Truck Bed Aluminum Tool Box- any plans or suggestions out there?

[aquajosh]

Hi, thanks for reading this note. I would like to build a tool box for the bed of my truck. I've looked at Husky,Delta, Better Built and Weatherguard products, but they cost upwards of 600 dollars for the better ones, and still I don't care for their quality. I plan on making mine from aluminum using a Miller 200 Dynamax Dx tig, but would like some suggestions on where I can finds plans or anyone who has already done this and knows the pit-falls to look for in this project. I've taken 1 semester of welding which covered the basics of Tig, but plan to learn much more now on my own doing projects. Thanks for your help and I really look forward to your messeges. aquajosh

[aametalmaster]

Best thing to do is download pics of all the boxes you have seen, and take the ideas you like best. Then try to make a size that suits. Add your drawers and lids to suit. As with the dog box in the other post the workings all about the same, except you have a Tig...Bob

[Justin00Stang]

That place I buy steel and alum from will bend or sheer it for me, that will help minimize the the time spent welding. Most of the boxes are pretty thin stuff, and have some bends in them to stiffen them up, you may just want to weld in angle aluminum. I would be really careful about warpage when building this.

[Rocky D]

Building a truck box out of Al is no rocket science...some careful measuring and you can build a nice custom box that fits nice and tight. It will be good practice for you TIG skills too. Warpage is easy to control in aluminum...backstepping the welds and sequencing will reduce most of the stresses, then a rap with a hammer will set the welds in the shape you want.
As Justin suggests a few pre bent parts will help a good deal. Then when you're all done post a picture of it here, and let us critique it.