I'm looking for a good "latching solution" for some old kitchen cabinet
doors. My friends have a house built in the 1920s with old-style
built-in kitchen cabinetry. Over the years the latches on the doors have
either somehow removed themselves and walked away, or simply fail to
keep the doors shut anymore.

So I'm looking for some good latches. The cabinets have doors set flush
with the face frames, so the latches would either have to attach to the
back of the door and the back of the face frame, or possibly underneath
one of the shelves.

I know those cheap-ass ones with the metal tongue that goes into a
2-pronged metal receiver are no good. I want something that will really
hold the doors securely. So far haven't been able to find anything locally.

Anyone know of some good hardware in this area? Much appreciated.


--
I am a Canadian who was born and raised in The Netherlands. I live on
Planet Earth on a spot of land called Canada. We have noisy neighbours.

- harvested from Usenet

On Fri, 27 Nov 2009 14:33:01 -0500, "dadiOH"
wrote:

David Nebenzahl wrote:
I'm looking for a good "latching solution" for some old kitchen
cabinet doors. My friends have a house built in the 1920s with
old-style built-in kitchen cabinetry. Over the years the latches on the
doors
have either somehow removed themselves and walked away, or simply
fail to keep the doors shut anymore.

So I'm looking for some good latches. The cabinets have doors set
flush with the face frames, so the latches would either have to
attach to the back of the door and the back of the face frame, or
possibly underneath one of the shelves.

I know those cheap-ass ones with the metal tongue that goes into a
2-pronged metal receiver are no good. I want something that will
really hold the doors securely. So far haven't been able to find
anything locally.
Anyone know of some good hardware in this area? Much appreciated.

There used to be some real heap ones, used a screw with a round (but slotted
head) on the door and a receptacle similar to the ones you mentioned above.
Not elegant but they held very well. Can't say who made them but I'm
guessing Stanley as the cabinets I broke up had Stanley pivot hinges...saved
those and the catches, use both on my shop cabinets.

Magnets

On Fri, 27 Nov 2009 22:57:43 -0500, wrote:

On Fri, 27 Nov 2009 14:33:01 -0500, "dadiOH"
wrote:

David Nebenzahl wrote:
I'm looking for a good "latching solution" for some old kitchen
cabinet doors. My friends have a house built in the 1920s with
old-style built-in kitchen cabinetry. Over the years the latches on the
doors
have either somehow removed themselves and walked away, or simply
fail to keep the doors shut anymore.

So I'm looking for some good latches. The cabinets have doors set
flush with the face frames, so the latches would either have to
attach to the back of the door and the back of the face frame, or
possibly underneath one of the shelves.

I know those cheap-ass ones with the metal tongue that goes into a
2-pronged metal receiver are no good. I want something that will
really hold the doors securely. So far haven't been able to find
anything locally.
Anyone know of some good hardware in this area? Much appreciated.

There used to be some real heap ones, used a screw with a round (but slotted
head) on the door and a receptacle similar to the ones you mentioned above.
Not elegant but they held very well. Can't say who made them but I'm
guessing Stanley as the cabinets I broke up had Stanley pivot hinges...saved
those and the catches, use both on my shop cabinets.

Magnets

I find that at least the ones made for furniture to be nothing but a
PITA. They work for a month, maybe. Magnets don't like shock and
that's exactly what they get as a door catch.

"David Nebenzahl" wrote in message

Anyone know of some good hardware in this area? Much appreciated.

Only thing I've ever used is the magnet ones. Used them on different
cabinets over the past fifty years with never a problem. Available at any
hardware store or home center.

On Fri, 27 Nov 2009 22:11:50 -0600, krw wrote:

On Fri, 27 Nov 2009 22:57:43 -0500, wrote:

On Fri, 27 Nov 2009 14:33:01 -0500, "dadiOH"
wrote:

David Nebenzahl wrote:
I'm looking for a good "latching solution" for some old kitchen
cabinet doors. My friends have a house built in the 1920s with
old-style built-in kitchen cabinetry. Over the years the latches on the
doors
have either somehow removed themselves and walked away, or simply
fail to keep the doors shut anymore.

