Ready To Assemble furniture.

[Robatoy]

I needed something quick and dirty for my new office, so I was going to follow a tried and true college trick: two filing cabinets and a door. So, I was looking for some cheap filing cabinets, two-drawer style. Even really cheap crap was $ 50.00, and that was true crap. About as solid as tinfoil. Then, I saw this:

Also cheap stuff, but surprisingly sturdy, the finish is not going to hold up for very long, but $ 99.00 just blows my mind.

would cost me that much just to search out and order the frickin' handles and genuine drawer tracks....

Now I KNOW there are a bezillion shortcuts in this product and it would never be trying to fake anybody out, but if I were to built it the only way I know how, it would be hard to do for under $ 500.00 NOT including my time.

[Leon]

That looks exactly like the one I put together for my neighbor a couple of years ago. IMHO here is what is wrong. It "is" particle board with a print that looks like wood. Drawers are much smaller than the holes they reside on. Hardware is bottom line. Too heavy to ever consider moving to another office with out mostly disassembling.

Back to you original idea of the door and filing cabinets. Go to a local "Used" office supply store. I picked up a 5 drawer, legal sized, "Steelcase" filing cabinet in great condition for $75. My son will one day inherit this thing. Apparently letter sized filing cabinets are in more demand and the legal, larger sized cabinets are less expensive. At least that was what the owner told me.

[Mark & Juanita]

That link is taking me to an executive desk for $616. Am I missing something?

[Robatoy]

I bought that same desk for $ 99.00. That $ 600.00 is just plain silly. The one I bought was part# 109643, exactly the same features, but 60" wide instead of 70. I seem to recall that 'The Suggested List' on mine was $ 549.00 This store branch brought in 20 of them, gone in one morning. Must be a loss-leader of some sort. There it is on page 3.

way, it will do what I want for now. (And talk about 'assembly required'..LOL..not ONE thing attached to another. Even the handles have to be assembled. Hinges and handles made in Canada, the rest in the good ol' USofA)

The one that's goofy, is that they don't know the difference between #2 Phillips and Pozidrive.

[Mark & Juanita]

OK, that's a good deal, regardless of what you get.

Yep, we've bought some of that stuff (not enough time to build everything). They've done an amazing amount of packaging engineering to get those things knocked down to the minimum package. Nothing like the smell of raw MDF in the morning, eh?

[Tom Watson]

I've seen this piece and it's kinda like the girl you picked up at last call.

Not something that holds up well in the light of day.

Go back to your file cab and door idea. It is what it is.

Regards,

Tom

Thos.J.Watson - Cabinetmaker tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet

[Robatoy]

Ah.. a much better sig.

Rich Hall, a comedian, used to make up words. Like a peppier (French pronunciation) peh-pee-yay. Based on that, I have sometimes dared to call myself a cabinetier. Kah-bee-net-ee-yay.

[B A R R Y]

It really is?

I'd be very happy to hear that.

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[B A R R Y]

I liked that guy, he invented Sniglets!

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[Robatoy]

Yea... one of my favourites: Begathon - n. A multi-day event on public television, used to raise money so you won't have to watch commercials.

[Mark & Juanita]

From their web page: "Headquartered in Archbold, Ohio, Sauder Woodworking Co. is North America?s leading producer of RTA furniture and the nation?s fifth largest residential furniture manufacturer. Sauder also sources furniture from a network of quality global partners and ships product to more than 70 countries. In 2007, Sauder Woodworking acquired a line of office chairs that complement its residential and light commercial office furniture"

So, some of their stuff is domestic, some foreign.

[Mark & Juanita]

My favorite: Esso-Asso: The guy who drives through the corner gas station in order to avoid the traffic light.

[asmurff]

Now if it was something I planned on keeping forever I'd not use it, but for all the years I spent moving around in the Air Force Sauder makes a good product. That is qualified by the fact expecting government paid movers to treat your quality wood furniture with respect is like believing in the Easter Bunny. Of the Ready to Assemble Sauder gets high marks.

[Swingman]

"Robatoy" wrote

Three years ago I put Made In China "solid rubber" tires, from HF, on a hand truck from Sam's because I got tired of constantly having to inflate them whenever I went to use the damn thing.

To this day the stink coming off those "solid rubber" tires is hard to believe. You'd think that after three years the smell would at least dissipate a bit ... not a chance.

[Frank Boettcher]

That stuff looks good,(from a distance) but my back can't stand the moves compared to furniture that I make. Too heavy with the paper covered particle board.

still have a couple of pieces of that "early marriage" furniture made the same way. I think when I sell the house they get to stay to anchor it from any impending tornadoes or hurricanes.

Frank

[Robatoy]

The drawer tracks came from China, the handles from Canada, the hinges from Italy, and I have NO idea where the slabs came from... but I'm curious.

[Ross Hebeisen]

A few years back I purchased some file cabinets in a box that you assemble with camlocks. actually quite durable except for the glides. but anyway on the box it said oak finish, which can mean anything, so I start unpacking the stuff and notice it has black ash veneer on top of some kinda shit board. The funny thing is today the black ash veneer log export market is very small, only myself and another company in Wis. still shipping most of the logs into Asia, so there is a real good chance those cabinets started here at my place in the form of a log went to Asia and came back here. talk about small world and going full cycle. Ross

[Robatoy]

Are you having any issues with ash-borers (beetles) where you are, Ross? Here we can't even sell ash for firewood.

[Ross Hebeisen]

So far the emrald ash boer is not here, I think maybe eastern Wis. is as close as it has come so far. However our ash trees are dying across northern Minnesota and I have had issues with the Dept of Ag. phyto sanitary inspections finding a eastern bark beetle in my logs and I beleive this is whats killing them off, but the state DNR refuses to recognize this this issue insisting the trees are suffering from drought. by the time the ash boer gets here the ash will be done for. I've talked to the state DNR bioligist about it but he didn't really have the time for the idea, I'm not real sure what he does for a living, of course he is in government and they do not require much. ross

[Bob Alexander]

The drawer tracks came from China, the handles from Canada, the hinges from Italy, and I have NO idea where the slabs came from... but I'm curious.

I just retired from Sauder after 32 years. They have some fantastic macinery in there. Slabs (particle board) comes from US mills and Canada, the best particle board came from a plant in the South we called Monclure or something like that. Most of all the hardware originally ordered from a place in Adrian, MI and then was sent overseas.