# Road Box?



## sound_nerd (Jan 12, 2005)

There are lots of posts about what tools people reccomend, and what they use...etc. My question is what do you keep it all in? Ship and OldGrover previously mentioned a road box, but I'm not 100% on what that is. I think its the really big tool boses on wheels, but I'm not sure. I've got an electricians pouch that holds my screwdrivers, linesmans, channel locks, strippers, c-wrench, and a few other things. But I've got a ton of tools, and not really anywhere organized to put them. What do you guys use? Could you link me to a picture or manufaturers site? Thanks.

-Brendan


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## OldGrover (Jan 12, 2005)

I use a large bright yellow toolbox for all the small fiddly tools and supplies and this : 

http://www.canadiantire.ca/assortme...5586113377&assortment=primary&fromSearch=true

as my 'job chest' / road box. (sorry about the horrid URL). The Job Chest gets all the bulky stuff - circular saw, larger clamps, drills, socket set, etc.

My air compressor and my largest clamps don't fit in the job chest, so they end up coming in separately, but going to the job chest has REALLY cut down the number of trips. I thought of building something custom, but it was just cheaper and easier to buy the plastic thing  (I had such grandiose plans, too, all sacrificed on the altar of laziness  )

-OG


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## SketchyCroftPpl (Jan 12, 2005)

Ha ha cool we use the exact same box at my school. But instead of it being for all the tules (we have a whole toolshed built into the side of the theater) we use it only for carrying lighting supplies like the $40 dollar lightbulbs and the fuses and anything else related to the dimmers and boards that needs replacement at certain times. It works really well cause then we can just roll it anywhere we need it in the theatre instead of having to carry stuff back and forth to find the right thing. 
~Nick


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## sound_nerd (Jan 12, 2005)

I was at Canadian Tire today, and saw that box, came home and made the original post.  thats cool. When I worked at canadian tire, we carried a job chest even larger than that one. It went discontinued just before I left, and I didnt pick one up. Its a good idea to use one, my issue is would it be cheaper to buy the box, or just build a roadbox out of plywood and some flight case hardware.

Grover, we may very well have the same yellow toolbox too, haha. I got the Mastercraft one with the 3 drawers in it. I have a lot of the Professional series stuff, before they replaced it with the "Maximum" line.


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## Andy_Leviss (Jan 12, 2005)

I've been through all sorts of tool bags and boxes over the last nine years, from high school through college and now the professional world.

For most of high school my main toolbox was a big duffel bag affectionately referred to as the "Oh, Sh*t! Kit". It held up pretty well and was light, but I got tired of digging through a big dark bag for the tool I needed, which was inevitably at the bottom.

Partway through college, I switched to a big Rubbermaid toolbox. It was one of those two-part boxes; there's a small toolbox on the top that you can use on its own, which attaches to another toolbox on the bottom. The top one has a handle that can swing up, and the bottom one has rubber wheels, so when you're using the double-tall it can be wheeled. I have horrible memories of wheeling it to the T (subway) in Boston from my apartment to take it to the theatre. It was also nice because it was just about the right height to use as a stool for sitting on at FOH when repairing things (I generally like to stand to mix).

As durable as they are, though, once you're touring and throwing your toolbox on a truck, though, Rubbermaids and the like just don't hold up packed with tools. And, again, even with the tray, you get the big bottomless pit effect.

At some point in there, I can't even keep track of when, I tried one of those open-top/zippered soft toolbags (CLC, I think?), which I liked, but the open top (in this case, it was open pockets on the outside for wrenches and screwdrivers, and then a zipper on the main compartment) is a badddd idea.

Before I went out on my first tour, I bought an Anvil ATA briefcase. This held most of what I needed for the tour, and was wide and shallow, so it's easy to find what I need. It's a bit small though, and I've finally outgrown it. I was going to look into the larger technician's case they make, but still, I wanted something more compartmentalized, and a bit bigger, so, I'm now on what will likely be my final toolbox...

