You can keep insurance policies, birth certificates, copies of your will, and other important papers in a metal filing cabinet, but they won’t be safe if the cabinet doesn’t have a lock. Instead of buying a new file cabinet, just cut a hole in the metal cover, lock the cabinet, and no one will be able to get to your files.
Take the drawer out from behind the lock on the file cabinet. Put a small piece of wood in the cabinet behind where the lock is. Set up the wood using only one hand. The thin metal of the cabinet is held up by the wood, which also stops the bit.
It’s easy to put a lock on a filing cabinet, whether it’s for a small business that wants to protect its documents or a homeowner who wants to keep their privacy at home. You won’t need more than ten minutes to finish. There are other ways to lock a filing cabinet, but locksmiths agree that putting in a file locking bar is the easiest and best way.
If you want, you can lock the file cabinet bars with a padlock that matches your house key or company key. The ABUS 83/45 series is one of our favorites. You can find it on Amazon. You should only order an ABUS 83/45 series padlock if the keyway is the same as the key to your home or business. Once you get the padlock, take it to a locksmith and have it set up so that it works with the key you already have.
There are many options, and a locksmith can help you with each one. When you need to lock a filing cabinet, you may only need a filing cabinet key, you may want to add a lock, or you may need to replace a missing lock. Depending on how it will be used, a filing cabinet can be locked with a hasp, a plunger lock, a cam lock, a filing cabinet locking bar, or a dead latch lock.
Taking extra steps to protect your company’s important documents never hurts. So, in addition to making the locks tighter, you might want to keep cabinets in parts of the office building that only certain people can get into. Keeping private papers in a cabinet with a lockable door makes them twice as safe.
The door can be locked and unlocked using a keypad, Bluetooth, or a magnetic proximity reader along with key fobs or access cards. The locking devices add another level of security to physical data because they keep track of who looked at the files and when.
Can you lock a metal filing cabinet?
You can put a lock on your filing cabinet if you want to. It’s easy to put a lock on a filing cabinet, whether it’s for a small business that wants to protect its documents or a homeowner who wants to keep their privacy at home. You won’t need more than ten minutes to finish.
Can you put a lock on a cabinet?
Adding locks to your cabinet doors is easy and doesn’t cost much. Locks for cabinet doors come in different sizes and are usually put on with screws.
How do you drill a hole in a metal cabinet?
In general, it’s best to use a metal drill bit and go as slowly as possible when drilling through metal. When you drill steel or use a bigger drill bit, you have to go even slower. Most metals can be drilled with a 1/16- to 3/16-inch twist bit spinning at 3,000 rpm.
How do you drill into a metal file cabinet?
An electric hand drill should come with a 1/8-inch metal drill bit. Drill a small hole in the middle of where the lock will open. Instead of the 1/8-inch bit, you should use a 3/4-inch metal drill bit.
How does a locking bar for a file cabinet work?
Most of the time, a keyed lock or a combination lock is used to lock a file cabinet lock bar. Attached to the top of the lock bar, these locks are meant to keep the filing cabinet rails shut. The strong metal rail bar on the lock bar keeps the cabinets from being opened.
How can the lock on a file cabinet be changed if you don’t have the key?
If the only thing you need to get into the cabinet is the key you lost, it’s usually not necessary to replace the lock. Take a picture of the lock and a copy of the numbers on the front of the lock to a nearby locksmith. Most locksmiths can make a key that will open the cylinder if you lose yours.
How safe are locks on file cabinet doors?
If you judge them by how they look, standard filing cabinet locks aren’t very safe. Many of the locks that furniture makers put on file cabinets are simple, standard locks that only do one thing: keep the cabinet locked.
What is a file cabinet lock, exactly?
The small, round bolt is connected to the body of the lock and is part of the filing cabinet lock. At the bottom of the key and tumbler body is this small rod or knob. Because the knob is connected to the tumbler assembly, turning the key to the left lifts it into the “lock” position.
What is a plunger lock, anyway?
Plunger locks can be locked without a key. To open, just push in on the cylinder. Patented key programs protect the system’s integrity by making it illegal for unauthorized people to make copies of keys. The Medeco® Plunger Lock is the best choice for your security needs, whether you want it to have the same key, different keys, or a master key.
Which drill bit works best for making holes in metal?
The best drill bits for hard metals, like stainless steel, are made of cobalt. If you are using a hand drill, a 5% (M35) drill bit will work best and be less likely to break than other drill bits. With 5% cobalt, TTP HARD drill bits are of high quality.
Why doesn’t my drill bit make holes in metal?
Standard drill bits are not made to cut through metals. Because of this, they are easy to destroy. To drill into metals without damaging them, you need bits that are hard.
How do I choose a drill bit for metal?
Normal drill bits can’t cut through steel, so for this job you need a heavy-duty, hard drill bit. For metalworking, the two types of drill bits you can count on are titanium and cobalt. Titan drill bits are made of high-speed steel (HSS) and have a coating of titanium oxide.