So I'm looking for some good latches. The cabinets have doors set
flush with the face frames, so the latches would either have to
attach to the back of the door and the back of the face frame, or
possibly underneath one of the shelves.

I know those cheap-ass ones with the metal tongue that goes into a
2-pronged metal receiver are no good. I want something that will
really hold the doors securely. So far haven't been able to find
anything locally.
Anyone know of some good hardware in this area? Much appreciated.

There used to be some real heap ones, used a screw with a round (but slotted
head) on the door and a receptacle similar to the ones you mentioned above.
Not elegant but they held very well. Can't say who made them but I'm
guessing Stanley as the cabinets I broke up had Stanley pivot hinges...saved
those and the catches, use both on my shop cabinets.

Magnets

I find that at least the ones made for furniture to be nothing but a
PITA. They work for a month, maybe. Magnets don't like shock and
that's exactly what they get as a door catch.
There are lots of quality magnetic latches and closers that work for
decades

How about magnetic fridge gaskets and weatherstipping? They handle
the shock of closing just fine.
Yes there are some real cheap magnetic closers/latches sold for
cabnetry etc that are pretty useless - but if you look and mabee pay a
bit more there are some that WILL last.

On Sat, 28 Nov 2009 00:08:16 -0500, wrote:

On Fri, 27 Nov 2009 22:11:50 -0600, krw wrote:

On Fri, 27 Nov 2009 22:57:43 -0500, wrote:

On Fri, 27 Nov 2009 14:33:01 -0500, "dadiOH"
wrote:

David Nebenzahl wrote:
I'm looking for a good "latching solution" for some old kitchen
cabinet doors. My friends have a house built in the 1920s with
old-style built-in kitchen cabinetry. Over the years the latches on the
doors
have either somehow removed themselves and walked away, or simply
fail to keep the doors shut anymore.

So I'm looking for some good latches. The cabinets have doors set
flush with the face frames, so the latches would either have to
attach to the back of the door and the back of the face frame, or
possibly underneath one of the shelves.

I know those cheap-ass ones with the metal tongue that goes into a
2-pronged metal receiver are no good. I want something that will
really hold the doors securely. So far haven't been able to find
anything locally.
Anyone know of some good hardware in this area? Much appreciated.

There used to be some real heap ones, used a screw with a round (but slotted
head) on the door and a receptacle similar to the ones you mentioned above.
Not elegant but they held very well. Can't say who made them but I'm
guessing Stanley as the cabinets I broke up had Stanley pivot hinges...saved
those and the catches, use both on my shop cabinets.

Magnets

I find that at least the ones made for furniture to be nothing but a
PITA. They work for a month, maybe. Magnets don't like shock and
that's exactly what they get as a door catch.
There are lots of quality magnetic latches and closers that work for
decades

I have never seen one, on any furniture.

How about magnetic fridge gaskets and weatherstipping? They handle
the shock of closing just fine.

Different beast. The magnet isn't a solid object striking another
solid object and there is far more surface area.

Yes there are some real cheap magnetic closers/latches sold for
cabnetry etc that are pretty useless - but if you look and mabee pay a
bit more there are some that WILL last.

Again, I've never seen one. ...and I have looked. I'll not buy any
furniture that uses the things anymore. There are far better
solutions.

"David Nebenzahl" wrote in message
.com...
I know those cheap-ass ones with the metal tongue that goes into a
2-pronged metal receiver are no good. I want something that will really
hold the doors securely. So far haven't been able to find anything
locally.