I'm currently awaiting the completion of a custom built ATA toolbox from Olympic Cases. Over half of it is filled with foam with cutouts to hold my meters, cable testers, measurement microphones, etc. Then there's a smaller open compartment for other goodies, also padded on all sides with foam, and the top of the lid has a tool pallet to hold my wrenches, pliers, and cutters. It's pretty much shaped like a tech case, and has wheels and a telescoping handle to help in carrying it, since when full it'll be a bit on the heavy side. 

When I get it I'll try to post a picture. It's expensive, but short of a road workbox, it's pretty much all I could ever want in a toolbox.

Now, you ask what a road box is. That's a somewhat vague term, but in this case, it may be referring to a workbox, such as this: http://www.calzonecase.com/pics/Music_cases/GuitarTechTable_pop.jpg

That's actually one made for a guitar tech, hence the padded table surface on the top of the actual box, but you get the idea. Standard ones just have the drawers, and optionally either a foldout table in the lid or a lid that converts to a table like in that one. 

Lots of companies make them, Olympic has some really cool ones on their site that are shorter and double-wide.

Basically, to sum it up...I do not recomment open top toolbags, they're too easy to lose stuff out of. Duffle bags can work, but have to be really sturdy ones, and they have the "big black hole" effect. Rubbermaid type boxes are great for local work, but if you're throwing the box in a truck week in and week out, you'll want something hard-sided, which leaves you pretty much with either a Pelican case or an ATA style case of some shape and size of another. If you're on a big tour and can get the truck space for it and afford the shipping or get the production company to pick up the tab, of course, a big workbox is the way to go.

Hope some of this helps,
Andy


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## sound_nerd (Jan 12, 2005)

I've outgrown the briefcase, as well as the large toolbox. I might carry too much gear, but I cant think of leaving anything at home. I'm doing the college thing, as well as working a lot of local gigs. I have a nice electricians pouch* that carries my main stuff that I need for electrics, and on lighting gigs, if I need anything more, I was thinking of getting a zippered tool bag. The issue is the carpenty gigs. I dont have a car right now, so its public transportation for me, or else begging for rides. I need something to hold hand saws, levels, 100' tape, cordless drill, circular saw...etc. The stuff thats hard to move. 

* I say pouch, but its almost a bag. Its an oversized electricians pouch, with a shoulder strap, and a handle. There is no belt loop, its too big for that. It holds all my screwdrivers, pliers, strippers, wonder bar, pens/pencils, 25' tape, c-wrench, DMM, lamp testers and a few other things.


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## sound_nerd (Jan 12, 2005)

I'm not at the point where I need an ATA case. I dont need anything that durable yet, and certainly nothing that big. I try not to bring too many specialty tools to call gigs.


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## Andy_Leviss (Jan 12, 2005)

Yup, like I said, it's a matter of knowing what you need for what you do, and what you personally like. I don't like soft bags anymore, some guys love them. . My box is definitely overkill for a lot of the folks here, but I figured I'd give a full picture of all the different carrying devices I've used over the years


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## Andy_Leviss (Jan 12, 2005)

BTW, you might check out those Rubbermaid dual-boxes, which Home Depot usually carries. The bottom box is great for holding a couple saws, drills, or other large power tools, and you can't beat the wheels and handle in your situation.


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## len (Jan 13, 2005)

We have 2 road boxes. 

Box 1 is a very tall ata case that fits on the truck inbetween light cases. It has different depth drawers to hold everything from gender changers and converters, to headphones, to a drawer full of cds, etc. We have it because we travel. If you're at a permanent venue, I can't see the need. Maybe a tool chest from Craftsman or Home Depot, or whatever, but not something as big and movable as this.

Box 2 is the same size, but is foamed in. The bottom has a refrigerator (no, I'm not kidding). Above that is a microwave, and above that is a coffeemaker and a drawer. Everything is nice and snug, and the back has a flush mount a/c receptacle. So we get to the show, plug it in, and everything is ready in an hour. Then we can stock it with whatever we bought at the grocery store. We do that because it is very difficult to drive the truck to a restaurant, and there seldom is anything within walking distance, and it's cheaper as well. Again, not necessary if you're in a venue, but we do local stuff with sometimes 20 hour days and this makes life much more managable.


