Who has luck with filing cabinets?

[ClrkLndeKmt'su]

Here is an example of what I'm looking at

Box

 

[Mohawk Dave]

I have a 5 drawer. They were intended for blueprints. They are ball bearing and hold a lot of weight. A lot of real estate. The only downside is, at least on mine, is the drawer does not pull out all the way, so the last 8 or 9 inches is always hidden. Other than that I think it is great cheap storage. I forget who but 1 of the guys on here I have several of them stacked up and has all his tools in them. That is where I got the idea myself.

 

[ClrkLndeKmt'su]

I'm considering one for a road chest, something low to the ground so I can easily acces it in my van. I was unaware that they don't go all the way

 

[ClrkLndeKmt'su]

I'm considering one for a road chest, something low to the ground so I can easily acces it in my van. I was unaware that they don't go all the way out. I saw a 4 drawer in person, 4 inches deep per drawer, and it went all the way out?

 

[Outlawmws]

I think it may vary brand to brand, I recall them coming all the way out also (I used those for years at work and at many companies)

 

[WWIIjeep]

I think it may vary brand to brand

That. ^^^

We have a pair of 5-drawer units that are still used for blueprints, not tools. They're 60s-vintage Steelcase brand and the drawers do not have full extension.

 

[TheGrooveking]

I have two five drawer units at work next to one of my tool boxes that I use for files, instruction manuals, reference material and they work great for tools that you keep in their plastic cases.

TheGrooveking

 

[Maexle]

i do, and LOVE it......

see here, and you can find more posts from the building somewhere here on GJ:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=2673927&postcount=8265

 

[2oolhound]

Hey Maexle, do your drawers pull all the way out, it's hard to tell in the photo. Also did you remove the 2nd to last lower drawer to create one deep drawer on the bottom?

They do look good with the liners and checker plate. Nice job!

 

[Too_Many_Tools]

I have a 5 drawer. They were intended for blueprints. They are ball bearing and hold a lot of weight. A lot of real estate. The only downside is, at least on mine, is the drawer does not pull out all the way, so the last 8 or 9 inches is always hidden. Other than that I think it is great cheap storage. I forget who but 1 of the guys on here I have several of them stacked up and has all his tools in them. That is where I got the idea myself.

They work great.

They are not Lista cabinets ....you can't expect to put hundreds and hundreds of pounds of stuff in them.

They come in different widths..the 26",30" and 36" sizes are rarer.

Some units have drawers that come all the way out...others do not.

Stacking units will get you great storage.

I should add that some units are sliders while others are ball bearing.

 

[Maexle]

Hey Maexle, do your drawers pull all the way out, it's hard to tell in the photo. Also did you remove the 2nd to last lower drawer to create one deep drawer on the bottom?

They do look good with the liners and checker plate. Nice job!

Thanks, and i say again, i would not trade this cabinet for the best and most expensive Snap on box.

The entire depth is 32" but the drawers only pull out 2' . No issue for me because there is so much space in there, and i organized it the way that the big tools are in the back of the drawer so that i can still reach / see them.

Yes, i have combined the two bottom drawers to have one deep drawer at the bottom for power / air tools...... worked out fantastic.

 

[Maexle]

They work great.

They are not Lista cabinets ....you can't expect to put hundreds and hundreds of pounds of stuff in them.

They come in different widths..the 26",30" and 36" sizes are rarer.

Some units have drawers that come all the way out...others do not.

Stacking units will get you great storage.

I have to disagree, yes you can load them up, those drawers are made to handle the entire footprint x depth of the drawer of stacks of paper and this amount of paper gets heavy. Probably heavier than any hand tools you can load them with.

 

[Too_Many_Tools]

I have to disagree, yes you can load them up, those drawers are made to handle the entire footprint x depth of the drawer of stacks of paper and this amount of paper gets heavy. Probably heavier than any hand tools you can load them with.

I agree that the ball bearing units especially can hold heavy loads.

Some people will attempt to fill them full of metal...and that is pushing the envelope.

On Lista etc type cabinets you can step into the drawer and jump up and down...I would not do that with a flat file cabinet.

 

[Maexle]

I agree that the ball bearing units especially can hold heavy loads.

Some people will attempt to fill them full of metal...and that is pushing the envelope.

On Lista etc type cabinets you can step into the drawer and jump up and down...I would not do that with a flat file cabinet.

i would not do it with mine for one reason only: because the footprint of the drawer is so big and the drawers floor metal sheet will probably deform , but for that reason, the tool boxes don't come with drawers that big.

Smaller footprint: takes higher point load if the gliders are the same.

Mine has some nice roller gliders, even fully loaded they slide nicely.

That thing weights estimated about 400- 450 lbs empty (it is two parted and me and my co-worker carried it up from a basement and we are used to carry my jukeboxes....but this thing was a BEAST !!!)

