the moisture. I needed a climate-controlled cabinet to store the more sensitive tools in.

So... I screwed some casters to one end of the freezer & stood it on end so the lid opens like a door. After I released the latch & the lid nearly smacked me in the face, I removed the balance springs from the hinges. I hung a couple of old refrigerator shelves (I have a problem throwing out stuff that *might* be useful for *something*) inside and mounted a lamp socket parallel to one of the lower inner panels. I put a 25W piano-lamp style bulb in the socket & plugged it in. The interior of the freezer-***-warmer seems to be hovering around 50-60F when the ambient temperature is around freezing.

So long as the temperature in the freezer is above the outside temperature, I will not get any condensation on the tools (or inside the power tools). And it's surprisingly deep - deep enough to store a sawzall in its case.

I love this kind of solution - no more damp tools, the non-steel parts don't get burned up in a steel mill, and no strained back hauling the thing away. It looks kinda cool, too.

A co-worker suggested I paint it red & put a Snap-Off sticker on it.

Cheers,
Eric

 

A lot of guys use old refrigerators with a low wattage bulb inside to store tools and welding rod.

-Edit- I never thought about using a chest feezer tho

 

I had never thought of it before, nor had I heard about it, so I thought it was an original idea. Sighhhhhhh...

Thinking about it though, the freezer has a couple of advantages over a fridge: 1) It's deeper than a fridge, so it'll hold bigger stuff, and 2) It isn't divided into two sections (fridge & freezer). This freezer also has textured aluminum inner panels, so it should prove more durable than a plastic-lined fridge.

A fridge, of course has the advantage that it already has shelves in it.

It's still a pretty neat idea, though.

Cheers,
Eric

 

old refrigs also work well for storing paint, and thinner esp. when vented to the outside. George

 

you can probably use it for storing younger siblings as well....wish we had one

 

Yeah, I thought about the younger sibling thing (well, a body in general). But then I am that younger sibling. Good thing age and careers have put a few miles between my sister and myself.

Cheers,
Eric

 

If you have guns and you load your own shells an old smaller freezer (we have one that is a horizontal one the is 3X3X3) and it is good for holding powder, shot and primers safely (lockable, seald, dry and flame resistant) Just my $.02

 

I would say flame resistant for a few moments... BOOM!

 

They work really well to hide the bodys in especially if you fill it with concrete before ya dump it in the lake

 

Great idea-- Probably could put a simple $10 lock on it store thousands of dollars worth of tools inside it and stupid thieves would by pass it for the cheap tools you leave out. Unless you have a hungry thief with some spare time to cut the lock.

 

Sounds like a great idea.I have an old one in my shed.Hmmmm.

 

My father in law converted an old one and used to smoke salmon and other meats. I should have learned how he did it before he passed.
Now I just go to Costco and buy the beef jerky...probably cheaper this way.

 

I had an old freezer that I used as a riding mower repair station. I was able to change the belts, add a mulching attachment and replace the blade with out working on my old knees, I should have kept it for the uses previously mentioned. My current one will be used a psuedo-temporary lockable tool cabinet/gun safe. But it has to quit working first, and I hope I don't have it full of beef when it does.

 

eehoepp how did you hang the shelves?

 

I have an old chest type freezer like that plugged up with a bulb in it... to keep misc junk it