David WE Roberts writes:

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.

I've had a metal "Bisley" filing cabinet for 30+ years. After a recent
house move the drawers were stuck closed. Wiggling a steel rule down the
side of one of the drawers released the stuck locking bar.

I've just discovered what was causing the problem. I'd placed some
magnets recovered from old hard disk drives on the side of the cabinet,
and they were preventing the bar from sliding!

Anyway, coffee break is over, must get back to restoring the old
bathroom door.

--
Alan J. Wylie https://www.wylie.me.uk/

Dance like no-one's watching. / Encrypt like everyone is.
Security is inversely proportional to convenience