My kitchen cabinets use the prong an the mating part is to plastic, spring
loaded rollers. Similar to what you describe. I needed to replace some of
them a while back and the first ones I picked up were crap. I took them back
and went to a real lumber yard and bought pretty much the same items, but a
different brand that happened to be made in the good old USA. They cost
more, but worked. So you might try somewhere else other than Home depot,
Menards, or Lowes. Do you have a real, old fashioned lumber yard close by?
Give them a try!
Greg

On 11/27/2009 2:32 PM Dave Balderstone spake thus:

In article , David
Nebenzahl wrote:

On 11/27/2009 11:33 AM dadiOH spake thus:

David Nebenzahl wrote:

I'm looking for a good "latching solution" for some old kitchen
cabinet doors. My friends have a house built in the 1920s with
old-style built-in kitchen cabinetry. Over the years the
latches on the doors have either somehow removed themselves and
walked away, or simply fail to keep the doors shut anymore.

So I'm looking for some good latches. The cabinets have doors set
flush with the face frames, so the latches would either have to
attach to the back of the door and the back of the face frame, or
possibly underneath one of the shelves.

There used to be some real [c]heap ones, used a screw with a round
(but slotted head) on the door and a receptacle similar to the ones
you mentioned above. Not elegant but they held very well. Can't say
who made them but I'm guessing Stanley as the cabinets I broke up had
Stanley pivot hinges...saved those and the catches, use both on my
shop cabinets.

I think I've seen these; did the receivers have two metal prongs that
held the screw between them?

Even so, have no idea where I'd find these.

Something like this?

http://www.leevalley.com/hardware/page.aspx?c=1&p=40116&cat=3,41399

No, but those are interesting. Except that they look a little wimpy. If
I could pick some of those up locally I might try them 'cause they're cheap.


--
I am a Canadian who was born and raised in The Netherlands. I live on
Planet Earth on a spot of land called Canada. We have noisy neighbours.

- harvested from Usenet

On Fri, 27 Nov 2009 23:39:27 -0500, "Ed Pawlowski"
wrote:


"David Nebenzahl" wrote in message

Anyone know of some good hardware in this area? Much appreciated.

Only thing I've ever used is the magnet ones. Used them on different
cabinets over the past fifty years with never a problem. Available at any
hardware store or home center.

....I've been using rare-earth magnets for a long time...from fine
project cabinet work to my trailer I use for large kitchen jobs (big
1"ers that REALLY hold my cabinet doors shut). These things stick,
baby...you can get them in 1/4" to 1" readily, you just have to figure
out how to mount them and you're in business...and it's a bulletproof
system. Rockler has 'em, so does Woodcraft. It's as simple as lining
up two holes and using some epoxy-like stuff to make 'em stick...a
plate screws into the other side. Your kitchen cabs would use 1/4" or
3/8"...

cg

On Fri, 27 Nov 2009 22:48:10 -0800, David Nebenzahl
wrote:

On 11/27/2009 2:32 PM Dave Balderstone spake thus:

In article , David
Nebenzahl wrote:

On 11/27/2009 11:33 AM dadiOH spake thus:

David Nebenzahl wrote:

I'm looking for a good "latching solution" for some old kitchen
cabinet doors. My friends have a house built in the 1920s with
old-style built-in kitchen cabinetry. Over the years the
latches on the doors have either somehow removed themselves and
walked away, or simply fail to keep the doors shut anymore.

So I'm looking for some good latches. The cabinets have doors set
flush with the face frames, so the latches would either have to
attach to the back of the door and the back of the face frame, or
possibly underneath one of the shelves.

There used to be some real [c]heap ones, used a screw with a round
(but slotted head) on the door and a receptacle similar to the ones
you mentioned above. Not elegant but they held very well. Can't say
who made them but I'm guessing Stanley as the cabinets I broke up had
Stanley pivot hinges...saved those and the catches, use both on my
shop cabinets.

I think I've seen these; did the receivers have two metal prongs that
held the screw between them?

Even so, have no idea where I'd find these.

Something like this?

http://www.leevalley.com/hardware/page.aspx?c=1&p=40116&cat=3,41399

No, but those are interesting. Except that they look a little wimpy. If
I could pick some of those up locally I might try them 'cause they're cheap.


