Scored (2) Metal Cabinets from work

[aqr81]

Last week I purchased another couple of discontinued office items from my work. The first is a nice Allsteel 2 door cabinet with (3) adjustable shelves and sturdy bottom. The doors lock and I got the keys. This will be good for power tools or paint/solvents storage cabinet chemicals that I want to keep the kids or others out of.

The other is a Steelcase 10 drawer card file cabinet (has locks and keys). Each drawer has a metal divider down the middle and an adjustable stop on each side of the divider. This cabinet will be used for screws, nails, small parts, fasteners of all types etc.

I got these for $25 a piece. I haven’t settled on the colors for the garage/shop yet. At some point I will paint these as well.

 

[Aspen RT]

Good deal !

 

[TLCDino]

Sweet score.

 

[mixxmstrmike]

That 2-door cabinet is definitely a great score.

-Mike

 

[HSURDDY]

Nice. You can't go wrong with any steel cabinets....

 

[gilbo]

very nice i luv the card file cabinet, i have one as well

 

[PCO6]

The other is a Steelcase 10 drawer card file cabinet (has locks and keys). Each drawer has a metal divider down the middle and an adjustable stop on each side of the divider. This cabinet will be used for screws, nails, small parts, fasteners of all types etc.

Good score! Those hold a LOT of hardware. You'll probably find that the drawer dividers pop out. I bought cabinets that had dividers that were specifically made for storing autopsy records. I was going to turn them down until I realized they were just pressed in. They were a VERY tight fit and it took a bit of prying but they came out with no damage to the drawers. It also reduced the drawer weight to about 1/3!

 

[Nighttrain]

Good score! Those hold a LOT of hardware. You'll probably find that the drawer dividers pop out. I bought cabinets that had dividers that were specifically made for storing autopsy records. I was going to turn them down until I realized they were just pressed in. They were a VERY tight fit and it took a bit of prying but they came out with no damage to the drawers. It also reduced the drawer weight to about 1/3!

I wonder why autopsy records are so skinny?

 

[PCO6]

I wonder why autopsy records are so skinny?

They were small pieces of glass (about 1" x 3") and fit in to the tracks that you see in the first photo. The glass pieces were in small plasic envelopes. The glass appeared to have very small blotches of blood on them with handwritten codes of some sort. They came from a hospital that was upgrading its filing system. The cabinets were properly cleaned out and they assurred me that their was nothing to be concerned about. They were empty but I found a few old glass pieces and envelopes when I pulled out the dividers. I didn't weigh the drawers with the dividers in but they were heavy. With the glass pieces they must have been VERY heavy. No amount of hardware I put in there will amount to what was previously in them.

 

[aqr81]

Good score! Those hold a LOT of hardware. You'll probably find that the drawer dividers pop out. I bought cabinets that had dividers that were specifically made for storing autopsy records. I was going to turn them down until I realized they were just pressed in. They were a VERY tight fit and it took a bit of prying but they came out with no damage to the drawers. It also reduced the drawer weight to about 1/3!

The divider is held in with a couple of small screws that go through a flange on each end of the divider. They attach to the drawer front and back inside panels.

 

[PAToyota]

The one office I was working at was remodeling. They were going to throw all of the file cabinets into the dumpster. I offered to come in after hours to do it - and loaded them into my truck rather than the dumpster...

Built a base for some of them and put them in my woodshop to store tools. Then painted them with Hammerite paint. Turned out great!

 

[aqr81]

[
A couple of months ago I also picked up (2) two drawer later file cabinets like shown in your picture, and a nice tall slide door bookcase (both Steelcase). I intend on incorporating the lateral file cabinets into a work bench. I have (10) Steelcase 5 drawer file cabinets I have picked up over the years as well and they work great.

I'll check out the Hammerite paint, looks good in the pics. If you do a lot of woodworking, does the texture of the paint tend to catch the dust more than a smooth surface? Does HD or Lowes carry this brand?

(I was in a hurry and stand corrected)

 

[PAToyota]

First, why does everyone insist on quoting everything (including pictures) when the original post is right above? [end rant...]

Lowes and HD carry Rustoleum "Hammered" paint, but I don't think it really compares to the true Hammerite. I got mine from a local distributor. You can search from their website.

The Hammerite is glossy. You can feel the texture running your fingers over it, but I've never had anything stick to it any more than anything else. It isn't coarse like sandpaper or anything.

I picked up a couple dozen cabinets. I've got plans for more of them.

 

[csp]

Lowes and HD carry Rustoleum "Hammered" paint, but I don't think it really compares to the true Hammerite. I got mine from a local distributor.

True. Home Depot used to carry Hammerite. I stocked up when I heard they were discontinuing it.

Here's how I setup my card file drawers.

 

[milner351]

I got a cardfile cabinet like the tall one in the original post - I built a roller base for it out of angle iron and welded casters to that - I've stored power tools, abrasives, etc, in it for years - it's a great addition to the shop.

 

[NUTTSGT]

$25, looks like a good score. The short one would be perfect for paint storage.

 

[Lawson4450]

yeah i got two of those for nothing they are heavy but they are worth it havent figured out where they will fit but oh yes they go in.