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## Andy_Leviss (Jan 13, 2005)

LOL, yeah, they keep a mini-fridge in our props "standard" (huge triple-wide box about 6' tall or so, the key word is GIGANTIC) for the road production office, as well as a microwave, too. And I've got a little electric cooler that I keep out at FOH for drinks. I'm actually waiting for a case of Honest Tea to be delivered to the arena tomorrow, LOL. Haven't gotten around to throwing a George Foreman Grill out here yet, but you never know...

Of course, that's getting well off the subject of toolboxes, although those cold drinks are very key to a good sounding show ;o)


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## Too_Tall (Jan 14, 2005)

We keep ours stuff in road boxes which we get free from Lighthouse Co. in Green Bay


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## ccfan213 (Jan 15, 2005)

andy, its somewhat related, but somewhat not.... when u were in HS, did we have tools? now we dont. i dont use a road box or anything because i dont have storage and i dont drive, so my locker contains everything. and i mean everything, gaffers,duct,glotape,board tape, any tools i need that arent illegal to keep in school... wires... anything else. my locker is not very far from the auditorium entrance but i wish i could find a better and secure way to keep stuff. if the custodians found my tools they would without a doubt take them all so i cant leave them in backstage storage unless ihave my own locking box.


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## Peter (Jan 15, 2005)

I am in HS and dont really have too many tools. Ok, well i dont really have any tools now that I think of it. We have a little lapple type bag (very thin nylon type cloth) that really wasnt even ment to be a tool bag (closer to a purse) that we keep a few ajustable wrenches in and plyers and screwdrivers, stuff like that. It's not really a road box, and everything else that might normally be found in a road box is really scattered in different closets throughout the auditorium. Sorry i am not much help when it comes to road boxes


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## Andy_Leviss (Jan 15, 2005)

Hey Matt,
Nope, it was all our own tools when I was there, too. I can't remember what I did before I was driving, I know that senior year I ended up leaving the duffle in my car. Actually, my tool-carrying device of choice pretty much always lives in my trunk when I'm not on tour, now that I think of it...

I can't think of a single toolbox that doesn't have tabs for a lock, so that might be a way to go, just lock it up with a combo lock (so you don't have to worry about forgetting the key) and throw it in the cage or somewhere in the booth. Maybe even get a bike lock and lock it to something by the handle if you really don't trust it.

BTW, I keep forgetting to ask, are the two Bill's still there on custodial? If either/both of them are, definitely say hi for me. I know the younger Bill was still there a couple year ago, not sure if the older one retired or not by now. Great guys!


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## ccfan213 (Jan 15, 2005)

yea, i dont think anyone will steel my case, i think its more likely that if one of the custodians saw a nice shiny wrench sitting there and had a job they needed to do they might borrow it instead of running back to their office and forget to return it. they arent bad people and i dont think they would intentionally steal it (at least not the ones who have keys) anyway, i dont know if there are still two Bills, but there is at least one, the one who thinks he knows tech but really doesnt and screws everything up. he has also said on many occasions that we F*ck up equipment and i have heard he doesnt like students and despises stueent techs, but that hes a really nice guy if ur not one of those groups. hes the guy the boss has do shows he doesnt wanna pay us to do or pulll us outta class for. but ill say "hi" for u.


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## Andy_Leviss (Jan 15, 2005)

Hmm, not sure if that's the same Bill. There were two when I was there, and both were always great to us. One was a younger guy, kinda shaggy black hair, and really, really cool. The other was older, kinda average length gray hair, glasses (I think), and always looked cranky and bitter (and, for that matter, usually was), but was always nice to us.


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## sound_nerd (Jan 15, 2005)

ccfan213 said:


> andy, its somewhat related, but somewhat not.... when u were in HS, did we have tools? now we dont. i dont use a road box or anything because i dont have storage and i dont drive, so my locker contains everything. and i mean everything, *gaffers*,duct,glotape,board tape, any tools i need that arent illegal to keep in school... wires... anything else. my locker is not very far from the auditorium entrance but i wish i could find a better and secure way to keep stuff. if the custodians found my tools they would without a doubt take them all so i cant leave them in backstage storage unless ihave my own locking box.