Where in Canada are you looking?

On Fri, 27 Nov 2009 23:17:31 -0600, krw wrote:

On Sat, 28 Nov 2009 00:08:16 -0500, wrote:

On Fri, 27 Nov 2009 22:11:50 -0600, krw wrote:

On Fri, 27 Nov 2009 22:57:43 -0500, wrote:

On Fri, 27 Nov 2009 14:33:01 -0500, "dadiOH"
wrote:

David Nebenzahl wrote:
I'm looking for a good "latching solution" for some old kitchen
cabinet doors. My friends have a house built in the 1920s with
old-style built-in kitchen cabinetry. Over the years the latches on the
doors
have either somehow removed themselves and walked away, or simply
fail to keep the doors shut anymore.

So I'm looking for some good latches. The cabinets have doors set
flush with the face frames, so the latches would either have to
attach to the back of the door and the back of the face frame, or
possibly underneath one of the shelves.

I know those cheap-ass ones with the metal tongue that goes into a
2-pronged metal receiver are no good. I want something that will
really hold the doors securely. So far haven't been able to find
anything locally.
Anyone know of some good hardware in this area? Much appreciated.

There used to be some real heap ones, used a screw with a round (but slotted
head) on the door and a receptacle similar to the ones you mentioned above.
Not elegant but they held very well. Can't say who made them but I'm
guessing Stanley as the cabinets I broke up had Stanley pivot hinges...saved
those and the catches, use both on my shop cabinets.

Magnets

I find that at least the ones made for furniture to be nothing but a
PITA. They work for a month, maybe. Magnets don't like shock and
that's exactly what they get as a door catch.
There are lots of quality magnetic latches and closers that work for
decades

I have never seen one, on any furniture.

You haven't looked very far. The stanley and Amerock type (Stanley
711030, 711075, 710300 etc ) (and Amerock CM976 series) are decent
quality - or at least alweys were, but the EPCO 5XX series is far
superior as they do not have the impact problem.

They WORK

How about magnetic fridge gaskets and weatherstipping? They handle
the shock of closing just fine.

Different beast. The magnet isn't a solid object striking another
solid object and there is far more surface area.

Yes there are some real cheap magnetic closers/latches sold for
cabnetry etc that are pretty useless - but if you look and mabee pay a
bit more there are some that WILL last.

Again, I've never seen one. ...and I have looked. I'll not buy any
furniture that uses the things anymore. There are far better
solutions.

On 11/28/2009 7:16 AM spake thus:

On Fri, 27 Nov 2009 22:48:10 -0800, David Nebenzahl
wrote:

On 11/27/2009 2:32 PM Dave Balderstone spake thus:

Something like this?

http://www.leevalley.com/hardware/page.aspx?c=1&p=40116&cat=3,41399

No, but those are interesting. Except that they look a little
wimpy. If I could pick some of those up locally I might try them
'cause they're cheap.

Where in Canada are you looking?

The Bay province. You know: San Francisco.


--
I am a Canadian who was born and raised in The Netherlands. I live on
Planet Earth on a spot of land called Canada. We have noisy neighbours.

- harvested from Usenet

David Nebenzahl wrote:
On 11/27/2009 11:33 AM dadiOH spake thus:

David Nebenzahl wrote:

I'm looking for a good "latching solution" for some old kitchen
cabinet doors. My friends have a house built in the 1920s with
old-style built-in kitchen cabinetry. Over the years the latches on
the doors
have either somehow removed themselves and walked away, or simply
fail to keep the doors shut anymore.

So I'm looking for some good latches. The cabinets have doors set
flush with the face frames, so the latches would either have to
attach to the back of the door and the back of the face frame, or
possibly underneath one of the shelves.

I know those cheap-ass ones with the metal tongue that goes into a
2-pronged metal receiver are no good. I want something that will
really hold the doors securely. So far haven't been able to find
anything locally.
Anyone know of some good hardware in this area? Much appreciated.

