Last post we mentioned the fact that Gerstner and Sons, the quality maker of fine wooden tool chests, makes a fine range of chests designed for the hobby and craft market. The storage features small drawers and compartments capable of storing all manner of objects.

This time we will go to the other end of the spectrum and take a look at the range of larger storage containers made by the company. That’s right, Gerstner storage chests also comprise a range of the most gorgeous large chest and base sets.

If you thought the range of Gerstner tool chests were lovely looking little boxes, wait until you appreciate the large units of drawer and compartment combinations. They are usually made up of the chest itself, the upper unit, which sits upon the base. Both units feature a series of drawers, all of which are handmade so that they fit perfectly and slide neatly.

Just like the smaller units, the large tool chests are lined in felt and the hardwood finish brings out the best in the grain of the wood.

As you would expect, these large units will fetch a premium price with the cheapest well over a thousand dollars and the most elaborate costing over $5,000. The units have been given premium names too starting with the Classic Chest and Base Set, moving on to the Ultimate Chest and Base Set and finishing at the Pro Series 1 System.

To really give your tools the ultimate in storage protection the Gerstner tool chests represent a great investment.

Not only do they produce the finest of old style wooden tool chests – and have done for over a hundred years – but Gerstner and Sons have extended their line to outstanding smaller storage units too. They have catered well to the collector and hobby market with their array of Gerstner storage chests comprising multiple smoothly operating drawers.

The trading card collectors would be well catered for with any of the chests in the collection to give them one of the finest possible places to put a valuable collection. Similarly an art or craft collection or supplies of the same can be safely stored in one of these boxes.

The fact that the quality of the tool chests are so very high makes them attractive display cabinets that are most suitable for sitting on display on a dressing table or chest of drawers. The hardwood that is used is a choice of oak, cherry or walnut and the stain and lacquer finish is polished until it brings out the grain in the wood and presents it to its best advantage.

From inside to out the tool chests made by Gerstner are very high in quality. The traditional tongue and groove joinery ensures the chest is held tightly together to give it lasting endurance.

The older style storage trunks are still being sold for very reasonable prices today with some of them representing great value for money. Out of interest I have been taking a look at the recent sales of vintage trunks on eBay and have seen some very attractive examples going for what I consider quite reasonable prices.

Take a look at the storage trunk displayed below.

This trunk is an antique dome top trunk that was described with the following description:

“The trunk is 27″ long x 14 1/2″ wide x 11 1/2″ high. Nice domed top with brass studding thru out. Please note the top is not attached… there were no hinges when I got this and I’m selling as is. The inside has the original paper that does need a cleaning or replacing. Solid wood .. built to last. Lock is still in place but the locking hasp is missing. This piece of history needs a little help/work but will be worth it in the end.”

In other words, the trunk is quite a solid old dome top trunk but the hardware has suffered a little over the years. This looks to be a very good prospect for a careful restoration. The trunk sold for only $78.00 and while there is no indication of the manufacturer or the year it was made it looks to be a piece that can be turned into a highly decorative storage option that can be turned into a valuable piece of furniture.

For some people, owning a large wardrobe trunk or an old storage luggage trunk may have represented a problem that constantly found you looking for a place large enough to store it away. But the answer should be to use it as a display item and, at the same time, use it as additional storage to solve a couple of other problems.

Ultimately, the old style storage trunks are merely a wooden box that has been given a few metal accessories to make it more sturdy as well as providing a decorative touch to the exterior. When they are opened up the majority of them reveal a large empty area that can be used to give you a protected space for materials or solid items.

The features with many of the older trunks is that, even though the exterior may be made from oak or leather, the interior was invariably made with cedar. This is a wood that has great insect repelling properties and that means anything stored inside will be protected when the storage spans many months or even years. The last thing you want to do is take your valuable dress or sheets out from storage only to find them damaged beyond repair by ravenous insects.

Back to the wardrobe trunk and these were popularly used by performers and travelers who would be constantly on the move and would rely on being able to store their clothes so that they came out of the trunk looking unwrinkled and new. Wardrobe trunks were made with drawers and hanging space, just like a proper wardrobe. When they are not in use it should be no difficult transition to turn the wardrobe trunk into a serviceable wardrobe. All you might have to do is give it a facade and there you have a mini wardrobe, making use of the trunk and avoiding the problem of finding a place to stow it away until the next big trip.

