Before making a drawer into a file cabinet, one of the first things to do is to measure how big the inside is. Your drawer should have at least 10″ of interior height to fit most hanging frame applications and stop files from dragging. Also, there should be about 1-1/4″ of space above the folder tabs in the drawer so that they don’t get caught when the drawer is opened or closed. Some types of file cabinet rails, like side mount, need the inside of the drawers to be about 12″ wide.
When building a DIY file cabinet, you should also think about the size of the internal drawer, the most weight it can hold, and the type of hanging rail system. If you follow these rules, your file cabinet drawer system will be reliable, easy to use, and well-organized. Woodworker’s Hardware has everything you need to put together a filing cabinet. Fill out a short form or give us a call at 800-383-0130 if you have any questions about file cabinet parts or how to install them.
Trying to turn a blank drawer into your own filing cabinet? If you know what you’re doing, building a filing cabinet yourself can save you money and give you more options. The knowledgeable woodworkers at Woodworker’s Hardware can give you some tips on how to turn an old drawer into a neat filing system. These simple rules can be used for a wide range of file cabinet systems, such as those that need to be side mounted, recessed, or dropped in.
A filing cabinet doesn’t have to be a piece of ready-made furniture made just for this purpose. With a few changes, a spare dresser can be turned into a place to store important files and documents that don’t have their own secret hiding place. Like a traditional filing cabinet, a dresser with deep drawers has enough room to hold file folders standing up.
Smaller, shallower drawers at the top of dressers are perfect for storing pencils, pens, scissors, and a hole punch. Keep loose items like staplers and rulers in one drawer, and keep pens, pencils, and other small items in a small case or drawer organizer in another small drawer. There is a stack of work-related magazines or reference books and an index card file system in one of these drawers. Chargers for portable electronics like a tablet or work phone are also kept in the top drawer.
Can a dresser be converted into a filing cabinet?
To fit a normal letter-sized hanging filing system, which needs a dresser drawer at least a foot high, you may need to combine the bottom two rows of drawers into one unit by cutting the bottom out of the upper drawer and making a new drawer front that connects both rows.
How do you keep files in a filing cabinet standing up straight?
The best place to keep and sort your papers is in a file cabinet. Put your files in folders or dividers so they stand up straight in the cabinet. Labels are another way to put the sections in the right order.
How big is a drawer in a file cabinet?
Cabinets for letter-size paper are usually 15 inches wide, while cabinets for legal-size paper are usually 1814 inches wide. A basic vertical file cabinet in an office is 28.12 inches deep and can hold files that are up to 27 inches long.
What is the smallest depth of a file drawer?
Letter minimum depths are 14 5/16″ for 5/8″ thick and 17 1/4″ for 5/8″ thick in most filing cabinets with the bars facing the front.
How can an easy-to-use file system be made?
Before you organize your documents and files, try these tips for making them easier to understand: Put everything in one big pile. If everything won’t fit in one pile, make more, but think of them as extensions of the first. Remove any folders that are out of order and put them on top.
What does it mean to “file laterally”?
When documents are added from the side, the identification tab is put on the side of the file. Grab the edges and sides of the paper to pull it away. This type of file system is better because it takes up less space.
What’s the point of having two file cabinets next to each other?
Unlike vertical cabinets, lateral files let you put documents in drawers on a horizontal plane instead of a vertical plane. Compared to vertical file drawers, these drawers are shorter and pull out less, making it easier to see and find files.
What is a request to stop something?
What are suspension files, anyway? Suspension files are a good way to file things in a filing cabinet’s drawers. The name “suspension files” comes from the way folder-style files are hung in each filing cabinet drawer by hooks from two parallel runners.
How is a file folder that hangs made?
Put the first tab of the file folder inside of the folder. Put the tab in the upper left corner of the folder. As you put the hanging folder into the frame, make sure that the side tabs hang over the frame’s sides.
What is the width of a file folder that hangs on a wall?
Depending on the size of the paper, a standard legal-size hanging file folder, which is 9-3/8 by 15-3/4 inches, will have 1-7/8 inches of space on the side and 1-3/4 inches of space on the top and bottom (23.8 by 40 cm).