There used to be some real [c]heap ones, used a screw with a round
(but slotted head) on the door and a receptacle similar to the ones
you mentioned above. Not elegant but they held very well. Can't say
who made them but I'm guessing Stanley as the cabinets I broke up had
Stanley pivot hinges...saved those and the catches, use both on my
shop cabinets.

I think I've seen these; did the receivers have two metal prongs that
held the screw between them?

Yeah. The prongs were maybe 3/8 - 1/2 wide, had plastic tips and were
spring loaded in some fashion, took a fair amount of push/pull to open/close
the door.
____________

Even so, have no idea where I'd find these.

Nor do I. I browsed Stanley, Amerock and WoodWorkers Supply without luck.
Best I can say is that they had to have been very low price because the
cabinets were cheap, cheap, CHEAP. Did I mention they were cheaply made?

--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

On Sat, 28 Nov 2009 10:27:12 -0500, wrote:

On Fri, 27 Nov 2009 23:17:31 -0600, krw wrote:

On Sat, 28 Nov 2009 00:08:16 -0500, wrote:

On Fri, 27 Nov 2009 22:11:50 -0600, krw wrote:

On Fri, 27 Nov 2009 22:57:43 -0500, wrote:

On Fri, 27 Nov 2009 14:33:01 -0500, "dadiOH"
wrote:

David Nebenzahl wrote:
I'm looking for a good "latching solution" for some old kitchen
cabinet doors. My friends have a house built in the 1920s with
old-style built-in kitchen cabinetry. Over the years the latches on the
doors
have either somehow removed themselves and walked away, or simply
fail to keep the doors shut anymore.

So I'm looking for some good latches. The cabinets have doors set
flush with the face frames, so the latches would either have to
attach to the back of the door and the back of the face frame, or
possibly underneath one of the shelves.

I know those cheap-ass ones with the metal tongue that goes into a
2-pronged metal receiver are no good. I want something that will
really hold the doors securely. So far haven't been able to find
anything locally.
Anyone know of some good hardware in this area? Much appreciated.

There used to be some real heap ones, used a screw with a round (but slotted
head) on the door and a receptacle similar to the ones you mentioned above.
Not elegant but they held very well. Can't say who made them but I'm
guessing Stanley as the cabinets I broke up had Stanley pivot hinges...saved
those and the catches, use both on my shop cabinets.

Magnets

I find that at least the ones made for furniture to be nothing but a
PITA. They work for a month, maybe. Magnets don't like shock and
that's exactly what they get as a door catch.
There are lots of quality magnetic latches and closers that work for
decades

I have never seen one, on any furniture.

You haven't looked very far. The stanley and Amerock type (Stanley
711030, 711075, 710300 etc ) (and Amerock CM976 series) are decent
quality - or at least alweys were, but the EPCO 5XX series is far
superior as they do not have the impact problem.

The impact problem is a matter of physics. Magnets do not like to be
struck. They *will* lose their magnetism.

They WORK

How about magnetic fridge gaskets and weatherstipping? They handle
the shock of closing just fine.

Different beast. The magnet isn't a solid object striking another
solid object and there is far more surface area.

Yes there are some real cheap magnetic closers/latches sold for
cabnetry etc that are pretty useless - but if you look and mabee pay a
bit more there are some that WILL last.

Again, I've never seen one. ...and I have looked. I'll not buy any
furniture that uses the things anymore. There are far better
solutions.

"krw" wrote in message
The impact problem is a matter of physics. Magnets do not like to be
struck. They *will* lose their magnetism.


I have cabinets with magnets that have been working just fine for decades.
Multiple uses per day, every day. I'll get back to you in another 40 years
with an update.