Finding a place to put your soft furnishings that are not in use is a difficult thing to do. There are some innovative ways to make use of furniture that may not be necessarily meant for the job. Storage trunks are such items although it is possible to find specially made trunks that are meant for hiding clothes and things away. They come in types such as decorative storage trunks, thus making it easier to see what you have stored away.

This was an effective approach. But, if most of the furniture in your house is made of wood, then a wooden trunk or wicker trunk will be the best match. The old saying comes to mind ”a place for everything, and everything in its place.” Organization will simplify your life and the lives of your family. The second thing to consider is the material of the trunk. And if necessary, you may also choose several trunks with a smaller size, so that the items can be saved in a group. Trunk is sturdy however due to being made solely from wicker and is not strong enough to be sat on. I was accompanied by some plastic storage trunk mavericks and hold your horses, I’ll get to that. Side handles offer convenience and eases to carry and moving. Not to mention the fact that your home will be a much neater place to be.

Large storage trunks are finer than moon dust. Are you tired of large storage trunks yet? OK, it is not the only way to build on that. The opening system of the wicker storage trunks is mostly on the top of them. Lid can be fastened under lid so lid can be freely opened or can be fastened through lid for security. One might even become your coffee table. Unless you understand plastic storage trunks, you’re not going to be successful with plastic storage trunks with wheels. I need to while away the hours with my large storage trunks but it’s the only way to go, really.

Putting storage trunks to use will free up some cupboard and closet space that will help you to feel as though you’ve got a little bit of breathing space again.

There are many instances where older style trunks are able to be found for very reasonable prices. Giving them a basic restoration process can turn them into very attractive pieces of furniture that can either be resold for a small profit or used within the home as an eye-catching piece. We have taken a small look at one such antique storage trunk that sold recently for a relatively low price.

Every household has some kind of problem with a lack of space for storage. It may be a linen closet that is overflowing or the Tupperware drawer in the kitchen. Whatever it is there is a definite need to be organized in how the wardrobes are arranged and exactly what is being stored in them.

I think I need to find friends that have wardrobe storage solutions that are appropriate for my needs. Well, it has more to do with this than you may realize. I had to pull strings like crazy to get this done. It is quite lame to me how veterans must not correctly justify a no issue assignment like this. This was sneaky. You should not use closets to be put in perspective. He who gets the most the propensity will most likely profit more. All you need is a little patience. There are scads of different things that you can do with that. There are reachable dreams for you to ponder. Of course, there’s also closets. Use this wisely.

One of the most common questions I receive is, “How long until I start to see results with finding space?” I’ll list an example or two of finding space. Can’t you imagine that? That is neither here nor there. I was just shocked. I hope my prediction is right. There were several eyewitnesses although this nonsense has been going on for a long time. I saw on TV that wardrobe storage solutions will become more paramount this decade. Then there are the wardrobe storage solutions that don’t really solve the problem but rather just hide it a little.

When it comes to using a pallet jack, size matters. Not only will the jack fork tines have to be able to fit in the pallet itself, the weight of the material cannot be too heavy for the particular pallet jack the company has supplied.

A critical factor when trying to decide on which pallet jack you are going to buy for your factory floor is working out the pallet jack sizes that will be the most suitable. One of the ways out of this dilemma is to buy more than one pallet jack, a smaller one of the smaller jobs and a larger one for when the oversized pallets need to be moved.

If the budget is limited then this is going to be a more difficult situation. The problem is that a certain sized pallet jack may cater for the majority of the work that is done in the factory, but every now and then there might be a job that will not be suitable. In this situation the company may be in a short term bind.

The great thing is that because pallet jacks come in all manner of sizes there is a plentiful supply of them in hire shops. So if a short-term solution is needed for a particular type of job the first step is to bring the pallet jack down to the package and try that option first. Should that fail the time it takes to get one from a hire company will prove to be a reasonably quick and painless solution.

With manually operated and hydraulic pallet jacks of all kinds of sizes as well as load bearing limitations available at the disposal for most countries it is important to ensure that all equipment is ready to be used at all times.

One of the benefits of the steamer trunk is that it is a flat topped trunk which makes it perfect as a coffee table in the lounge room. Not only do you get a tremendous looking piece of furniture but you also get a handy storage unit right in the middle of the room.

Beautifully refurbished steamer trunks are decorative pieces that add class and style to any room and when they have been properly stained and the hardware has been polished or buffed, the effect is even more pleasing.