I bought for my wife a HF 44" tool box and this was a sunday walk to unload from the truck in comparison to the blue print cabinet.

 

[Maexle]

I agree that the ball bearing units especially can hold heavy loads.

Some people will attempt to fill them full of metal...and that is pushing the envelope.

On Lista etc type cabinets you can step into the drawer and jump up and down...I would not do that with a flat file cabinet.

well, it didn't leave me alone, i just opened up a drawer and stood in it, no problem, no movement..... ( i am 6 ft tall and about 190 lbs)

 

[Maexle]

i have to add, the 190lbs are ALL MUSCLES and balls of course.....hehehehe

 

[RedFordTruck]

I had one until I got a husky chest.

I picked it up for $5 at a garage sale. SOB weighed probably 100 pounds and only had 3 drawers and a foot of space under them. After one drawer broke I decided it was time to move on and scrapped it for double what I paid.

 

[Too_Many_Tools]

i would not do it with mine for one reason only: because the footprint of the drawer is so big and the drawers floor metal sheet will probably deform , but for that reason, the tool boxes don't come with drawers that big.

Smaller footprint: takes higher point load if the gliders are the same.

Mine has some nice roller gliders, even fully loaded they slide nicely.

That thing weights estimated about 400- 450 lbs empty (it is two parted and me and my co-worker carried it up from a basement and we are used to carry my jukeboxes....but this thing was a BEAST !!!)

I bought for my wife a HF 44" tool box and this was a sunday walk to unload from the truck in comparison to the blue print cabinet.

Well said.

I try to get the narrower flat files...they are tool cabinets on steroids.

As you point out...they make most commercial tool storage look like junk.

 

[Maexle]

Well said.

I try to get the narrower flat files...they are tool cabinets on steroids.

As you point out...they make most commercial tool storage look like junk.

Very true,

mine is a "STACOR", made in Newark N.J. USA made "tool box" as well !! hehehehe

 

[Maexle]

Well said.

I try to get the narrower flat files...they are tool cabinets on steroids.

As you point out...they make most commercial tool storage look like junk.

if you want more info, let me know, i used Unistrut 12 gauge profiles for the bottom and back frame and added heavy duty castors.

everything else is open to be customized..... (that's what i like about it.....)

 

[Mohawk Dave]

When I was researching them, most are made to carry either 1000 or 1500 pages. That's a lot of paper. Blueprint size of course. Here's the pics that MAEXLE put up here: http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=2673927

That's why I got one for now...more to come. Thanks MAEXLE!

Also, I was brainstorming with my buddy. We're going to gut the bottom of one drawer and weld sides, front, and back to the drawer under it. That way it's tall enough to hold sockets. Will it hold the weight??? Dunno. Maybe reinforce the bottom as well. but it will have 4 slides.

 

[Too_Many_Tools]

if you want more info, let me know, i used Unistrut 12 gauge profiles for the bottom and back frame and added heavy duty castors.

everything else is open to be customized..... (that's what i like about it.....)

Great idea...got any pictures?

I have stacks of them on wooden pallets with 5" metal casters.

I have others yet to be customized...so I am interested in seeing your creations.

And YES...everything is open to be customized. ;<)

 

[Maexle]

left hand side:

right hand side:

back:

bottom frame:

another bottom pic:

 

[Maexle]

Guess that's enough to proof:

 

[ClrkLndeKmt'su]

Guess that's enough to proof:

That just sealed the deal for me

 

[Maexle]

That just sealed the deal for me

are you saying i am fat ????

 

[zkling]

are you saying i am fat ????

No, just dense . Just kidding man. I really do like your "mothership" setup.

As for the filing cabinets. I have always wanted one for the garage. An older man / neighbor down the street has a stack of them that he keeps all of his tools in. They are really nice, but he got them for free when his work changed over from acutal blue PRINTS to computerized cad system. I have seen a few on my local craigslist but they are listed in the $300-$600 for a stack. The cheapest I have seen is $80 per each 5 drawer section. For that money I just as well may purchase a used tool box.

On the other hand I do have a few standard 5 drawer vertical filing cabinents that I use to store bulky items such as power tools, wire and misc junk. They are the old heavy metal ones with ball bearing drawers. I have 3 of them and $10 invested total into them. If I could find a few of those drawing cabinenets I would definitaly make room for them. Great if you need alot of surface area storage, and not volume.

 

[Too_Many_Tools]

The cheapest I have seen is $80 per each 5 drawer section. For that money I just as well may purchase a used tool box.
.

They are much, much better than most used tool boxes.

The downside is that the most common size is 40"ish wide...a bit too wide for mobile storage.

The smaller (and rarer) ones are better built than most tool boxes.

 

[zkling]

They are much, much better than most used tool boxes.

The downside is that the most common size is 40"ish wide...a bit too wide for mobile storage.

