On Mon, 11 Nov 2019 22:09:09 +0000, Bob Eager wrote:

On Mon, 11 Nov 2019 18:13:30 +0000, G r o g wrote:

On 09/11/2019 18:44, David WE Roberts wrote:
I bought a two drawer wooden filing cabinet (well, one filing drawer
and one shallow drawer) on Gumtree. No key, but checked it out and all
looked good.

Now we have lugged it up to the office it won't open.
It seems to be locked.
I assume the mechanism may have shifted during transit.

Does anyone know how easy these office furniture locks are to pick?

I could always drill it out, I suppose, but it would be nicer just to
be able to undo it.

The furniture is labelled "Project" and the key number is 125 and (we
think) 78 on top. Could possibly be 7R?

Bloody typical!


Cheers



Dave R


Buy a new key? That's what they did in an office I once worked in,
there are places that specialise in such things. Then you'd have a key
for too, to complete the set!

My son knows about these things (office furniture supplier in a past
life).

He says you can sometimes remove the base (screws etc.) to access the
vertical rod that locks the drawers.

Failing that, new key is what they did. He always used these people:

https://www.fastkeys.co.uk/

Thanks to all.

Brief update:

Project were very helpful and offered a replacement key for £10 + VAT

Having already found FastKeys I used them for a replacement key because
they were much cheaper.

The key turned up today and fitted the lock but wouldn't turn it all the
way.
I then stood the drawers up on end and joggled them and eventually the
bottom drawer came free.
Turning the key demonstrated that the drawers had been unlocked anyway.
Refitting the drawer and putting the cabinet back down showed the drawers
jammed again.
At that point I stood the cabinet up on end again, joggled, took the
drawers out and investigated the locking mechanism which was loose and
managed to jump out of the channel.
Investigated the base of the drawers and there are "peg and lock" fittings
like Ikea furniture and kitchen units. These were loose.
Tightened them up to take the flex out, investigated the locking mechanism
with the bottom drawer out to check that I got the lock in the top drawer
aligned correctly, then finally put it back down, fitted the bottom
drawer, and all is fine and I do have a key which works.

With it tipped up I noted that it used to have castors.
Hmm...that could be useful.
Spent some time looking for some I was sure I had stored in case of need,
then ordered some off Amazon.

£10 set of drawers now costing over £20 but they look pretty solid.

Ah, well.



Dave R

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