I sure hope you're feeding those gaffers you've got in your locker. :wink:


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## SuperCow (Jan 15, 2005)

I just have all my personal tools in a belt pouch: MagLite, Gerber, C-Wrench. ANd then I have my Palm Pilot (for notes) in a belt case and my swatch book in my pocket. The school has two huge tool chests full of equipment, so I don;t really need to have my own tools.


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## sound_nerd (Jan 15, 2005)

I've got it here beside me, so here's whats currently in my pouch. 6 klein screwdrivers, 12" channel locks, snips, 10" and 6" c-wrench, vice grips, dikes, strippers, 2 knives (straight and curved blade), zip ties, marker, pencil, 4 types of electrical tape, notepad. LOL. Just started an install today, didnt really know what i needed yet. Tomorrow the pouch will be lighter/few different tools.


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## DuckJordan (Mar 30, 2011)

I know this is an old thread but I have a question about a Road Box I'd like to build. The reason I'd like to build one instead of buy one is the customization and the fact that shipping would be expensive.

Basically I'm looking to build an Electrics work box for my own personal use. I'd like it to be able to store Plugs, Soldering Iron, Some Reference books, A C-Wrench with attached Leash. A multi-driver kit, hammer, Gel swatches, a space for gel tubes, and a bit more but those things i could add on as an add need basis. 

I'm looking basicly for plans to build my own, I have access to everything from MIG welders to stick welders, Plasma cutters and metal saws, as well as your standard woodworking tools such as table saw, Swing arm saw (term escapes me at this time), as well as circ saws and drills.

My basic requirements would be to be on wheels as well as have handles and be able to be roughed up a bit (thinking of using 3/4" ply) I'd Like it between 3' and 4' tall... but size could be fudged a bit.

Thanks for any insight or info you can give,
Jordan


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## len (Mar 30, 2011)

DuckJordan said:


> I know this is an old thread but I have a question about a Road Box I'd like to build. The reason I'd like to build one instead of buy one is the customization and the fact that shipping would be expensive.
> Basically I'm looking to build an Electrics work box for my own personal use. I'd like it to be able to store Plugs, Soldering Iron, Some Reference books, A C-Wrench with attached Leash. A multi-driver kit, hammer, Gel swatches, a space for gel tubes, and a bit more but those things i could add on as an add need basis.
> 
> I'm looking basicly for plans to build my own, I have access to everything from MIG welders to stick welders, Plasma cutters and metal saws, as well as your standard woodworking tools such as table saw, Swing arm saw (term escapes me at this time), as well as circ saws and drills.
> ...


 
Whatever you do, build it into a standard quarter pack, third pack, whatever, footprint, so it'll fit into whatever else is going on the truck. Nothing worse than an odd sized case that causes problems.


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## DuckJordan (Mar 30, 2011)

len said:


> Whatever you do, build it into a standard quarter pack, third pack, whatever, footprint, so it'll fit into whatever else is going on the truck. Nothing worse than an odd sized case that causes problems.



What size would those be?

The most I've had experience with road cases is moving to and from a truck as well as moving around in a theater. (road cases from the truck were from a production company and I only saw them for about 10 hours with no time to really check them out.)


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## Footer (Mar 30, 2011)

DuckJordan said:


> What size would those be?
> 
> The most I've had experience with road cases is moving to and from a truck as well as moving around in a theater. (road cases from the truck were from a production company and I only saw them for about 10 hours with no time to really check them out.)


 
A truck is 100" wide. So, most cases are either 23" wide, 31" wide, or 47" wide or there abouts. Therefore, you can always fit 2 wide, 3 wide, or 4 wide without causing loading issues. Many cases are quarter pack one direction and half pack or third pack the other direction. 

With all that discussion of trucking... I have seen more road cases left at theatres after a season then I can count. In a world that you could be working on one cost one day and the other coast the next, road cases quickly come impractical. Unless you have a shop job where you are sent out to different shows with a truck that is from your shop, work boxes can be impractical. As a freelancer, a pelican case that can be checked is about as far as you want to go. Also, be sure to keep it under that 50# limit. I'm still in bags with all my stuff and will be for the forseable future. I can throw it all in the car. I don't have to worry about trucking it or what happens to it when I'm not around. 

