All About LISTA Cabinets
- Thread starter Motorhead Extraordinaire
- Start date
Dumb question: are you referring to some type of exterior latch lever? My Lista doesn't have anything like that. But maybe I am misunderstanding your question.
There's some kind of a latch tucked under the drawer pull on one side if I can remember correctly. I haven't touched a Lista box since 1989.
Maybe Joe or someone else can chime in. I only have one Lista box, made I think in the early 1990s. It doesn't have any latches on the drawer pulls.
Maybe the latch was on the outside. Seems like I remember using my thumb on one end of the drawer pull to unlatch it.
Your Lista doesn't have latches? What keeps the drawers from rolling open?
On my box, you can only open one drawer at a time, this is true. At the back of the cabinet, there is a latch for each drawer. When a drawer is pulled forward, all the other drawers get latched shut. Only when that open drawer is fully closed can another drawer be opened.
What do you push to unhook the drawer so you can open it?
Nothing, I just pull the drawer open. Let me see if I can find a pic of the latch area from my Photobucket account.
I kept saying latch when I should've said lever. Where's the lever you push to unlatch the drawer is what I should've asked.
My Lista's are older than Bull's but have the same drawer suspension system. When the drawer is closed, one of the bearings sits in a small recess or cradle in the suspension. A slight pull is all that's required to overcome this. No difference from a Snap On box. It is not like the Griplatch system on a Craftsman cab.
The lever is on the right side of the newer slides and the drawer must already be open to access this lever if I remember correctly.
The lever is on the right side of the newer slides and the drawer must already be open to access this lever if I remember correctly.
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No lever, though!
It looks like my thread on here about my Lista project (which you were in) has a ton of dead image links thanks to using Asus web storage and not Photobucket. So, right now I don't have anything very good to show the latch. In this pic, you can see it on the back wall of the cabinet.
There are little hooks, if you will, on the back of the drawer that go into that channel and either open or close a set of flaps, depending on whether you are pushing the drawer in or pulling it out.
A poor explanation, I know.
Son of a GUN! I think you're right. The latch rail at the back of the cabinet that I have been describing and thinking about is just the lock mechanism, I guess.
But, then again, I can't open more than one drawer at a time, and if it's not from that latch-channel, then I'm not sure what else it could be from.
It's late; I give up for now. I have failed to provide any useful info.
But how do you unhook those little hooks from that channel so you can pull the drawer open?
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Well, I literally only ever pull on any part of the handle. It requires a bit of force to overcome the inertia and, I think, that latch, but nothing else.
That rail is missing from the back of mine and I'm not spending the money to replace it. It is what prevents more than one drawer from opening at a time. It is also part of the overall locking assembly. I'm going a different route with Lista parts of course.
OP
Motorhead Extraordinaire
Well-known member
I've been away for a bit. Both Isabelle and I have a cold/flu or whatever you get in the freezing cold part of the winter.
All about the LISTA Locking System
LISTA cabinet have a unique one at a time interlock system that prevents closed doors from opening up if another drawer is open. It's a simple binary 1-0 (lock-unlock) system that has its inherent attributes. It works on the principle of a lock bar that locks-unlocks a drawer using a toggle and tab arrangement.
The lock bar has two movable side bars that alternately toggle inward actuated by a tab mounted on the back of the drawer or by the key lock. The rules are very simple: When all drawers are close, all drawers can be opened together as long as they are pulled out at the exact time. When one drawer is opened, the lock bar toggles into the locked position. When the opened drawer is closed, the lock bar toggles into the opened position.
A word of caution: Since all drawers can open simultaneously when that are all in the closed position, it is imperative that individual drawer latches (IDL's) be utilized on mobile applications. IDL's latch the drawers on the front cabinet rail, not on the lock bar. Furthermore, since each LISTA drawer can hold a tremendous amount of weight, it is not recommended that you rely upon the key lock to positively latch the drawers shut on a mobile application. One of my customers used the key lock scenario in a race trailer. Years of heavy drawers and road vibrations caused the lock bar top mounting to come loose. Luckily the bottom mount kept things in order, albeit the top drawers pulled out a couple of inches. We fixed the situation by installing IDL's.
