Repairing Stanley Vidmar Tool Cabinets

[geardoc]

I came across a deal on a set of 12 Stanley Vidmar tool cabinets that came out of Redstone Arsenal in Alabama.

They are the ones that are 5'-6' tall and 6-8 drawers, and they are a powder blue color, Made in the USA.

Here is my problem:

There were no keys for any of the locks. The were unlocked but the locking mechanism appears to be causing drawers to stick and other random assorted shenanigans. In addition, I need to see how to repair/replace the roller system for the drawers too.

Given that these were used by the miltary, shouldn't there be a repair manual out there somewhere ?

If I post pictures, can someone ID the part number or model, possibly ?

I picked them up for $50 -$75 a piece and they're really good boxes, even if I don't end up using 1 drawer every other box.

I won't mention that I also got a Central Machinery 3 in 1 Mill/Lathe for $200, as well.

 

[Bull]

Sounds like a phenomenal deal. Although I wish my Vidmar had wider drawers, it still revolutionized my tool storage and organization after I picked it up for $200 on CL. I can never look at my old, flimsy 26" Craftsman cabinets the same way again.

 

[Jack Olsen]

Those are great cabinets. The locking mechanism is pretty easily defeated.

 

[mikegt4]

We have lots of Vidmar cabinets at work. The cabinets are designed so that only one drawer at a time can be open. There is a bar on the inside back wall of the cabinet that hooks on to the back of the drawers. The key lock, via a long link, will prevent the safety bar from moving.
About once a month someone will pull out 2 drawers at the same time which mis-positions the safety bar and doesn't allow the drawers to close unless they are both closed at exactly the same time. This can also jam the safety bar's latch so that no drawers will open even if the key lock is not engaged. I use a 1/8" x 3/4" metal strip about 3' long to release the safety bar. I slide the strip in just above the top drawer and push sideways to release the catch on the back wall. A Maglite is needed to see back in there while you try to trip the latch.
To remove a drawer roll it all the way out and lift up the front to disengage the rollers from the tracks, pull the drawer farther out until the back roller can be lifted out. Some models may have a catch on each track that needs to be released in order to move the drawer far enough out to lift the first roller out. Once a few drawers are out you can remove the keylock linkage or replace the lock.

 

[rhastings80]

you needs this:
http://www.stanleyvidmar.com/sites/www.stanleyvidmar.com/files/pdfs/Locking_Devices.pdf

And this:
http://www.stanleyvidmar.com/how-buy/locks-and-keys

 

[Regnar]

Unless you plan on rolling these cabinets around often get rid of the Saftey Bars. They are way more trouble then they are worth.

When you order the drawer slides from vidmar they will include directions on how to replace.......but they are really not required. If your rollers are the only thing causing you problems you might be able to purchase just regular bearings and with a little modification have them fixed in no time. Vidmar replacement slides are not cheap.

Military rarely repair these cabinets and thats how most of the guys here are able to purchase them so cheaply on different sites. Case in point

http://www.govliquidation.com/auction/search?cmd=results&fromsearch=true&words=vidmar

 

[geardoc]

Military rarely repair these cabinets and thats how most of the guys here are able to purchase them so cheaply on different sites. Case in point

They go $200+ a piece when they sell. Those have many days to go in your link.

If I had known about the locking mechanism BS I wouldn't have the problem I have now.

<----------------*****.

 

[Regnar]

They go $200+ a piece when they sell. Those have many days to go in your link.

If you ever get a chance look at what they cost new. 200 bucks is a drop in a bucket. I was able to purchase my lot for 300 but it came with 3 9 drawers and 3 upper cabinets. I think you still ended up with a better deal.

Also the key replacement is cheap. Locks are not to bad either if you want to key them all the same. http://www.stanleyvidmar.com/quickship/keys

 

[Getinlaid]

I'm looking to see if anyone has replaced the bearings on the slides and if so, What is the rivet size and bearing size?

