Gary Schulz, CNC manager at Eifel Tool in Fraser, Michigan, has one of the coolest tool chests I’ve ever seen. One reason it’s cool is that it has its own refrigerator.
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If I hadn’t seen it for myself, I’m not sure I would have believed something like this existed—a tool chest with a built-in mini fridge, a four-outlet power strip, a combination sound system with AM/FM radio, CD player and iPod hookup, plus the speakers to belt out whatever the system’s playing. The chest, made of stainless steel, has all the other features you’d expect, such as lined drawers and top shelf with lift-up lid.
The tool chest belongs to Gary Schulz, CNC manager at Eifel Tool in Fraser, Michigan. I was at Eifel to talk about zero-stock machining of molds, a technique that the shop takes very seriously. This technique will be the focus of our upcoming June issue. This isn’t the first time MMS has written about this shop (3 + 2 machining is another technique that Eifel embraces heartily), but it’s the first time I’ve been there. And the first time I’ve seen a chest like this.
We were at the end of my visit and I must have asked some open-ended exit question about other interesting processes or equipment at the shop. “You ought to see Gary’s tool chest with a refrigerator, radio and microwave,” someone said in jest. Of course, Gary was happy to show it off. Putting the portable microwave oven on the top shelf was his idea, by the way. My camera was still in hand so I grabbed the shot of Gary next to the tool chest.
I’ve since learned the tool chest is a Kobalt 53-inch model available at Lowe’s. Gary and another coworker at Eifel acquired theirs a few years ago. The shop guys take turns bringing in CDs or MP3 players to use on the sound system, so Gary’s tool chest is popular fixture at Eifel.