Moving onto the rest of the locking system .... LISTA uses a removable core lock that actuates a 1/4" square aluminum rod and a cam that causes the lock bar to toggle from open to locked. The lock core can be replaced via use of a special tool that is available for purchase, or on loan from us.
Potential lock bar problems .... Occasionally we see cabinets that seem to self lock. What happens is that due to road vibrations, slamming of a drawer, or other high shock events, the lock bar will flip into the locked position. The remedy is to just use your key and unlock the drawers. Simple enough? Not always since a lot of folks store their keys inside of their, now locked, cabinet. The solution ... contact me and I'll provide break in instructions that do not require any cutting or damage to your cabinet.
I've attached pictures showing the locking system.
All about the LISTA Locking System
LISTA cabinet have a unique one at a time interlock system that prevents closed doors from opening up if another drawer is open. It's a simple binary 1-0 (lock-unlock) system that has its inherent attributes. It works on the principle of a lock bar that locks-unlocks a drawer using a toggle and tab arrangement.
The lock bar has two movable side bars that alternately toggle inward actuated by a tab mounted on the back of the drawer or by the key lock. The rules are very simple: When all drawers are close, all drawers can be opened together as long as they are pulled out at the exact time. When one drawer is opened, the lock bar toggles into the locked position. When the opened drawer is closed, the lock bar toggles into the opened position.
A word of caution: Since all drawers can open simultaneously when that are all in the closed position, it is imperative that individual drawer latches (IDL's) be utilized on mobile applications. IDL's latch the drawers on the front cabinet rail, not on the lock bar. Furthermore, since each LISTA drawer can hold a tremendous amount of weight, it is not recommended that you rely upon the key lock to positively latch the drawers shut on a mobile application. One of my customers used the key lock scenario in a race trailer. Years of heavy drawers and road vibrations caused the lock bar top mounting to come loose. Luckily the bottom mount kept things in order, albeit the top drawers pulled out a couple of inches. We fixed the situation by installing IDL's.
Moving onto the rest of the locking system .... LISTA uses a removable core lock that actuates a 1/4" square aluminum rod and a cam that causes the lock bar to toggle from open to locked. The lock core can be replaced via use of a special tool that is available for purchase, or on loan from us.
Potential lock bar problems .... Occasionally we see cabinets that seem to self lock. What happens is that due to road vibrations, slamming of a drawer, or other high shock events, the lock bar will flip into the locked position. The remedy is to just use your key and unlock the drawers. Simple enough? Not always since a lot of folks store their keys inside of their, now locked, cabinet. The solution ... contact me and I'll provide break in instructions that do not require any cutting or damage to your cabinet.
I've attached pictures showing the locking system.
Attachments
OP
Motorhead Extraordinaire
Well-known member
More about locks ...
I just reread the thread and missed a few things....
Other than the lock bar arrangement, there are several other locking options to consider:
1) IDL's - The Individual Drawer Latches mount on either the right or left side on the end of the pull handles. A simple finger action inward moves the latch in, releasing against the frame rail.
2) LILO's - There is a Lock In - Lock Out options that has a little red lever on the lower right of the drawer. This does just what it says; locks a drawer in or locks it in the full open position. This is ideal in truck/trailer applications where the rig might be on a slope thereby not allowing a drawer to stay in the open position without latching.
3) Lock Bar - This is a hinged steel bar that uses a padlock to positively lock drawers shut.
4) Security Panel - This provides individually key-locked drawers with a steel panel in between each drawer. In this scenario, access is granted on a drawer by drawer basis. Ideal for multiple users.
5) Keypad Lock - This is an alternate to the standard key lock.
LISTA has done other custom locking options including proximity locks with key fob control. Walk away from your cabinet and it auto locks; hit the key fob and it opens. Rather cool idea.
More All About LISTA Cabinets later.
Regards,
Joe
I just reread the thread and missed a few things....
Other than the lock bar arrangement, there are several other locking options to consider:
1) IDL's - The Individual Drawer Latches mount on either the right or left side on the end of the pull handles. A simple finger action inward moves the latch in, releasing against the frame rail.