 

[cbacres]

I'm looking to see if anyone has replaced the bearings on the slides and if so, What is the rivet size and bearing size?

Are the bearings actually bad? I've had a couple of cabs where the bearing was stiff to not rolling, sprayed with brake clean or a 50/50 acetone/****** fluid mix worked really well. You'll want to flush anf rotate to get all the gunk out.

Just use a oil, 3-1 oil works. Even if bearings are worn some, they'll last most of use a lifetime with home shop use.

 

[crbnfbr]

Are the bearings actually bad? I've had a couple of cabs where the bearing was stiff to not rolling, sprayed with brake clean or a 50/50 acetone/****** fluid mix worked really well. You'll want to flush anf rotate to get all the gunk out.

Just use a oil, 3-1 oil works. Even if bearings are worn some, they'll last most of use a lifetime with home shop use.

I agree, the bearings on my recently purchased eye level 9 drawer 45" wide 9 drawer cabinet had some stiff bearings. I cleaned them with acetone then blew them dry with the compressor then I used Permatex assembly lube (as that is what they recommend) on some of the drawers, and on the other drawers I used a 3 in 1 oil to compare.

 

[slodat]

My newest (to me) Vidmar has one bearing missing on one of the slides. Any thoughts on how to mount a bearing once I find one? Or do I need to find a slide?

 

[climb.on]

My newest (to me) Vidmar has one bearing missing on one of the slides. Any thoughts on how to mount a bearing once I find one? Or do I need to find a slide?

I've seen at least one other thread a while back on this topic. I recall the consensus was that it's not really feasible, since there is not an off the shelf replacement and that they are riveted on. You might be bale to buy a new track assembly, if it's on the cabinet side. Might be looking for a new drawer if it's on the drawer side.

 

[slodat]

I found this thread: http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=155161

Ordered a bearing and the bolt. I'll post up results.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[slodat]

Ordered bearing and bolt mentioned in thread I linked above.



Flattened a 1/4-20 T nut and trimmed it to length. And assembled onto drawer with red loctite. Then trimmed excess length off the threaded end.





Works great!!

These can be repaired...

 

[Trey T]

did you end up replacing all of your bearings or just some?

 

[slodat]

I had a bearing missing. This would be very expensive to replace them all. I've had zero bad bearings out of 36 drawers. They needed to be cleaned out (I used brake clean) and lubricated (I used Permatex assembly lube).


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Carquest]

Amazing how much difference it makes just cleaning and oiling the bearings. I also spray white lithium grease on the outside of the bearings, curious to see how long that lasts. Not exactly a high stress enviroment in my home workshop

 

[AmericanMechanic]

Hi, i bought what im pretty sure is a Vidmar chest, about 30" wide and tall. 6 drawer. It has the vertical angle irom on the side that can swing around to cover all the drawers and be padlocked, which i see Vidmar offers.

I'm trying to determine if i have a bearing issue that's contributing to sloppy drawer operation.

On each slide the upper ball bearings freed up with a shot of WD-40.

But, on the lower portion of each slide, there are two plain steel bearings. They are riveted in and appear to be original. These bearings have about 3/32" of slop on the shaft, which seems very excessive. However since they are all pretty much the same, I'm not sure.

Also, shouldn't the slides and the drawer both hit a stop (not keep pulling)? I'll look into this tomorrow and see if i can identify any issue.

Thanks!

 

[AmericanMechanic]

I should add, the roller slide tracks are locked in place with a phillips head screw, which surprised me a bit. Is that normal? Also surprising was that i dont see any tabs or other feature on the moving half of the slide that keeps it from pulling out out of cabinet if you pull the drawer far enough.

 

[wkndwarrior29]

I should add, the roller slide tracks are locked in place with a phillips head screw, which surprised me a bit. Is that normal? Also surprising was that i dont see any tabs or other feature on the moving half of the slide that keeps it from pulling out out of cabinet if you pull the drawer far enough.

