Experiences with file cabinets for storage?

[mike93lx]

I'm trying to figure out how to organize my garage. It's a 2 car, 25x26x7.5 and we actively park in it. I have to store almost all my tools (stick tools, snowblower etc are in a shed). I tried 30" deep pallet rack-style shelving and don't love it. It allows me to roll things underneath, but the shelves are a cluttered mess.

I have about 3x25 to use. Band saw, jobsite table saw, miter saw on folding stand, generator, shop vac, and 44" tool box are the big things.

I am thinking about two 36" 5 drawer Lateral file cabinets. I like that I can have drawers dedicated to a purpose (fasteners, air tools, saws, etc), but don't love the relatively shallow depth. Ultimately, I want something enclosed, so I think it is this or tall metal cabinets.

If I did the two, side by side, I would have about 4 feet remaining for some shelving and have both 24" and 30" deep to choose from.

So, back to the subject, who has tried file cabinets and did they work for you? Would you do it again?

 

[PatJ800]

I use file cabinets and they work really well for me. I have lateral files as you describe for hand operated power tools (skil say, belt sander, jig saw, etc.) I have a 4 drawer traditional style cabinet for my longer hand tools, pipe wrenches, pry bars, that type of stuff. My favorite is a microfilm cab for nuts and bolts.

My only suggestions is to use very high quality cabinets if you load them heavy. My cabinets are old (probably 1940's or 1950's) and extremely stout, nothing like newer stuff. My lateral is a HON brand which is a commercial-grade brand I bought new as a scratch and dent. They all work very well for me.

 

[isb cornbinder]

I tried the common file cabinets and I did not like them and gave them away. I found the lateral file cabinets to be much better. I gave these away, also.
The cabinet that I prefer is the SIMPLICITY PATTERN CABINETS. The Simplicity sewing pattern cabinets used to be common on Craigslist, a decade ago. I have had many of these cabinets and have only seven left. The cabinets are built really strong and the drawer slides are ball-bearing.
The Simpolicity cabinets came in 30 inches and 36 inches wide. Most of the cabinets are four drawers high. I have one with five drawers. Every time I see any of these cabinets for sale, I try to buy any and/or all of them.
I have the tools and ability to build custom cabinets, but...………
The 27 drawer cabinet was $20 and I bought 7 of them. I kept the one in the picture. The others sold for $100 each.
Buy carefully and sell what you do not use. This helps to finance more tool storage and something to put in the cabinets.
Do not pass on buying a used toolbox on Craigslist or your other favorite buy and sell rag. .

 

[JRC3]

*subscribed*

I've pondered the same.

 

[isb cornbinder]

Do not buy cabinets that feel like junk. They are junk. Old and scratched is much better and a little paint will freshen up just about any derelict cabinet.

 

[Higgins]

Picked up a couple of 5 drawer laterals at local resell store for $25 ea. Put them on 4 wheel HF dollies so I have them all pushed next to each other in a corner! Works great, for high density storage
!

 

[evintho]

I have a HON 2-drawer lateral that holds some metal working tools in the top drawer and woodworking in the bottom. It was a freebie (dumpster acquisition) in excellent condition. It's out of the way and has worked fine for me for years.

 

[mike93lx]

I've owned a couple Hon and currently have one in my reloading room. Definitely good quality.

The two I am looking at are Haworth, which I haven't heard of before.

 

[fourbyford]

I have 3 in my shop... as was mentioned, older is better. I guess I have sort of a love-hate thing going. I keep a variety of largish power tools in mine. The drawers are large enough to hold large tools... with room to spare. And, that is what I see as a problem. I've thought I will build a sort of tray insert and/or some sort of divider system which might help with using the space more effectively. What I don't want is to open a drawer and have to sort through a pile of power tools to get the one I want. Even in the pics above, there is physically more room in those drawers for more tools, but adding more would just be clutter. I haven't yet given up on mine... they're probably 50 or more years old, very well built and just plain cool... but I think there are better ways to store tools.
...D

 

[rnixon]

I've got a few, add up to about 54 cu.ft. of storage , best part was $20. each.

 

[RTM]

I used a lateral file cabinet for tool storage, and it wasn't great. I had woodworking planes in there originally, and just too much depth for practicality. IF you can do like Evintho did, and keep everything to a single level, that will work well. Currently the low usage circ saws and sanders are in there, with their accessories.

I've considered the shallower card file drawers like isb shows, and would consider that if I had more wall space for them. Downside is they often have open bottoms, so putting small stuff in there can occasionally fall out, so you've got to line the drawers.