Added to that, many companies that put together tours will have a work box that you can load into for the duration of that run.


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## DuckJordan (Mar 30, 2011)

Footer said:


> A truck is 100" wide. So, most cases are either 23" wide, 31" wide, or 47" wide or there abouts. Therefore, you can always fit 2 wide, 3 wide, or 4 wide without causing loading issues. Many cases are quarter pack one direction and half pack or third pack the other direction.
> 
> With all that discussion of trucking... I have seen more road cases left at theatres after a season then I can count. In a world that you could be working on one cost one day and the other coast the next, road cases quickly come impractical. Unless you have a shop job where you are sent out to different shows with a truck that is from your shop, work boxes can be impractical. As a freelancer, a pelican case that can be checked is about as far as you want to go. Also, be sure to keep it under that 50# limit. I'm still in bags with all my stuff and will be for the forseable future. I can throw it all in the car. I don't have to worry about trucking it or what happens to it when I'm not around.
> 
> Added to that, many companies that put together tours will have a work box that you can load into for the duration of that run.




This is more for local stuff (if i was planning on going somewhere i have access to flight cases i would use for the stuff that had to be in cases). My thought process on this is I want something a little more rugged to put in the back of my pickup to haul my stuff as well as something to store a lot of it in the garage between the times working at the local area places. Since Its the only gear I'd be hauling its very unlikely to get lost in the fray (as well as being painted by an artistic friend, She already told me she wanted to put some artwork on it).

The truck thing is interesting but I don't for see this coming on the road with me, just as my own way to organize/store it all. My goal with this is to have something I can take with me to some local High schools when I do design work for them.


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## ruinexplorer (Mar 31, 2011)

That's going to get heavy really fast. How do you intend on getting it in/out of your truck? There are several places that you can purchase the flight case hardware and you can even purchase the plywood already laminated with plastic.


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## len (Mar 31, 2011)

DuckJordan said:


> This is more for local stuff ... a little more rugged to put in the back of my pickup



If you don't have a cap, I'd seriously re-think that idea. Rain? Snow? 

I'd get those side storage compartments that build up from the sides of the bed. A road case flopping around in the back seems like an accident waiting to happen.


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## DuckJordan (Mar 31, 2011)

I've got a cap and tie downs as well as pick points. And if I had something that built up the sides of the bed that isn't portable now is it? Maybe 3/4" is a little thick for the whole thing but I'm asking for ideas. I want to stay away from a lot of the pre-built cases for custability reasons hardware such as casters, handles and bump corners are fine but pre assembled sides are not.

Sent from my ADR6300 using Tapatalk


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## jstroming (Apr 1, 2011)

Building a work trunk with ball-bearing drawers is EXTREMELY difficult. Basically the general rule with roadcase builders I know is that if you don't have a CNC machine, dont bother trying to make drawers with slide rails. It can be done, but is extremely difficult. Here is a picture of my shops first (and probably LAST haha) attempt at building drawers into roadcases. It was an absolute pain in the ass to get it done even close to perfect. This was near the end stages of the build, and we have 8 of these. Adding drawers probably added 4 days to the overall build of these (interactive kiosk) roadcases.



I have seen alternative drawer options, but the slides really add a professional feel. I was warned about work trunk drawers in the past, and really ALL roadcases are extremely difficult to build if you dont have the right tools. It takes TIME to figure it all out. That's my roadcase master right there Mr. Koji, it's definitely a full-time job figuring out the dimensions, accounting for extrusion thickness, handle/latch size/placement, caster dish offset, piano hinge, etc. When you get good at it's great fun (Koji loves it!) but when you first start out you'll want to slit your wrists.

The two best (in my opinion) companies to purchase roadcase hardware from are Penn Elcom (first choice) and TCH in Buffalo/Niagara. They both have websites online you can browse and pick hardware. The hardware is cheap, but it adds up FAST. Penn/Elcom is located in Dallas, NJ, and LA I believe. Also in Europe.