The smaller (and rarer) ones are better built than most tool boxes.

Very true, plus I would have to buy a few of the 5 drawer sections to get proper height so I am not constantly bending over for my tools. Plus those were the large 48" x ~32" deep ones. Way too much depth for me. If they were the smaller ones I probably would have bought them.

 

[theknurl]

there are flat files (drafting cabinets) and map cases with metal flaps to keep maps flat

map cases have way thinner drawers
in "D" size, the big ones for "D" size paper
i have 5 or 6 (they're in Mom's garage)
a good Hamilton single section lists for ~$7,000 and thats without the top or bottom

for welding rod you want one of these, a steel roll file, the upper right one;
http://www.draftingfurniture.com/cgif/4960.jpg

good luck.....my map cases and roll file were free, i got 3 flat files for $45 from Stella's auction of the stuff at the used machinery business

 

[ClrkLndeKmt'su]

are you saying i am fat ????

Hahahaha I would say I'm probably a good 40 pounds on you. I just couldn't imagine ever doing that to my craftsman of my Mac cart, without extreme damage and Pain resulting lol

 

[Gotmayhem]

I'm not certain if this is helpful for this thread, but it seems similar enough. A coworker has had good luck with a rolling medical cabinet. I have no idea on the load capacity but it is great as a small roller. Sometimes you can find them for good prices from surplus dealers.

Something similar to this but with more drawers

 

[Maexle]

I'm not certain if this is helpful for this thread, but it seems similar enough. A coworker has had good luck with a rolling medical cabinet. I have no idea on the load capacity but it is great as a small roller. Sometimes you can find them for good prices from surplus dealers.

Something similar to this but with more drawers

is this pressed wood / ply wood ? If so: junk........ it'll swell with moisture and it'll soak up every bit of fluid and additional to this, the fasteners will tear apart sooner or later with hard use ....

 

[Gotmayhem]

is this pressed wood / ply wood ? If so: junk........ it'll swell with moisture and it'll soak up every bit of fluid and additional to this, the fasteners will tear apart sooner or later with hard use ....

Uh no man, it's steel.

At least the one he has is.

 

[Maexle]

Uh no man, it's steel.

At least the one he has is.

if i would find a decent steel medical cabinet i'd consider putting some nice large dia castors on it and use the hell out of it. Way to go.

 

[Gotmayhem]

if i would find a decent steel medical cabinet i'd consider putting some nice large dia castors on it and use the hell out of it. Way to go.

Yea I wish I could find a better picture but some of them are pretty heavy duty for what they are. Some have locking drawers too. My coworker's got a decent amount of sockets and whatnot in his and the drawers still open and close easy. They can be a good value to keep an eye out for.

 

[rusty65]

All I have to say about filing cabinets is that the pawn shop I visit monthly only uses filing cabinets to store tools and it works like a charm even for the heavy pipe wrench drawer.

 

[Maexle]

All I have to say about filing cabinets is that the pawn shop I visit monthly only uses filing cabinets to store tools and it works like a charm even for the heavy pipe wrench drawer.

My words.... I got the HF 44" a Kennedy and the blue print cabinet in the garage, no doubt about what's the strongest........

 

[Spudland_Dave]

i would not do it with mine for one reason only: because the footprint of the drawer is so big and the drawers floor metal sheet will probably deform , but for that reason, the tool boxes don't come with drawers that big.

I just scored 3 of them.. 2 of them are 46" wide and 72" tall, 5" drawers the whole way up. the other one is 40" wide and 60" tall. I paid Free-99 for em. I was originally gonna flip em on CL for a few bucks to put in my Macsimizer stash (saving up for one) but upon further inspection, I think these make an even Epiq seem a little flimsy, sure the drawers are WIDE, but they have angle stiffeners welded under the drawers, WAYYY Stronger then any normal toolbox I've seen. Accuride slides, full extension...only thing I'd like to figure out is a new key setup (no keys)

Once I get all the labels peeled off, I'll post pics. the small one I put in my basement workshop, the other 2 big ones I'd like to re-paint to a better color then Office Space Tan..LOL.

 

[Maexle]

I just scored 3 of them.. 2 of them are 46" wide and 72" tall, 5" drawers the whole way up. the other one is 40" wide and 60" tall. I paid Free-99 for em. I was originally gonna flip em on CL for a few bucks to put in my Macsimizer stash (saving up for one) but upon further inspection, I think these make an even Epiq seem a little flimsy, sure the drawers are WIDE, but they have angle stiffeners welded under the drawers, WAYYY Stronger then any normal toolbox I've seen. Accuride slides, full extension...only thing I'd like to figure out is a new key setup (no keys)

Once I get all the labels peeled off, I'll post pics. the small one I put in my basement workshop, the other 2 big ones I'd like to re-paint to a better color then Office Space Tan..LOL.

That's what i am talking about.... they are soooo much sturdier....