Toolbox Decision Help ASAP

[Tenex]

I have the opportunity to buy a blueprint filing cabinet through a Facebook market and I need help with some ideas. The guy says each section has 5 drawers. He has 4 sections and they all will hold his 27" x 40" posters with room to spare. He's asking $200. My dilemma is that none of the sections have a locking mechanism and I don't know what the drawer slides are rated for. I need help coming up with some ideas on how to lock this thing down so my tools don't walk off. If it's not a good candidate for my purposes please let me know.

 

[Dick in Wisconsin]

My guess is that once you fill 27" by 40" drawers with tools, the drawers and slides will fail. Any idea what gauge the drawers are?

Keep in mind that blueprint filing cabinets are engineered for "paper" and you're going to use them for steel.

You could create a locking system by using a steel bar vertically in front of the drawers and then putting a lock on it.

Cabinets like these are usually hard to find. That sound like a great price for four, five drawer cabinets.

 

[Swingpress]

Buy it, clean it, sell it, buy cool boxes you CAN use.....

 

[DavidAPT]

So $40 for my blueprint cabinet was a steal?

Fasten a drop in bar down the front.

 

[gdocktor3]

You can use a lock like this

 

[T45]

paper is basically wood, so its not all that light either....depends on how much capacity those draws are filled to...should no be flimsy...maybe google around a bit.

 

[Mohawk Dave]

those drawers will hold any shop tools you put in them. BTDT. And many other guys on GJ have them full of sockets and wrenches etc.

I sold my cabinets b/c they were so damn deep and I did not have that much room. Mine were 36" deep, all my listas/vidmars are 30", so that 6" sticking out was a hip catcher.

 

[ryan20021982]

I had 2 sections and a base I got for $100 and I just didnt like the non full extension drawers, no way to get to the back. I was going to just block off the back and use the part you can get to but I ended up selling them for a good profit.

 

[jd_1138]

It's probably not strong enough to hold tools.

 

[1982fxr]

Ehhhhh on those things.

Hold a tape measure up to a wall and check out how much space you will need including your own body just to open the drawers as far as they go...

 

[Moparman390]

Depends on how much you need the locking mechanism and how much you intend to cram in there. Stacks of large blueprints a couple inches high can get pretty heavy, usually those things are built pretty stout. As long as you look at it and see its not some sort of cheapo one it should hold tools laid out well just don't cram it full like a horader.

 

[DIYJus]

I work with engineering firms all the time. Most of those plan cabinets are REALLY strong. Much better quality than bargain/average toolboxes. I have one that I store laptop power supplies in. It has maybe 100 in it and doesn't have any issues at all. Mine is lockable and has a mechanism that only allows one drawer to be opened at a time, protecting it from tipping over. Check the one you're looking at for these features, it could simplify your decision!

 

[ptgarcia]

We have a bunch of flat files here at the office (we are civil engineers and land surveyors), although most are 35 years old and made of hardwood. The few metal units are made by Mayline. They are nice and plenty sturdy for light tools but I would advise against loading them down too heavy. The drawers on the 24"x36" cabinet are only rated for 40lbs, so I'd imagine the 27"x40" drawers won't hold much more.

 

[Ilikeike]

I picked one up awhile back from My Dads office, I modified it for small parts storage. Definitely not strong enough to load up with a real tool cabinet amount of tools. And the back 1/3rd isn't really that accessible unless you lift the drawer over the stop and extend it, it was only designed for sliding plans in and out after all.

 

[Mr_B]

they do make good part/fittings organizers if price is right .

 

[rlitman]

We have a bunch of flat files here at the office (we are civil engineers and land surveyors), although most are 35 years old and made of hardwood. The few metal units are made by Mayline. They are nice and plenty sturdy for light tools but I would advise against loading them down too heavy. The drawers on the 24"x36" cabinet are only rated for 40lbs, so I'd imagine the 27"x40" drawers won't hold much more.

While it is common to see heaver ratings on a toolbox, consider that toolbox drawers are generally deeper too. There's only so much weight you can stuff into a thin drawer.

I'd guess that a real blueprint file will be fine, considering they're made to hold solid paper. Similarly sized cabinets designed for microfiche will be much lighter weight.

 

[ptgarcia]

The Stanley 014725 25-Removable Compartment Professional Organizer fit perfectly in mine. You can slide a couple in and push them all the way to the back and still have space up front for more junk.