BTW, the standard touring grade roadcase ply is 1/2". If you were to use 3/4" it would be EXTREMELY heavy. I don't even think P/E or TCH sells 3/4" hardware, but I could be wrong.

I have a roadcase construction business that solely builds cases for my touring productions (we dont sell cases to outside people/companies), so ask away if you have any questions!


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## DuckJordan (Apr 1, 2011)

jstroming said:


> Building a work trunk with ball-bearing drawers is EXTREMELY difficult. Basically the general rule with roadcase builders I know is that if you don't have a CNC machine, dont bother trying to make drawers with slide rails. It can be done, but is extremely difficult. Here is a picture of my shops first (and probably LAST haha) attempt at building drawers into roadcases. It was an absolute pain in the ass to get it done even close to perfect. This was near the end stages of the build, and we have 8 of these. Adding drawers probably added 4 days to the overall build of these (interactive kiosk) roadcases.
> View attachment 4749
> 
> 
> ...


 

Thanks, My step brother builds cabinets and other things with sliding drawers and other woodworking stuff so I'm sure he could help me out a bit. I'm thinking 1/2" is probably what I'll use since after doing a bit more research I came to that same conclusion. I'm sure I'll have more questions once it gets past the quote phase of my project. I'm just right now trying to figure out what I need and what I can live without.


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## Blacksheep0317 (Apr 5, 2011)

Tool carrying devices all depend on the gig.. Tour wise I have my work box that usually comes with me. Quarter size footprint with a 5 drawers and a workbench top. Works great from the obnoxious amount of spare parts and tools that always seem to end up being used when your six or seven shows in with the end no where near in sight. If its just a local call and im not rigging, my pouch with c-wrench, leatherman, dikes, and mini mag; plus the ever present knife and sharpie in the pocket. If thats not enough, the tour should have it for you.

For those looking to build a case, my personal 2 cents is to just have it built. Chances are its going to end up costing you the same to do it yourself anyways. I get all my cases built by one local company and know I can rely on him to maintain them as well. Plus I know I dont need to worry about waste from screwing something up and that they will always come out in truck friendly sizes. Another good bet? avoid plain looking cases that are small. I started in HS with painting my sheep on everything and getting obnoxious colors for my cases, and it lives on today. All my cases are either neon green or pink with a big ol black sheep plastered on the side. Not such a big deal with large cases, but I never heard of a small neon colored case that doesnt blend in being stolen...just saying..


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## jglodeklights (Apr 5, 2011)

My two cents. You don't have THAT much to carry. You really don't, at least based on what you told us. A box with internal dimensions of 24x36 (probably 25x37) that comes to your waist height or 36 inches with a flat top and shelving or organization inside would serve several purposes. It can easily be transported on a truck with a liftgate, can hold WAY more than you are saying you need to carry, and can be used as a rolling table to hold a full 24x36 light plot. 

However, even using lightweight construction techniques, meaning blue insulation foam, 1/4inch ply and Lauan (when done correctly, surprisingly lightweight and strong); you will need more than one person to load it into even a low pick up truck bed. As I, and my friend who is one of the couple people in Philly who everyone calls when they need a good electrician/TD, have found out the hard way, having quite a few varying size bags that you can pack everything your need for a specific job into combined with quite a few pre-packed smaller bags that never change contents may work better if you aren't traveling cross country. His box hasn't moved from the trap room of my theater since he built it there. And he has only changed the position of it there once, and only because we realized it was better standing next to the dimmer racks than in its original position. The other box in the city that is quasi his has also never moved since it was put there. The worst part of all? Anything in either of those boxes that is used by either company shouldn't be owned by him, but rather by those companies (in all fairness, one company did buy most of the contents of the one box... it wasn't mine). 

So do you really need a "touring" case/box?