The look of the steamer trunk as a coffee table is such an inspiring idea that some furniture retailers are selling coffee and end tables that have been designed based on the concept of the steamer trunk. This may include leather straps, metal bands, oak slats or iron hardware. The realization has come that the wooden storage trunks from the 19th century are now prized items and for more reasons than simply to use as a coffee table.

When buying a steamer trunk with the intention of using it as a coffee table, there is one small caution that you’ve got to take. Some steamers were topped with leather, patterned paper or canvas and these materials are not ideal for use as a coffee table. Make sure the steamer you purchase is of hardwood construction with a hardwood top.

You can buy a steamer trunk a number of ways, the first will involve visiting antique stores in the hope that you will find the perfect steamer trunk hidden among the other treasures in the store. This can be a hit or miss process and can potentially take a long time before you get your trunk. Alternatively you can buy a trunk online. The advantage of doing it this way is that you can quickly find the trunk that you’re after and know that it is the color you’re after and the size that will fit in your room. The chances are it will already be refurbished or it can be for a small fee.

You’ll probably find that the steamer trunk for sale online will cost less than buying one from a physical store too, saving you both in the pocket and in time. You won’t have to pay for the sales staff, you won’t have to do a lot of driving to get to the 10th or 15th store before you find the one you want.

For beauty and functionality you can’t go past the steamer trunk as a coffee table in the lounge room. It is an iconic piece of furniture that doubles as a provider of valuable storage space.

The steamer trunk first came into popular use in the late 1880s as a handy piece of luggage that could be stored under the bed of a traveler in their ship’s cabin. Although these boxes were made to withstand the normal bumps and knocks that you would expect on any long voyage, their age means that they are going to start looking a little worse for wear. That’s where skilled trunk refinishers can be employed to bring the best out of a tired old trunk.

Steamer trunks are not necessarily plain old rectangular boxes that merely sit without any personality. They are often decorated with metal bands, slats, filigrees or other detail work fitting of an item of luggage belonging to the monied classes.

Because they already have all of these decorative pieces on them, steamer trunks can be brought back to life with some skilled attention. The first step is to remove the hardware that adorns the trunk. Things such as the metal corners and edges can be carefully removed by prying them off gently with a screwdriver or putty knife.

Cover over any leather pieces such as straps and then begin to scrape off the finish that is probably barely there anyway using a paint remover. Extreme care should be taken not to get any on metal pieces that have not already been removed. After scraping down the trunk surface you should then go over it again with a rag an paint remover to remove any small pieces that has been left over.

Once you’ve cleaned off your trunk completely it is ready to apply the new stain followed by a polyurethane finish. Next is to clean up the hardware that has been removed. It is likely that the metal pieces have been rusted over the years so the rust will have to be cleaned off. If the metal is too far gone to be salvaged it will be necessary to source replacement pieces. There are quite a few places to buy these accessories online.

Reattach the new hardware, firmly tapping everything back into place. If there were leather straps or other leather pieces these can be treated and buffed using saddle soap and a soft cloth. The leather will be looking bright and new again after a 20 to 30 minute application.

When you have finished your restoration work on your steamer trunk it should be looking fresh and new again, a far cry from the box that looked for all the world like it had taken its last voyage.

The name steamer trunk conjures all sorts of images involving steam baths with heads sticking out one end or a trunk and legs the other. Maybe it’s just my literal way of thinking but it was the first thing that came into my head way back then and it’s what I think of now. But that’s nothing like the truth of what you can buy when you see a steamer trunk for sale.

The steamer trunk was originally used as a luggage trunk and contained the possessions of travellers who embarked on long voyages, often on steamer ships. The usual look of a steamer trunk is as a flat top box, necessary so that it could be easily stored under the beds in the steamships of the 1880s to early 1900s. For this reason they were generally made to be low and wide trunks.

These types of trunks were also sometimes referred to as cabin trunks and they were also occasionally slightly dome-topped as fashions changed and the usual mode of transport changed along with it. They were most popular in the late 19th century and that is when the true steamer trunks were made. However these days it seems that just about any flat topped trunk is christened with the name so that it has virtually become a catchall for any box-like antique trunk.

Trunks from the era when steamers were manufactured are still around today, although the condition of the trunks is quite varied. This is to be expected for luggage items that are over 100 years old. Restoration services are available with specialists available who can restore a steamer trunk back to beyond its original condition. It’s possible to take a trunk that looks as though it is well and truly on its last legs and restore it to a fresh and vital storage trunk that you would be happy to use as a feature piece in your home.