I have an Ostaline 2 drawer grey metal filing cabinet, I need to remove the drawers to make some mods to the case. Does anyone know if there is a little catch or toggle that releases the slide to remove drawers. I don't want to damage the mechanism by being a bit rough with it. Don
Donwill wibbled on Monday 01 February 2010 16:26
Usually some little wibbly catch on the rails. Sometimes next to the drawer end, sometimes halfway down where the two halves of the rail join. One on each side.
Some drawers lift off the rail / runner.
Assuming filing cabinets are made the way theye were when I worked in an office then pull the drawer right out ( but watch it doesn't tip over if it is top heavy) then check if there is a catch on the runners ..one at each side and if there is then poperate the catch and the drawer should pull out the runners ....or if not see if there is a gap in the moving runner that coincides with a lip on the drawer runner and tip the drawer up at that point and it should lift out .
Pull drawer out as far as it goes; pull front upwards (so the drawer is angled upwards), and pull some more.
John
Angle grinder.
It may come to that since I cannot find anything that remotely looks like a toggle or a catch gismo. Don
In that case do what I suggested: pull up the front of the drawer when it gets to its limit, then pull outwards again: there's probably two sets of overlapping castors in rails, in there.
Cheers John
In message , Donwill writes
Just to be different, the drawers on one of mine are screwed to the runners at the sides. Probably only applies to wooden cabinets though.
The metal cabinets have catches at the front of the runners.
Perhaps if you were to put some detail photos on line somewhere we might be able to make suggestions. Whilst not impossible, I don't think the easiest construction methods would make the drawers permanent.
One of mine has little plastic devices for release, but the cheaper one simply has metal tabs on the slides locating in slots in the drawer.
Chris
Thanks for all the helpful suggestions , I got them out in the end. For anyone wanting to do the same with a similar cabinet :- For each drawer, there were two small push-fit black plastic covers that hid metal tags protruding upwards from the front of the metal runners. These tags were located into slots in the upside down U channels that are positioned at the sides of the base of the drawer. The tags were slightly twisted to hold the drawer on to the slides and slight untwisting with a pliers and a gentle tap on the tags released the drawers.
Many thanks Don
Blimey. Looks like we were all wrong then, afaicr. The lengths people will go to, to protect us from ourselves! :-)
J.
I thought I was close with my second option:
Glad it got sorted without weapons of mass destruction.
Chris
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