Lateral File cabinet, cheap storage option

[kwoody51]

I think this has been discussed before but I thought I'd share since I'm really happy with the outcome.

I picked up this discarded cabinet from my work for $30. Holds a lot more the the previous open wood shelf I had before.

You can kind of see the old shelf in this photo.

The new setup is a lot "cleaner" looking than the old. Only downside is that I now need 36" of space as the drawers open up 18" out, just had to move one of my bikes out a bit, not a huge deal.

 

[ddawg16]

Boy.....talk about lame.....putting that thing next to your black tool box....

Just kidding....actually, it's a really good idea......

But I would paint it black....It would then make that side of the garage look really nice.....

Side note....I know we all agree that paint does nothing for functionality.....but, sometimes it just makes things look better and does wonders for our 'attitude'.

Thanks for sharing.....I think I will need to start looking for one of those...

 

[Daedalus]

Those things are $3-400 on sale, so that's quite a score. I bought a used on off CL a year ago for $180 and thought I got a decent deal. I looked for a while before finding one that big for that cheap. For the garage I use steel racks on rollers, but that sure gives a much neater look to the garage, rather than a bunch of cluttered open shelves.

 

[Andy Griffith]

I picked up one of these a couple years ago from a law office. One of the drawers was jammed so they gave it away on craigslist. It's a good thing I brought my son with me to pick it up because that thing is heavy. The drawers hold quite a bit of weight.

I made an angle iron frame and put casters on it like I do all of the storage cabinets so I can move it around when required. I use mine to store most of the reloading stuff, press parts, bullets, brass etc.

 

[kwoody51]

Yes they are very heavy! We loaded it with a forklift and gravity helped with the unloading. They have a counterweight in the back of them to prevent them from tipping over when a drawer is open.

Painting it would be nice, but I don't know if I see that in the cards right now. It would be nice to match my other box, but I know how dusty the black gets. Plus this cabinet has some bumps and bruises which black is never good at hiding so..... I'll probably wait.... forever, before it gets painted. I did think about it though, for a brief second

 

[PassnThru]

I love this kind of stuff. When you think about it, that lateral file was built to be fully loaded with paper. That is a lot of weight. Of course, a new one sells for a lot of money. But you can find quite a few used ones if you look for a decent price. If a box manufacturer made something like that it would be way more money new due to the matching paint and logo not to mention that they won't make as many. I'll venture to guess that there have been a whole lot more lateral filing cabinets made than toolboxes so they can be made cheaper.
The only problem I see with a lateral file is that it wasn't designed to take that weight on the bottom of the drawer - it was designed for the weight to be hanging from the upright portions of the drawer. But the bottom still is plenty strong for most uses.

 

[kwoody51]

Yeah these things new are like $1000+ for the size that I have.

Your right about the drawer design, however I figured I'd load up one drawer with oil and coolant, as shown above and see what happened. That drawer, with the most weight, is the smoothest of all of them. The drawers when empty or with little weight didn't open well as they would get a little cocked when opening them and bind, with weight they don't do this.

Time will tell how the drawer with all the fluids in it holds up.

 

[Scout Driver]

Thats great! Paint it black and slap a Craftsman emblem on it.

Scott

 

[tkaotic]

I got one of these for free from a friend that had it in there rental property. Well it wasnt free it almost cost me a droppin a nut trying to get out of their basement. That has to be the heaviest cabinet ever.I had to take the drawers out to move it by myself. Great piece makes any garages look better.

 

[dodgepolara500]

see some on my local craigslist for cheap. Hmmmm....

 

[sevnd3z28]

I was thinking about picking one up for exactly the same use...I can get a few if I want for free. After thinking about it I passed only because I am trying to free up floor space.

After looking at this I might re-think and replace a shelving unit with the cabinet...looks good!

 

[OccupantRJ]

Here's mine this morning, pics taken in an 8 x 20 room. I bought them from a yard sale for $140 for all. I have them placed, but not really as organized as I will later have them. I needed to get them into their permanent area to get them out of the main shop room to allow me room to put up plywood walls in there. They will be repainted later, as well as the bolt bins and other cabinets in this room. It feels so good to have my shop back after 10 years, that I can wait for paint when the time is right. I have to say that they are the best storage solution I have ever tried, and I have been into workshop activity for 45 years. There are types where all the doors hinges up and into the cabinet to expose the drawer/shelf, like mine, and some cabinets only do this on the upper shelf, all the rest are drawers only. I liked the type I got because the doors will all slide back, and you still have tray drawers to pull out for easier access. The 10 year wait was from an incident years back, see link for details.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=50169