 

[555]

I have two lateral file cabinets that were free. One on Craigslist and the other at a yard sale.

 

[mike93lx]

What I really need is a setup like Ron Paulk uses in his trailer... A place for each tool.

Just to find the time to actually execute on that.

 

[rsanter]

I tried file cabinets and hated them, but then I like having my tools in their plastic cases.
If we are talking hand power tools it would likly be better.
What did I not like about them, well it because they can’t be adjusted and I feel they end up wasting space unless you basically just pile the tools in there.

Sure for some thing they can be nice but I got rid of the ones I had.

For the money used they are a bargain so maybe you go that way now and as you get deals on other stuff you can upgrade from there.

I love my pallet racks, they hold tons of stuff...literally.
You may want to keep the pallet rack and just put the shelves over head height. Put the file cabinets in them and then you created overhead storage for larger things.
I used to one one as a lumber rack/workbench and then stored the table saw, shaper, jointer and air compressor under it

Bob

 

[mike93lx]

I tried file cabinets and hated them, but then I like having my tools in their plastic cases.
If we are talking hand power tools it would likly be better.
What did I not like about them, well it because they can’t be adjusted and I feel they end up wasting space unless you basically just pile the tools in there.

Sure for some thing they can be nice but I got rid of the ones I had.

For the money used they are a bargain so maybe you go that way now and as you get deals on other stuff you can upgrade from there.

I love my pallet racks, they hold tons of stuff...literally.
You may want to keep the pallet rack and just put the shelves over head height. Put the file cabinets in them and then you created overhead storage for larger things.
I used to one one as a lumber rack/workbench and then stored the table saw, shaper, jointer and air compressor under it

Bob

I have 7.5' ceilings and am 6.5' tall. There is no over head shelving going in my garage

 

[BukitCase]

Mike, I have 6 of the Haworth 2 drawer laterals; they are counterbalanced and built like a battleship. Gave $40 each on CL for 'em, they're still stacked on a pallet ATM but the plan is to weld up angle frames that hold 2 each (makes 'em about the same height as my 3 44" tops and bottoms) - I'll weld plates on the bottoms of the frames for 2"x6" urethane casters.

BTW, I looked up Haworth's stuff online and those 2 drawers retail for around $1500 EACH - made $40 look almost reasonable :=)

There's never enough room, so I have everything either on casters/mobile stands or with a pocket for my 8k pound pallet jack.

Sometimes I feel like I'm playing chess with life-size pieces, but eventually I extricate what I need at the time ... Steve

 

[Zaxxn]

The 27 drawer cabinet was $20 and I bought 7 of them. I kept the one in the picture. The others sold for $100 each.

Sorry for the thread hijack - but you wouldn't by any chance have a drawer for that cabinet laying around? I bought the same one at a yard sale, and it's missing one drawer...

Thanks,
Zax

 

[mike93lx]

Mike, I have 6 of the Haworth 2 drawer laterals; they are counterbalanced and built like a battleship. Gave $40 each on CL for 'em, they're still stacked on a pallet ATM but the plan is to weld up angle frames that hold 2 each (makes 'em about the same height as my 3 44" tops and bottoms) - I'll weld plates on the bottoms of the frames for 2"x6" urethane casters.

BTW, I looked up Haworth's stuff online and those 2 drawers retail for around $1500 EACH - made $40 look almost reasonable :=)

There's never enough room, so I have everything either on casters/mobile stands or with a pocket for my 8k pound pallet jack.

Sometimes I feel like I'm playing chess with life-size pieces, but eventually I extricate what I need at the time ... Steve

The seller agreed to 150 for 2 five drawer cabs, which is a decent deal, but not earth shattering. I decided to pass for now. I tend to try compromises like this and am never really happy.

I think I am going to focus on purge first, then get to building some cabinets. I am not in a rush, just want to see some light at the end of the tunnel.

 

[racerex]

I picked up two lateral file cabinets (Steelcase) from my employer. Painted them red and mounted them to bases with locking casters.

 

[code-sloth]

I picked up two lateral file cabinets (Steelcase) from my employer. Painted them red and mounted them to bases with locking casters.

Those look great. What kind of paint did you use? It looks better than rattle cans!

 

[MileHighRover]

Previous owner of my shop used file cabinets, put them on a base, and mounted a wood top to them. Works great for bulky items. (Sorry, that's the best picture I have of them on my computer.)