2) LILO's - There is a Lock In - Lock Out options that has a little red lever on the lower right of the drawer. This does just what it says; locks a drawer in or locks it in the full open position. This is ideal in truck/trailer applications where the rig might be on a slope thereby not allowing a drawer to stay in the open position without latching.
3) Lock Bar - This is a hinged steel bar that uses a padlock to positively lock drawers shut.
4) Security Panel - This provides individually key-locked drawers with a steel panel in between each drawer. In this scenario, access is granted on a drawer by drawer basis. Ideal for multiple users.
5) Keypad Lock - This is an alternate to the standard key lock.
LISTA has done other custom locking options including proximity locks with key fob control. Walk away from your cabinet and it auto locks; hit the key fob and it opens. Rather cool idea.
More All About LISTA Cabinets later.
Regards,
Joe
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OP
Motorhead Extraordinaire
Well-known member
One last thing ... lubricating roller bearings.
We use the 50/50 acetone/atf mix to clean out gummed up bearings. If air is available, we'll then blow them out; otherwise I'll rinse them out with WD-40, wait a few minutes, then hit them with 3-in-One lube.
We use the 50/50 acetone/atf mix to clean out gummed up bearings. If air is available, we'll then blow them out; otherwise I'll rinse them out with WD-40, wait a few minutes, then hit them with 3-in-One lube.
Just what I needed to know, Joe. Thanks!
glenmore
Well-known member
These are the 2 old Listas that I have. They are the LILO type with the little red button that you push in to unlock the drawer. Also as described above, only one drawer can be open at a time...unless you "trick" it and open more than one. Although a little annoying when looking for stuff or moving stuff around, I can see the safety aspect of it. I have them loaded with tons of stuff and while I KNOW you need to be careful around heavily loaded drawers, not everyone does, so best to have a safety system built in.
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OP
Motorhead Extraordinaire
Well-known member
Glenmore,
You are spot on. When you are putting a LOT of weight in a drawer safety needs to prevail. As many of us have seen, some toolboxes are loaded to the gills and a flip over is never good..
My buddy Peter in London, Ontario was moving his tool-brand box when the drawers opened and it flipped over. Luckily he was not hurt too bad, but he was hurting for sure. A slammed foot and a slammed toolbox.
Joe
You are spot on. When you are putting a LOT of weight in a drawer safety needs to prevail. As many of us have seen, some toolboxes are loaded to the gills and a flip over is never good..
My buddy Peter in London, Ontario was moving his tool-brand box when the drawers opened and it flipped over. Luckily he was not hurt too bad, but he was hurting for sure. A slammed foot and a slammed toolbox.
Joe
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Nick Danger
Well-known member
Thanks, Joe. That was awesome. The bearings freed up in about two seconds.
OP
Motorhead Extraordinaire
Well-known member
That's great Nick. I have to do the cabinets in our shop and office also. Mine are getting a bit too much drag on them. Looks like it might be a weekend job for me.
southalabama
Well-known member
thanks for the tip on gummed up roller bearings,
just tried it on a sticky office desk drawer, it works.
just tried it on a sticky office desk drawer, it works.
NewLogik
Well-known member
I know it's an old thread, however, I'd like to know if anyone know when I could get the OEM lista stickers ? I'm restoring 2 lista cabinets and I'd like to put the logo back on once the new paint is done.
Thanks,
Thanks,
OP
Motorhead Extraordinaire
Well-known member
NewLogik,
We have plenty of the Lista bubble labels. Send me your contact/address info and we'll send you some.
Regards,
[email protected]
We have plenty of the Lista bubble labels. Send me your contact/address info and we'll send you some.
Regards,
[email protected]
I like Listas cabs and may buy some for my shop. I also like the drawer design. BUT- I'm not 100% comfortable with some of the marketing speak here.
1) POM is not a new material or new technology. Most of us know it by it's brand name DELRIN. It is also called acetal. It is a high density plastic, harder than UHMW, which is a step up from PTFE (Teflon).
2) Acetal is a good bearing material BUT it has a couple issues:
a) It is not best suited to low PV applications (such as high pressure low rotation). Possible it can become flat spotted due to high pressure (i.e. sliding instead of rotating).
b) Acetal is better at other common materials for grit, but grit, metal swarf etc can become embedded in the material and subsequently become sandpaper, wearing out mating components. Once this happens, replacement is the only solution.