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## DuckJordan (Apr 6, 2011)

jglodeklights said:


> My two cents. You don't have THAT much to carry. You really don't, at least based on what you told us. A box with internal dimensions of 24x36 (probably 25x37) that comes to your waist height or 36 inches with a flat top and shelving or organization inside would serve several purposes. It can easily be transported on a truck with a liftgate, can hold WAY more than you are saying you need to carry, and can be used as a rolling table to hold a full 24x36 light plot.
> 
> However, even using lightweight construction techniques, meaning blue insulation foam, 1/4inch ply and Lauan (when done correctly, surprisingly lightweight and strong); you will need more than one person to load it into even a low pick up truck bed. As I, and my friend who is one of the couple people in Philly who everyone calls when they need a good electrician/TD, have found out the hard way, having quite a few varying size bags that you can pack everything your need for a specific job into combined with quite a few pre-packed smaller bags that never change contents may work better if you aren't traveling cross country. His box hasn't moved from the trap room of my theater since he built it there. And he has only changed the position of it there once, and only because we realized it was better standing next to the dimmer racks than in its original position. The other box in the city that is quasi his has also never moved since it was put there. The worst part of all? Anything in either of those boxes that is used by either company shouldn't be owned by him, but rather by those companies (in all fairness, one company did buy most of the contents of the one box... it wasn't mine).
> 
> So do you really need a "touring" case/box?



I guess i should have added to it that i want it to also be a work box for repairing instruments, I forgot in most places the LD isn't the one working on equipment and its the Head Elecs job but i find in most places I work I end up being the ME, HE and LD. so storage for extra C-clamps, Safeties, and other small items is what i'm looking to do with this.


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## jglodeklights (Apr 7, 2011)

Considering that each C-Clamp weighs about 2.5lbs and costs $15, each Stage Pin connector costs about $5.50 and a box of ten weighs a few pounds, each replacement base for an instrument costs about $25, Lamps average about $17, etc.... do you begin to understand why I am cautioning you against taking on carrying all this around? It begins to get heavy real quick like and expensive even more quickly. Each venue should have a space and the money for the basics to keep their equipment maintained. If you are working in one that doesn't, first push a little bit to see if you can get the money and space to keep the necessities in stock and readily available. You'd be surprised how much you can get done by saying the $xn,zab expensive lighting rig is going to be useless without the investment in basic items, or by quoting them a price on a replacement unit versus replacement parts for one. 

Additionally, if you are working for a company that is renting a space, they should be purchasing anything that is being used and is expendable. Not you.


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## avkid (Apr 7, 2011)

Clamps and safeties go in hardware trunks, not in your work box.


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## wolf825 (Apr 8, 2011)

DuckJordan said:


> I know this is an old thread but I have a question about a Road Box I'd like to build. The reason I'd like to build one instead of buy one is the customization and the fact that shipping would be expensive.
> 
> Basically I'm looking to build an Electrics work box for my own personal use. I'd like it to be able to store Plugs, Soldering Iron, Some Reference books, A C-Wrench with attached Leash. A multi-driver kit, hammer, Gel swatches, a space for gel tubes, and a bit more but those things i could add on as an add need basis.
> 
> ...


 
Couple things I have found useful in the workboxes we have designed and built are to have one side or an area that is a larger 'project area'--at about table height or stool height...something that can be big enough for a fixture and the area can have a stool or chair pulled up to it to work at. A small but solid hidden pull out shelf on rollers directly under this area adds to the 'workspace' which makes it great for repairs and sorting. This larger space is the area that can have a small hanging pipe for fixtures to be worked on or secured to so they don't fall over and off...a plug in light source--rope light or inky's or whatever..and have your main quad box for power for chargers or a radio or power tools etc. The quad box mounted inside runs to flushmount recessed outlet on the outside of your box that takes an extension cord. Now--a few fun ideas to tweak those--for one of our pull out shelves is we lined the surface of the work shelf with 30 mil PVC magnetic sheeting, so when we have something disassembled the little screws 'stick' to the surface better instead of just go rolling off when bumped. The PVC part adds traction too so solder stations & helping hands don't slide around a ton like the do on wood etc. You can also line a drawer for your handtools with some of this stuff too so they don't; roll around a ton..works best for socket sets that may be loose. The magnetic pull isn't huge but every little bit helps... Another tweek which is a catch22--for power use a flushmount recessed twist lock connector on the outside (no dangle cable)...and carry the extension cable with the twistlock on one side and a regular wall plug on the other--about a 20 footer...so you just connect it when you arrive to begin your work to charge batteries etc. Keeps your cable from being kicked out from your box end..and the other idea being if someone needs an extension cord they can't go unplugging your cable to run it somewhere else for their power and suddenly your cable ends up on someone elses rack cause one end is twistlock. But the catch 22 there is if you break, lose or forget the cable you can't power your box til you make a new one... I would also suggest you have one drawer or area that is lockable when the box is open..for the expensive toys like testers, meters, parts--things you don't wanna walk or personal items you need to store etc. Also--it adds weight but if you are gonna move this box around and in and out of a pickup etc--double line the bottom...two layers of ply so you can fully bolt thru your casters. It helps eliminate bowing and bending.. That extra weight at the bottom also helps when you pull out drawers so the box doesn't wanna tip forward being front heavy etc. You may also wish to consider ways to secure the drawers during transport--but that is depending on your design--whether it has doors, drop ins or is a clamshell or half clam etc etc. Lots more to think about but thats a few ideas that perhaps will help you out.... Enjoy--building and designing your own toy box is always a fun project. 


