Metal rods for filing cabinet?

[Lenona]

I have a wooden filing cabinet with two drawers. All the removable rods that hold up the hanging files are the same length - about 14 inches. However, over the years, the wood seems to have worn away a bit around the holes on the right hand side. So now the rods won't stay up whenever I open or close the drawer. Staples doesn't have anything to replace them with. I'm guessing even rods that are 1/8 of an inch longer might be OK - but I'm aiming for 1/4 inch, just so I can have them trimmed if necessary.

So, where do I look? (No, I don't know the name of the company that made the cabinet.)

Thanks.

Lenona.

[Sonny]

If they are simple straight metal rods, longer ones (3', for cutting to length you want), as small as 1/8" diameter (maybe smaller) can be purchased at Lowes or Home Depot.

Or purchase a thin metal strip, drill holes for your present rods, and attach to the drawers.

Or drill the holes a touch larger, fill with dowels and re-drill the holes for your rods.

Has the drawer sides bowed outward? .... I'm supposing not, but check, anyway!

Sonny

[Han]

Lenona wrote in news:4ef1e641-a106-4f0e-90a2- [e-mail]:

This is supposedly inside the drawers. Why not fill the holes with some woodcolored epoxy?

[knuttle]

Can you buy some plastic insert. Something like the inserts that are used to hold screws in drywall. Cut the spreading end off and glue them into the oversized holes.

I am sure that is something that is made for this, maybe cabinet shelf pep systems.

[Lew Hodgett]

-------------------------------------- Sounds like you are talking about Pent-A-Flex hanging file folders.

If so, buy a complete frame set and just use the rails cut to length.

Lew

P/S: Epoxy repair would be a better solution IMHO.

Lew

[SonomaProducts.com]

Remove the rods and get a free standing adjustable folder frame. They sell tham at all office supply stores.

[whit3rd]

I'd make a metal repair plate, drill/file a hole for the rod, and fit it into the worn-wood spot. You can get fancy and mortise it in place.

[J. Clarke]

Measure the thickness and width of the rods and see if has anything in steel bar stock that comes close. If they do, get it, and cut it to length with a Dremel or the like and round the corners if you want to. Not sure whether it will need to be hardened and tempered for that application or be OK in the soft state.

Alternatively, take a Forstner bit and cut a hole where the hole is worn, then cut a plug out of hard maple the size to fit, cut the necessary notch in the plug, and glue it in place.

[Lobby Dosser]

BINGO!

[Lenona]

Nice, but that would take up a little space inside, and the clippings in the files stick out as it is. (I don't like to fold them too much because it makes the files thicker.)

Knuttle gave me an idea, though. Since I have some heavy-duty paper clips and other odds and ends, and since we're all familiar with those coat hooks that don't need any adhesive because they just hang over the top of the door, I'll see if I can't construct something like that! In which case, I won't need longer rods.

Thanks again to everyone.

Lenona.

[Martin H. Eastburn]

The rods were for file dividers. The number or letter sorting parts.

Otherwise they don't do anything.

Mart> "Len>

[Jack Stein]

Not sure what you mean by clippings, but for hanging files these take up almost no space (less than a half inch). If you don't have hanging files, nows your chance to get them...

are adjustable so fit any file drawer.

[Lenona]

Newspaper clippings. They stick out on all sides. Again, I don't like to fold them too many times.

I made the supporters yesterday out of curtain(?) hooks and something else that looks like parts of tiny hinges. This means the right-hand rods will no longer be quite horizontal, since I can't put the hinges quite high up enough, but at least everything's stable now, even if I slam the drawer. Turns out, too, that if I take all the rods and files out and put the right-hand ones in FIRST, they're pretty secure, but as soon as I put in the left-hand rods, the pressure caused to the back side of the drawer causes the right-hand rods to be much looser. This clearly means that, in both drawers, the back side is not quite perpendicular to the left and right sides, but you can't see that with the naked eye.

Lenona.

[beecrofter]

A cuple of T nuts, aka treaded inserts would probably work just fine.

[J. Clarke]

Sounds to me like a joint somewhere has let go. Pull the drawer out and examine it carefully and see if anything moves that's not supposed to--set it on a table and fill it up with files if you have to to check. Might be that simply regluing a joint will permanently fix the problem you're seeing.