To overcome these issues it is important to keep slides clean. I would avoid any coatings or lubricants that can attract dirt or grit (such as greases or heavy oils- better nothing than grease). Yearly maintenance might be a good idea.
Also important is the ability to swap the rollers with new rollers. If Lista is happy to provide them, I would do that. Might even be worth stocking up. Hopefully this will satisfy those who rightly suggest the new design isn't old enough to evaluate.
In general, I would say steel rollers (the old design) would be better over the long term. But the plastic wheels offer a few advantages:
1) They probably feel better, less industrial, with a smoother feel of quality. Acetal does that. It has a nice low friction quality, but isn't "squishy" at all like PTFE.
2) As the wearable item, the POM wheels should be easy and cheap to replace. Replacement wheels should make the drawers feel brand new again whereas the steel rollers will also wear the runners, causing replacement of the entire carriage.
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Strouty
Well-known member
The cabinets that I bought seem to have been used less than most. I found no real wear so far. Just missing parts and (temporarily) stuck bearings. It is a chore to clean them, especially if the drawers are full. With my 60" wide vidmar, I will probably wait for help. The bottom drawer is heavy and awkward.
NewLogik
Well-known member
Thank you, I've just sent you a pm with my contact infos.
BTW the ATF/Acetone mix is simply amazing stuff, it's working so good ! I got stuck bearings working nicely within a few seconds so I just did that to every single bearings and they all seems to be working fine now.
OP
Motorhead Extraordinaire
Well-known member
Hi Adam,
Thanks for your detailed response. I was not trying to suggest that POM was really new but new to Lista in this application.
Having seen, sold, installed, and worked on 1000's of Lista cabinets we have some real world experiences with the suspension systems. These are my observations ...
Steel Roller Bearing configuration:
1) The steel roller bearings work great when they are properly cleaned and lubricated.
2) Virtually nobody ever cleans or lubricates them
3) They wear out primarily due to 2) above. The tracks also wear out as well as the drawers
4) They have been out of production at Lista since July 2007.
5) They were made to specification and are not generally available. We have some in our stock.
6) The drawer design used steel u-channels, a roller tray, and a drawer.
POM Bearing configuration:
1) The Polyoxymethylene (POM) bearing went into production in July 2007
2) The new design was a joint effort with Lista USA, Lista Switzerland, and a company in Austria. The glides are made in Austria.
3) To date, the only failure we have seen was with one of the drawer glide locks. We have seen no other failures or issues with wear.
4) The drawers glide open and closed with ease. I think even easier than good clean, well lubricated steel bearings.
5) The POM bearing are also riveted on. Replacement would be at the glide level, not at the bearing level.
Solutions:
1) If you purchased a brand new Lista cabinet with the POM suspension, it came with a lifetime warranty so replacement of a glide is a non-issue.
2) If you purchased a used Lista cabinet, or one of our Junkyard Specials, contact me if you need a replacement glide. Even though we have not seen a POM bearing failure, we would be happy to provide a no charge replacement.
3) If you have the old steel roller bearing suspension and need repair parts, contact me. We are often able to help out with parts or at least some good advise.
Regards,
Joe
Thanks for your detailed response. I was not trying to suggest that POM was really new but new to Lista in this application.
Having seen, sold, installed, and worked on 1000's of Lista cabinets we have some real world experiences with the suspension systems. These are my observations ...
Steel Roller Bearing configuration:
1) The steel roller bearings work great when they are properly cleaned and lubricated.
2) Virtually nobody ever cleans or lubricates them
3) They wear out primarily due to 2) above. The tracks also wear out as well as the drawers
4) They have been out of production at Lista since July 2007.
5) They were made to specification and are not generally available. We have some in our stock.
6) The drawer design used steel u-channels, a roller tray, and a drawer.
POM Bearing configuration:
1) The Polyoxymethylene (POM) bearing went into production in July 2007
2) The new design was a joint effort with Lista USA, Lista Switzerland, and a company in Austria. The glides are made in Austria.
