Tuesday, August 4, 2020

A Solution So Simple and Elegant That I Would Never Have Thought Of It

But consulting the collective brain of the Internet solved it.  I have a Husky 5 drawer tool chest that I bought some years ago.  After we moved into the new house, the bottom four drawers kept sliding out, to the consternation of my lady's leg. 

Was the floor not level?  No, it was perfectly level (at least to Earth gravity).

There are apparently some detents made of plastic in the drawer carriers that wear out, and no you cannot buy replacements.

Solution: put a magnet on the frame where it meets the drawer.  I put one on each side just to be sure.  I had some neodymium magnets lying around to test the concept on the bottom two drawers, and they worked so well that I ran over to Ace Hardware in  Middleton.  (it is very nice not to need a 25 minute drive to a real hardware store.)  I bought some ceramic magnets and completed another drawer.  The top drawer can wait for another day;  it does not have this problem

The drawers open easily, but they will not slide open of their own volition.

3 comments:

  1. If the problem returns, perhaps a thin piece of wood under the front two casters to make gravity work in your favor?

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  2. No need. The drawers require positive force of several pounds to open now.

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  3. I'm very paranoid about the opening drawers problem because I was next to one of our toolboxes that toppled because I had opened too many drawers.
    Your fix is a good one, and I've filed it away for future needs.

    ReplyDelete