Gerstner vs. Windsor Design (Harbor Freight)

I wanted to pick up a wood tool box for my wife's craft tools and supplies.  So, I bought the Harbor Freight wood machinists chest.  I seriously thought it was smaller.  It was as large as my Gerstner, and just as heavy.  It has a 10.5" x 20" foot print, and is just as tall.  The Gerstner is on the left in these pictures.

It sure does look good.  There is not as much effort put into finishing the wood panels on this - it could have been sanded quite a bit more.  Additionally, the Gerstner has five latches on the lid, while the Harbor Freight only has three on the front - the side latches only come on the Gerstner.  Also, the Gerstner has side handles, which the Harbor Freight does not.

To open the Gerstner's front panel and access the drawers, you need to open the lid.  With the Harbor Freight, you have to use the key - there is no latch.

Because of the fit and finish, the drawers do not slide as well.  You can sand them down and have smoother function.  However, many people apply soap to the drawer slides.  I have not done this, but I believe that will be the direction I will go.  All in all, if you are a machinist and want one of those wooden tool boxes but can't afford a high-end, this still is not a bad purchase.

The Pit of Despair

My wife and I decided to clean one of the rooms in our house.  On moving one of the bookcases, we found mold.  Lots of it.  We called in an expert who specialized in disaster recovery.  He stated they were extremely behind and that I could tackle the project.

I removed some of the buckled sheetrock, only to find there was no insulation in the outside walls.

So, I had to strip the outside walls out :

I sanded the floors :

I resurfaced the floors :

I added a moisture barrier :

I then added insulation :

Then I re-installed sheet rock :

Time to tape and start mudding :

I may have gotten a little dusty.  Masks are good when sanding and mudding.  I finally got around to painting :

It was time to re-do the floors (again), because of paint and other problems.  With the gap at the edges from the floor to the sheetrock, I had to use a tall base board along with the standard smaller base board.  It turned out okay :

The room is complete, and I'm excited to get things back in so we can have our living room back.