On Sat, 28 Nov 2009 20:03:04 -0600, krw wrote:

On Sat, 28 Nov 2009 10:27:12 -0500, wrote:

On Fri, 27 Nov 2009 23:17:31 -0600, krw wrote:

On Sat, 28 Nov 2009 00:08:16 -0500, wrote:

On Fri, 27 Nov 2009 22:11:50 -0600, krw wrote:

On Fri, 27 Nov 2009 22:57:43 -0500, wrote:

On Fri, 27 Nov 2009 14:33:01 -0500, "dadiOH"
wrote:

David Nebenzahl wrote:
I'm looking for a good "latching solution" for some old kitchen
cabinet doors. My friends have a house built in the 1920s with
old-style built-in kitchen cabinetry. Over the years the latches on the
doors
have either somehow removed themselves and walked away, or simply
fail to keep the doors shut anymore.

So I'm looking for some good latches. The cabinets have doors set
flush with the face frames, so the latches would either have to
attach to the back of the door and the back of the face frame, or
possibly underneath one of the shelves.

I know those cheap-ass ones with the metal tongue that goes into a
2-pronged metal receiver are no good. I want something that will
really hold the doors securely. So far haven't been able to find
anything locally.
Anyone know of some good hardware in this area? Much appreciated.

There used to be some real heap ones, used a screw with a round (but slotted
head) on the door and a receptacle similar to the ones you mentioned above.
Not elegant but they held very well. Can't say who made them but I'm
guessing Stanley as the cabinets I broke up had Stanley pivot hinges...saved
those and the catches, use both on my shop cabinets.

Magnets

I find that at least the ones made for furniture to be nothing but a
PITA. They work for a month, maybe. Magnets don't like shock and
that's exactly what they get as a door catch.
There are lots of quality magnetic latches and closers that work for
decades

I have never seen one, on any furniture.

You haven't looked very far. The stanley and Amerock type (Stanley
711030, 711075, 710300 etc ) (and Amerock CM976 series) are decent
quality - or at least alweys were, but the EPCO 5XX series is far
superior as they do not have the impact problem.

The impact problem is a matter of physics. Magnets do not like to be
struck. They *will* lose their magnetism.

Have you looked at the latch referenced? I just got rid of a stereo
cabinet that had one for over 20 years - as good as the day it was
made.

They WORK

How about magnetic fridge gaskets and weatherstipping? They handle
the shock of closing just fine.

Different beast. The magnet isn't a solid object striking another
solid object and there is far more surface area.

Yes there are some real cheap magnetic closers/latches sold for
cabnetry etc that are pretty useless - but if you look and mabee pay a
bit more there are some that WILL last.

Again, I've never seen one. ...and I have looked. I'll not buy any
furniture that uses the things anymore. There are far better
solutions.

On Sat, 28 Nov 2009 22:38:34 -0500, wrote:

On Sat, 28 Nov 2009 20:03:04 -0600, krw wrote:

On Sat, 28 Nov 2009 10:27:12 -0500, wrote:

snip

You haven't looked very far. The stanley and Amerock type (Stanley
711030, 711075, 710300 etc ) (and Amerock CM976 series) are decent
quality - or at least alweys were, but the EPCO 5XX series is far
superior as they do not have the impact problem.

The impact problem is a matter of physics. Magnets do not like to be
struck. They *will* lose their magnetism.

Have you looked at the latch referenced? I just got rid of a stereo
cabinet that had one for over 20 years - as good as the day it was
made.

What should I *look* for?

I just know my experience with them and the material properties of the
magnets. I also know that there are better solutions.

On Nov 29, 8:26*am, krw wrote:
[dislike of magnetic latches]

The impact problem is a matter of physics. *Magnets do not like to be
struck. *They *will* lose their magnetism

I just know my experience with them and the material properties of the
magnets. *I also know that there are better solutions.

The simple bullet catches, with metal or plastic springs, are wear-
prone
and have to be well aligned. The magnet catches are better
because alignment is 'automatic' as long as the poles don't
miss the plate. The magnet sits between two floating pole
pieces, it never strikes anything. They last forever.

There are also hook-capture-the-rod catches that always latch in
a particular plane but which have less alignment sensitivity
than the bullet catches. These are like the latch on your car trunk.
They look complex; I probably can't afford those.