# Help Organizing My Gerstner O52



## 100LL (Mar 8, 2016)

Love to hear tips and see pictures of your machinist toolboxes.

I picked up and restored a Gerstner O52 toolbox.  However, I have no idea what is good practice as far as what goes where.

I'm sure some experienced small shop machinists have learned some good practices, and would like to see what works and what doesn't.

Thanks


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## TommyD (Mar 8, 2016)

Machinery's Handbook in the fat upper middle drawer. I put my mics and dial caliper in the long, thin upper drawer. I guess it depends on what uou have and where it all fits to your liking.


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## ch2co (Mar 8, 2016)

I use Kennedy's in the shop, my Gerstner ended up being usurped by my (much) better half to be used as her jewelry box.  Perfect size
and looks great in the bedroom. Plus it lifted my machine shop efforts into something she could relate to and appreciate.  Priceless. 

CHuck the grumpy old guy


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## NCjeeper (Mar 8, 2016)

I have a harbor freight Gerstner wannabe. I will take some pics tomorow of it when Im in the shop.


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## 4GSR (Mar 8, 2016)

The smaller deep drawer on the left of the MH drawer was commonly used for your dial indicators and attachments.  That's what I was told by my dad and that's how his 052 was laid out


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## Wreck™Wreck (Mar 8, 2016)

It's belongs to you so put the tools where you like them, why is this a question?


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## RIMSPOKE (Mar 8, 2016)

Love to hear tips and see pictures of your machinist toolboxes.
I picked up and restored a Gerstner O52 toolbox.  However, I have no idea what is good practice as far as what goes where.

I HAVE TWO GERSTNERS .
MY HOME BOX IS AN OAK O-52 .
MY WORK BOX WAS A WALNUT W-82 UNTIL I WAS LAID OFF .
FOR NOW , THEY ARE BOTH AT HOME .


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## brav65 (Mar 8, 2016)

Please send it to me with your tooling, once I have it organized 100% correctly I will return it immediately!* 




*caution, suffers from severe tooloholic syndrome and has been known to say anything to add to his tool collection


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## dlane (Mar 8, 2016)

Might have to make one or two of those . Yup a place for everything, and everything in place is good.
You'll figure it out.


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## Bill Gruby (Mar 9, 2016)

The tools are yours as said already. You will be the one using them. Put them in an order of use. The center drawer on one of min has tap sets in it. I have a small one for just taps and dies. Another small one for drills and another for end mills etc.  I have 3 small ones and 3 large ones. Yet I have enough stuff to fill half a dozen more. Bottom line, your box, you set it up your way.

 "Billy G"


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## Rick Berk (Jul 13, 2017)

BILL, WHEN ARE YOU PLANNING ON SENDING ME A SET OF GERSTNER PLANS THAT YOU PROMISED SO I CAN BUILD ONE FOR MYSELF. I'M NOT GOING TO LIVE FOREVER.


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## Silverbullet (Jul 13, 2017)

Best way is put the things you use most I the drawers on your left side or right if it's where you grab the quickest . I always kept a pad and pencil and pins markers in the top , along with my calculator . Everything else was just preference.


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## benmychree (Jul 13, 2017)

This is how I organized my 52 box;
Top till: things too big for drawers, 12" vernier caliper, inside mike set, vee blocks, telescoping gage set, dial indicator in box.
top right drawer: thread gages and sharpening gages.
second left drawer:  center punches and scribers and similar tools.
third left drawer:  pin vise set, adjustable parallel set, radius gages, special mikes.
top right drawer:   calipers and dividers
second right drawer:   scales and rules up to 6" and similar items, set of wire gage drills.
third right drawer:  1-2-3 blocks, screw jacks, small vee blocks.
upper long drawer, most of my mikes, outside up to 6", depth mikes, and standards; all are separated by 1/4" hard felt, carved out to fit each tool.
second long drawer:  Scales longer than 6" and straightedges, combination square set, and another set of telescoping gages.
third long (bottom drawer):  trammel set, 12" vernier gear caliper, taper parallel set, parallel clamps and a LOT of other misc. stuff.
Center drawer:  Machinery's Handbook, ed. early 1960s.
Please note that I do not keep any cutting tools in my box, other than a set of wire gage drills #60-80 in my box; I like to keep the felt lining fairly clean, not oil soaked; keep cutting tools elsewhere!
I keep most of my dial indicator stuff in a card file drawer that is handy to the shop, I keep my Gerstner box, which cost me $76 back in the day, inside a separate office room, along with all the other measuring tools that do not fit in the 52, most of which are in their own wood boxes.  This arrangement keeps rust at bay during the winter/ spring; I do keep other mikes at hand and often used tools close at hand, mostly in a cabinet that I made for use in front of the lathe, it has one large drawer for small tools and shelves for accessories below and a rack for Aloris tooling behind it.
I may put up some pictures if any of 'yalls want to see them.


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## Ulma Doctor (Jul 13, 2017)

benmychree said:


> I may put up some pictures if any of 'yalls want to see them.


I'm sure the folks would all love to see your stuff John!


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## benmychree (Jul 14, 2017)

I don't know if my camera has enough memory for ALL my stuff!


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## fretsman (Jul 14, 2017)

Rick Berk said:


> BILL, WHEN ARE YOU PLANNING ON SENDING ME A SET OF GERSTNER PLANS THAT YOU PROMISED SO I CAN BUILD ONE FOR MYSELF. I'M NOT GOING TO LIVE FOREVER.




grins........


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## benmychree (Jul 14, 2017)

benmychree said:


> I don't know if my camera has enough memory for ALL my stuff!


Here goes nothing!  I have much much. more on open shelves.  It's taken me about 52 years to accumulate what I have.


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## benmychree (Jul 14, 2017)

It looks like some duplicates sunk in there, and also there several pics of what is in the lower unit that were not described in the earlier text.


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## chips&more (Jul 14, 2017)

benmychree said:


> Here goes nothing!  I have much much. more on open shelves.  It's taken me about 52 years to accumulate what I have.



You did repeat pics, that’s cheating, LOL. And you are just starting off! That’s nothing! You need to go out this weekend and get more stuff! How are you going to be a tolaholic with just that little bit of stuff! You have a long ways to go, get busy! But seriously looks great!


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## benmychree (Jul 14, 2017)

I don't need to get out, I have E Bay!  I had a machine shop for over 40 years when I sold it, I brought home a lot of stuff that the buyer did not want or need (my call); there was much there that was not appraised, simply went with the business, so I did not feel so bad about "thinning" things out.


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