 

[ScottsGT]

We're packing up and moving at work and one of our areas has an old Index Card file cabinet with 8 drawers. Unfortunately, the guys want to keep it. I saw it and immediately realized it would make a perfect ammo storage cabinet. I'm about to head over to our salvage/inventory area to see if there is one I can get my hands on.

 

[racerex]

Those look great. What kind of paint did you use? It looks better than rattle cans!

Rust-oleum safety red (the professional line), applied with a foam roller. I did pre-paint the hard to reach areas with the safety red rattle can version before using the roller. I also removed the cabinet doors....made painting easier. I did debate shooting it with a HVLP, but you'd have to really thin the paint.....and I was too lazy to go through the effort to protect my garage from the overspray......it was late fall, so too cool to spray outdoors.

 

[chstrumpetdude]

I too thought about lateral cabinets, but the ones I have found so far, at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore, seemed too flimsy for heavy loading and some were HON.

I do have two Steelcase regular cabinets that I got for $25 total at a thrift store that are older. They aren't ball bearing, but they do have steel wheels and are heavier gauge steel cases. I use one drawer as a junk drawer for my hand plane parts/future projects. IDK how much weight is in there, but it is almost full of plane bodies.

 

[mike93lx]

Previous owner of my shop used file cabinets, put them on a base, and mounted a wood top to them. Works great for bulky items. (Sorry, that's the best picture I have of them on my computer.)

2 drawer cabinets on a platform that creates a toe kick could possibly work. I need to keep some space open to roll in bulky items (shop vac, generator, welder, jack, etc) which makes this tough. I really only have about 10-12 feet to work with, after I take out my tool chest, and space for large woodworking tools.

I really need to build a small workshop in my backyard. Even 12x20 would help so much

 

[Jack84]

Use this 3 drawer cabinet that I bolted to my workbench. Works great.

 

[mike93lx]

Use this 3 drawer cabinet that I bolted to my workbench. Works great.

Those look pretty shallow. That's not a normal file cabinet, right?

 

[Jack84]

Those look pretty shallow. That's not a normal file cabinet, right?

Indeed. This was a block of drawers that went under a desk. Should have said that in the post since it’s kinda off topic but gives you inspiration using office furniture in a garage. These ones are all steel and with ball bearing guides. Got it from the scrap bin at work when they where redoing the offices.

 

[Steve from Socal]

I have several 5 drawer lateral files I use for shop storage. The drawers are pretty sturdy but, not like a tooling cabinet. There are a few drawers that have a couple hundred pounds or more of stuff. Maybe over 300 pounds in one or two. The top drawer is a flip up door and slide out shelf on most with drawers below. They hold everything from hardware to machine tooling and, small tools.

These are 4 in my lathe area,
Steve

 

[zekgb64]

Laterals sprayed with thinned Rustoleum using a Harbor Freight airless HVLP sprayer, picked up one for free and the other two for $100 total. Added two more supply cabinets for $200, super happy with this setup.

Things like car and service covers, paint supplies, extension cords, corded power tools and blow molded cases are all now hidden away instead of living on a shelf gathering dust.

 

[Aberdale]

I have 6 lateral file cabinets in the shop. Before I bought them, I kept supplies on open shelves. I create a fair amount of dust during projects, and all of the stuff on open shelves would get covered and make a mess.

I'm pretty happy with the lateral files. I keep most of my consumables in there (lubricants, adhesives, Brakleen, aerosols) and some of my more bulky/messy tools (funnels, drain pans, bottle jacks, chains). It has helped keep the workspace tidier. and wiping down the cabinets is far easier than trying to clean off shelves.

I also have an extra lateral file for shop and owners manuals. It's nice having all of the reference materials organized and in one place.

 

[drivesitfar]

ALL: there are so many choices when you say FILE CABINETS, but I do prefer them to toolboxes.

here's a link to the metal cabinets in the Vintage section in case some of you might want to check it out and see more cabinets that would look good in your shops and home garages.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=305350

these old Boeing computer file cabinets hold a ton of stuff. these do have a small 1 inch gap in the bottom of each bin (2 bins per drawer) that I covered up with hardyboard, but I picked up a ton of 1/16 gauge aluminum that i'm going to put in them instead when I have time to cut it up.

 

[sonoronos]

I think the biggest difference between file cabinets with drawers and dedicated toolboxes is that file cabinet drawers are usually designed to be tall and deep as opposed to toolbox drawers which are designed to be shallow and wide.