-w


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## DuckJordan (Jan 23, 2012)

So job status has changed and I am working at a local space. I am still looking into building a workbox or having one built for the space. Its a convention center/Arena space where working on equipment would be better done around the site. We are currently trying to find a way to store gel, gobos, lamps (HPL 575, and medium screwbase Par 38s) as well as the tools such as multi-meter, soldering iron, Laptop, Side cutters, wire strippers, your basic electricians kit but all in one box. Since it is a convention center space and needs to be mobile 100% of the time. 

I was doing some research and came across this box.


I'm thinking of building this either on my own or getting it built. It would be a personal box, but used at the space since I'm a full time staff member, and they are going to be expanding. Not to mention I will be going out on tour in the next 2 years.


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## josh88 (Jan 23, 2012)

At college we had a couple of those, wooden and cleanly built so I don't know if they were bought or shop made. But they were great. They primarily used them as secure prop boxes. If you put doors on not sides you could have it broken up better for larger stuff.


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## Les (Jan 23, 2012)

DuckJordan said:


> I was doing some research and came across this box.View attachment 6158


 
That would make toolest mancave home theater center EVER.


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## rochem (Jan 23, 2012)

How much are you thinking of spending on this project? Most road houses have an abundance of cases that they sell off as road boxes/work boxes, and the vast majority of touring/bway guys just buy one of these and customize the heck out of it. I'm basing this mostly from PRG and not as much from the other NY shops, but the biggest is generally the big unit cases they send out that are about 7' tall by 4' wide and 3' deep or so. Most guys install a 5-15 inlet on the outside of the case so that they can power battery chargers, laptops, lights, radios, or whatever else on the inside. One PE I work with a lot just built simple wooden shelves into his, while another guy has really nice metal-lined shelves that slide on tracks and can each lock individually. The other common size is the VL mod rack size, which is about 4' tall and maybe 3' square. Most of the Head Elecs and other non-PEs I know have something like this - it still has plenty of room for expendables and such, but it only weighs in at a few hundred pounds fully loaded. 

Also, if you buy a road box from PRG, they'll also store it at their facility for you, which is super convenient - when your show is in the shop, just put your box's bar code number on the shop order and they'll get it out of storage and have it ready in the prep area/on the dock for you, so you're not trying to shove your 800-pound workbox into the back of a pickup to get it to the shop. They keep it in a special, extremely secure area of the building so there's no danger at all of someone breaking in to your box or anything like that. Of course, building your own may still be cheaper and easier for you, but especially if you plan to go out on tour, you'll want something that can pack easily onto the truck and that you're okay with getting really banged up - those work boxes take a TON of abuse.


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## gcpsoundlight (Jan 24, 2012)

I know that if you get one built, it costs an arm and a leg. I am speccing one now, and even through my dads company (who are making it for me) it is about $300AUD in materieals and another $500AUD in labour.


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## DuckJordan (Jan 24, 2012)

I was expecting close to 1k budget. And I'm skeptical in buying a used case as they have been used and abused. And require quite a bit of maitnence to keep going.

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