SWMBO has a habit of filling kitchen drawers to the brim. Now one is jammed. It opens just far enough for me to get a wire coat hanger in, but I have been unable to free the jam. I need a flexible scope to see where the jam is. I really don't want to invest a couple of hundred bucks (especially since I have my eye on a new chop saw). Any ideas?
Mirror? Small hand?
Remove a drawer below it and knock on the drawer from the bottom? Just a thought.
Maybe leave it stuck long enough that a lesson is learned? ; )
Good luck on both counts!
Bill
Not free but not a couple of hundred:
L:
Try Harbor Freight Tools on the scopes. Check their return policy if it proves unsatisfactory.
If you can get a flat piece of steel in your slit such as used for opening car doors (Harbor Freight), you should be able to bend it and locate the problem, providing intervening obstructions don't object. The car steel has a cutout which will allow you to pull on objects.
Two, check the drawer construction. Many drawers have a nailed face butted to the frame which can be pried off and later renailed. If the drawers are glued, dovetailed feature interlocking joints or use knock-down fasteners, it won't be so good for you.
Assuming there is a drawer/drawers below your problem which gives you access, pull them out. Cut a hole in the drawer bottom. Evacuate. Remove the drawer, disassemble and replace the bottom.
If a small, thin patch under the drawer bottom won't hamper function (check clearances), there are ways to make a patch you will never see from inside on a painted door.
Regards,
Edward Hennessey
You could make a small offering to Anoia.
What Bill said. If there is a drawer above it, remove that one. If you can't, try jiggling it back and forth rapidly through the miniscule distance it will open.
If you can get a coat hanger in there, you may be able to get a dental type mirror in there.
I'd also 'rake' the coat hanger over the contents while jiggling the drawer.
Last resort: pry off the drawer front ...
Perhaps wangling in a 2' steel rule will do the job better than a coat hanger?
Jeff
This is where my old Chebby distributor wrench has come in handy at times.
To cure her of the problem, occasionally set out sheets on the living room rug/floor, and dump each drawer onto one. Let her sort them and put the necessities back, tossing the unnecessaries. Forcing this annual (or more frequent) cleanup will piss her off enough to maybe help break the habit. When (not if) she balks, tell her that you'd be happy to do the cleanout yourself (with a BSEG on your face, and have a 55 gallon can sitting at the ready. She'll accept immediately. On the off chance that she doesn't, you'll solve your problem instantly by just dumping most of the items in the can. Check and clean out the drawers (several handfuls each time) on a regular basis.
Alternatively, get one of these:
-- Nobody, as long as he moves about among the chaotic currents of life, is without trouble. -- Carl Jung
Too much trouble. Dump the contents in the kitchen sink ... it works every time.
CAVEAT: If you think too much like a bachelor, you may end up one, right C-less?
I would keep on trying the coat hanger for quite a while longer before buying an inspection camera or scope, but if you're determined to get one, here's the most reasonably priced I have seen:
That sounds great, until she gets the idea to return the favor with some of the drawers in your shop...
I'll bet that works very well. How comfy is your couch, though?
Verily, my tied-up friend.
-- If you're looking for the key to the Universe, I've got some good news and some bad news.
The bad news: There is no key to the Universe.
The good news: It was never locked. --Swami Beyondananda
Undermount drawer slides? There is an easy solution, depending upon the hardware.
Dunno if it will focus close enough to show you what you need or if it will fit in the gap you have, but Amazon has some "hootoo" brand USB webcams for 5 bucks or so.
Also, call around to rental places--you may be able to rent an inspection camera for a lot less than it costs to buy one.
Ya right.... Kitty's got claws, bro'.
Can you reach up into the drawer from the bottom/back? There is enough space behind my kitchen drawers to get a hand in there... Also, if they are old built-in-place cabinets you may be able to get into the drawer by removing the drawer(s) next to the problem drawer.
John
Keep fiddling with it. Shake it back and forth or reach under and knock on it. If no partition, open the drawer next to it and slide a ruler or similar object over it.... or if you can get your hand in behind it do the sam.
Shaking and banging have always gotten them open for us.
GET VIOLENT before you spend a bunch of cash.
RonB
errrrrrr.....With the drawer, not your wife.
Breaking either isn't a good idea.
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