Most filing cabinets (I have a two-drawer HON in my garage for storage), will open to full depth, meaning that if the drawer is 28 inches front to back, it will stick out about 28 inches when fully opened. This can cause the file cabinet to start to tip forward if multiple drawers are opened all the way and they hold very heavy items.

The issue is compounded if you put the file cabinet on casters. My file cabinets are mounted on a 2x4 dolly and have the casters at the front of the cabinet mounted about 6 inches forward of the front to prevent this.

As far as "quality" goes, I have never seen a file cabinet that wasn't built like a brick. Not even the cheapest file cabinets.

 

[bobg03]

My garage is a tad bit bigger than yours, (still a 2 car tho) and I am unable (city ordinance) to place a shed where I would like. I have a couple of the older larger upright 5 drawer file cabinets and they hold a lot of things in their deep full extension drawers. Bulky powertools and small organizers for the most part. I had 15 of them in a larger garage so I really downsized when I came south 10 years ago.

My garage was bumped 8' out to allow room for a minimum of 2 motorcycles and 2 cars of nominal size, it also has a working sauna in it that is walled in. I regret not bumping the side out 4' now, If it wasn't for having to relocate both AC units and the generator I would consider it, but at this age I think I'll make do.

 

[RaisedByWolves]

We're packing up and moving at work and one of our areas has an old Index Card file cabinet with 8 drawers. Unfortunately, the guys want to keep it. I saw it and immediately realized it would make a perfect ammo storage cabinet. I'm about to head over to our salvage/inventory area to see if there is one I can get my hands on.

I have a couple like this, trash picked both of them years apart, their awesome for storage.


Last year I also picked up a typesetters cabinet for hardware organization.

 

[drivesitfar]

I do like these older smaller drawer built like tanks cabinets and the 2 and 4 drawer file cabinets not so much. nice finds and there is also a metal cabinet thread in vintage tools you can all check out and post your cool cabinets on.

 

[lynnbilodeau]

Because most businesses are going paperless, used file cabinets (even high quality ones) are almost free. I have bought several at Public Surplus auctions. The bigger, the better. I have one down at my shop (it isn't in its final resting place, but will be easy to move) and have A LOT of power tools stored in it, almost all of them still in the plastic containers they came in. I have two circular saws, a sawzall, a 6 inch concrete grinder, hammer drills, angle grinders... well, you get the picture. I like high quality tool storage for my hand tools that I use all the time, but a big file cabinet works great for those bigger items that you don't use daily.

 

[BukitCase]

I got 6 of these heavy duty lateral file cabs, woulda preferred the 4 drawer instead of two. As is, if one drawer is open the other one's locked shut. They're also counterbalanced (inside rear wall) - When I find another "tuit" I plan to fab 3 angle iron cage type frames (2 cabs each frame) and put heavy casters on the frames, basically cobbling up 3 LARGE drawered rollaways.

Frames will include a lock bar from top to bottom, plus I do have all the keys/locks for the cabs.

Not as cheep as some I've seen, but the seller had more than I needed and he and a friend (both were bigger than me) helped me sort and load the best 6 he had onto my trailer. Once I got 'em home I have all the "helpers" I need, couple cranes, case backhoe, pallet jack, etc

For now, they live in one of 5 shipping containers, a 20, 2 40's and 2 40 HiCubes - I'm not really a hoarder, I'm just doing this to piss off my kids when I die ... Steve

 

[garagemahal76]

I just finally set my cabinet score into location. any more and I would be having to stack them. I scored (public hospital auction) for total cost of $148 (mostly the Uhaul truck rental fees) a 5 drawer, two 4 drawer, 6 2 drawer lateral cabs; big Lyon brand dual locker, a 4 drawer and 7 drawerstd. style file cabinets. painting them with rustoleum chalked in serenity blue - looks almost grey. will hold most of what needs organized around the garage. fits 9 6.5 qt sterilite containers per lateral drawer. not too shabby of a score! pics soon...

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

I had a tall lateral file in my Pasadena garage. Got rid of it when I moved here to Glendora but I now wish I'd kept it. Current house had some of the particle board cabinets already in the garage plus I had two in my old garage so I opted to combine them with a coat of paint. Not a great decision.

Yellow one is mine. Red ones were some other GJ'er and I just kept the photo. I think they look good, are lockable - if you need that. I'd never thought about mounting them on a moving base but that sound good. Personally, I'd put a carabiner or something on them to keep them from falling over...just in case. I can be a nitwit at times, ha ha.