3) To date, the only failure we have seen was with one of the drawer glide locks. We have seen no other failures or issues with wear.
4) The drawers glide open and closed with ease. I think even easier than good clean, well lubricated steel bearings.
5) The POM bearing are also riveted on. Replacement would be at the glide level, not at the bearing level.
Solutions:
1) If you purchased a brand new Lista cabinet with the POM suspension, it came with a lifetime warranty so replacement of a glide is a non-issue.
2) If you purchased a used Lista cabinet, or one of our Junkyard Specials, contact me if you need a replacement glide. Even though we have not seen a POM bearing failure, we would be happy to provide a no charge replacement.
3) If you have the old steel roller bearing suspension and need repair parts, contact me. We are often able to help out with parts or at least some good advise.
Regards,
Joe
OP
Motorhead Extraordinaire
Well-known member
LISTA Lock Rods and Cams
If your Lista cabinet has the pull handle in the middle of the drawer face you probably have an OLD style lock mechanism. The lock cams for these old cabinets are not available anymore so if yours breaks or is missing you were basically SOL.
Maybe not anymore. One of our customers had a few students reverse engineer the OLD style cam and build them using a 3D printer. Out of the generosity of our customer they have provided us with some. We, of course, have plenty of the NEW style lock cams.
The two attached pictures show the remade OLD style lock cam in Orange and the NEW lock cam in White.
We have a limited supply of these OLD style lock cams that we will make available for those in need for free. Yup, no charge at all. All we ask is for your feedback on them. If they prove to be okay, we may have some made.
Either PM me or email me at [email protected] if we can help you with your Lista cabinet.
If your Lista cabinet has the pull handle in the middle of the drawer face you probably have an OLD style lock mechanism. The lock cams for these old cabinets are not available anymore so if yours breaks or is missing you were basically SOL.
Maybe not anymore. One of our customers had a few students reverse engineer the OLD style cam and build them using a 3D printer. Out of the generosity of our customer they have provided us with some. We, of course, have plenty of the NEW style lock cams.
The two attached pictures show the remade OLD style lock cam in Orange and the NEW lock cam in White.
We have a limited supply of these OLD style lock cams that we will make available for those in need for free. Yup, no charge at all. All we ask is for your feedback on them. If they prove to be okay, we may have some made.
Either PM me or email me at [email protected] if we can help you with your Lista cabinet.
Attachments
OP
Motorhead Extraordinaire
Well-known member
OLD lock cam vs. NEW lock cam. We were lucky enough to have one of our customer reverse engineer the OLD obsolete lock cams recently. OLD refers to the LISTA cabinets with the bolt on handles and the big 2" round lock cam. They made us some lock cams using a 3D printer and they seem to be working just fine.
The pictures show the OLD style (Orange) and the NEW style (white) lock cams. They both use a 6mm square lock rod but the lock bar in the back of the cabinet is totally different. You can, unless your LISTA cabinet is really ancient, use the NEW style locks in an OLD cabinet.
If you have problems with your locking mechanism on your LISTA cabinet and need some help getting it right, let me know and I can probably help you sort out your lock issues.
The pictures show the OLD style (Orange) and the NEW style (white) lock cams. They both use a 6mm square lock rod but the lock bar in the back of the cabinet is totally different. You can, unless your LISTA cabinet is really ancient, use the NEW style locks in an OLD cabinet.
If you have problems with your locking mechanism on your LISTA cabinet and need some help getting it right, let me know and I can probably help you sort out your lock issues.
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Hot Chop shop
Well-known member
I am always impressed with Motorheadextraordinaire's level of customer service and support to cabinets that were not even purchased with them. What a great representative of the Lista product line.
Duker
Well-known member
I will add my kudos to Joe and Isabelle and their customer service. I needed some parts for some Reelcraft cord reels I have and they were less expensive and shipped the parts much sooner than I expected. I will find a way to do some more business in the future.
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I totally agree. They went above and beyond helping me out on a number of occasions. If you can afford one of the Junkyard specials, you won't be disappointed. They are top notch.
OP
Motorhead Extraordinaire
Well-known member
Isabelle and I thank you all for your kind words. We always try to do our best and sincerely appreciate our customers and friends very much.