That "quick" filing cabinet fix ate up my whole Saturday

I thought swapping out the file rails in my used filing cabinet would take 30 minutes tops. Turns out the previous owner had jammed the wrong size hanging files in there and bent the metal tracks. I spent 4 hours with a pair of pliers and a rubber mallet trying to straighten them out before just buying replacement rails online for $12. If you inherit an old file cabinet, check the tracks before you commit to using it.

2 comments

2 Comments

victor_carr252d ago

Hold on, are you sure you didn't just get unlucky with a beat-up cabinet that was already messed up before you got it? I've had the exact same cheap metal filing cabinet from a garage sale for like 8 years and I just jam random hanging file folders in there without thinking. Nothing ever bent or broke. Sounds like you just got a lemon, not that file cabinets are some kind of hidden trap. Maybe you were using too much force or the wrong tools from the start if you bent tracks with just a pair of pliers. Wouldn't it be smarter to just avoid buying cabinets that look like they've been through a war zone instead of assuming every used one has that problem?

spencer_hayes711d ago

Check the inside rails before you even buy it. I take a file folder with me to test slide it in and out a few times. If it catches or feels rough, I walk away. Also, a little spray lubricant on the tracks before you start jamming folders in can save you a headache. Pliers are a last resort, I usually tap bent tracks back with a hammer and a block of wood.