You would have better luck getting a reply if you post pictures. Assuming it is an older model, the trays have keeps which do not let them slide out - then the drawers have tabs on the bottom which do not let them slide past the trays.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[AmericanMechanic]

I'm suspecting there should be a tab in the narrow slot in the first image, which is pulled up to remove the drawer.

The two plain steel bearings on the bottom of each slide are the ones with potentially excessive play



<a href="https://ibb.co/3C2HvLD"><img src="https://i.ibb.co/G5yj9bK/Screenshot-20190406-075528-Gallery.jpg" alt="Screenshot-20190406-075528-Gallery" border="0"></a><br /><a target='_blank' href='https://freeonlinedice.com/'>google flip</a><br />

<a href="https://ibb.co/s5SSpYb"><img src="https://i.ibb.co/db99sYj/Screenshot-20190406-075012-Gallery.jpg" alt="Screenshot-20190406-075012-Gallery" border="0"></a><br /><a target='_blank' href='https://imgbb.com/'>image hosting</a><br />

<a href="https://ibb.co/FXfTPtk"><img src="https://i.ibb.co/pQsFmp6/Screenshot-20190406-075517-Gallery.jpg" alt="Screenshot-20190406-075517-Gallery" border="0"></a>

 

[AmericanMechanic]

Aha. One of the drawers has the latches. I'll see if i can order replacements or else have to fab something up to drop into the slot.


<a href="https://ibb.co/64LXQ9D"><img src="https://i.ibb.co/vJRX9yL/Screenshot-20190406-081037-Gallery.jpg" alt="Screenshot-20190406-081037-Gallery" border="0"></a><br /><a target='_blank' href='https://freeonlinedice.com/'>google flip</a><br />

 

[pcmeiners]

You can order from parts from Vidmar; parts are relatively cheap, aside from shipping. What you have is NO maintenance hardware..no one ever did any maintenance.

All bearing and rollers are exactly what is expected on the slide mechanisms. The lower rollers have significant play as designed. You need to clean and re-grease all parts, including the slide surfaces the bearings/rollers roll on. From the metal filing, the slides have never been greased.

"I'm suspecting there should be a tab in the narrow slot in the first image, which is pulled up to remove the drawer."
Yes, there should be a tab on either side of slide hardware

"The two plain steel bearings on the bottom of each slide are the ones with potentially excessive play"
Totally normal, by design

 

[slodat]

I cleaned each bearing on mine and used Permatex assembly lube. I read somewhere this is the recommended lubricant. They are great after!

 

[AmericanMechanic]

Thanks. I cleaned, sanded, primed, and painted mine. Waiting on the paint to harden!

 

[AmericanMechanic]

The cabinet has no internal lock (but has the external "angle iron" that can be padlocked). Given the vertical bracket in tbe back right, i wonder if it originally had an internal lock also.

 

[prone2xl]

Hey guys sorry to resurrect a dead thread but I think I have a relevant question. Used lista scored on CL. Looks like the bearings are riveted on. Do you just spray them with the brake cleaner or ATF or is there also a cleaning mechanism used also to like remove the previous gunk contributing to the stiff bearing? I’m guessing that’s what the call a Seized bearing also? I’m posting pics as I’m a newbie to all this. There’s also a freely movable bearing in the mid/rear of mine that doesn’t have an inner thing that the others do. So i guess to be clear. What exactly am I cleaning and what should I use and etc ? Just keep hearing different opinions and wanna approach this in the best way.
All help appreciated thanks !



Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[Mike Low]

I bought what I believe is a Vidmar cabinet only to discover that it needs replacement drawer latches that are on the back of the cabinet. Some of them have had epoxy applied to them. They're attached by six screws. Do anyone know where I could find these latches? The cabinet seems to be in very good shape apart from this (hopefully solvable) problem.