Making A Filing Drawer

I originally posted this on my old website November 19, 2003.

PRESENTS

MAKING A FILING DRAWER

"You're gonna have to trust me on this."

- MacGyver 

You wouldn't think a troubleshooter for the Phoenix Foundation would end up gathering a lot of paperwork.  But then, if I've learned anything from the Phoenix Foundation, it would have to be "Always expect the unexpected."  Grandpa Harry probably said that too, but it probably didn't sink in right away.

It turns out I didn't expect the unexpected, and found myself with a lot of paperwork that I needed a place for.  Boxes just weren't cutting it, and living on a houseboat, there's just no room for a traditional filing cabinet.  Besides, I don't have that many papers worth keeping.  One drawer would be plenty.

I did find room for a desk I got for free.  It was on the sidewalk near a college campus, where it was destined for the landfill, but I figured I could use a cheap desk, so I brought it home.  I'm a sucker for lost causes.

The desk has fairly large drawers, so I decided one of them would make a good "filing drawer" for storing my papers.  The drawers were a little shallow, so I couldn't really turn it into a "real" filing drawer for hanging folders with a kit from Wal-Mart.  I needed a different solution.

I acquired a 4-foot length of 1/2" aluminum angle.  This would be the runners for the hanging folders.  I cut it in half with a hacksaw, and then measured the length of the drawer to see how long I really needed them to be.  (See FIGURE 1)

The inside of the drawer was 22 1/4" long.  My runners were 24" long, about the same as the outside length of the drawer, so I didn't have to cut the runners down any more lengthwise.  (If you copy this project yourself, you may have to cut the runners shorter if your drawers are shorter.)  The runners would overhang the inside of the drawer by 7/8" on each end.  This would be about the right length for my mounting strategy.

Since I got the desk for free off the sidewalk, and it didn't look that good anyway, my plan for mounting the runners would involve defacing the drawer front.  If the desk were worth anything, I would have come up with a different plan, but for this desk, this was the easy solution.  First, I cut half the angle off of 7/8" of each end of the runners, as shown in FIGURE 2.  Since I used aluminum angle, this was easily accomplished with the hacksaw, though I did clamp them down.  If you are using steel angles, you may need something more substantial to cut them.  You can remove the unneeded part, or simply bend it down, as it won't be in the way.

Now for the defacing part.  I used the hacksaw to cut a slot in the top of the front and back of the drawer, about 3/4" from one side of the inside of the drawer.  These slots should be as wide as the thickness of the runners, so you may need to make two close cuts for each slot and remove the material in between.  Measure 12" in from these slots and cut another set of slots, as shown in FIGURE 3.  All of these slots should be deep enough that when the runners are put in place as shown in FIGURE 3, the top of the runner is at least 1/8" below the lowest point of the top of the drawer.  Once you have all the slots cut to the same depth, you can put in the runners.  Make sure that the vertical parts of the runners are facing each other, with the horizontal parts toward the outside.  

At this point you may be wondering, "Why even bother with angles?  Why not just use plain aluminum or steel bars?"  There are a couple reasons for this:

1.    The angles are stronger than plain bars.  The horizontal part of the angle not only adds strength, but also keeps the runner from twisting or bowing from side to side.

2.    The angles keep the runners in place.  The horizontal part of the angle keep the runner from being able to slide back and forth in the slots, so no additional hardware or adhesive is necessary to keep the runners from moving.

With the runners in place, your filing drawer is now complete.  Just put the drawer back in the desk and the runners should be at the correct spacing for standard hanging file folders.

BONUS SECTION!!!

MAKE YOUR OWN FILE FOLDERS

FIGURE 4 shows how you can make your own hanging file folders.  Start with a piece of heavy paper or cardstock about 11" wide and 20" inches long.  Fold the paper in half.  Next you need some stiff metal wire.  (Not electrical wire!)  Wire coat hangars are good for this.  The wire should be 12 1/2" long.  Bend a 90° angle at each end as seen in FIGURE 4.  You will need two (2) wires per folder.  Place one wire at one end of the paper about 1/2" from the edge.  Fold the end of the paper over the wire and staple (or glue in a pinch) into place, as shown in FIGURE 4.  Repeat with the other wire at the other end of the paper.  Repeat these steps for each folder.  These folders should fit any filing cabinet or drawer intended for hanging folders.  

  

LEGAL DISCLAIMER: 

MacGyver and everything related is © Paramount Pictures. This includes all characters and the vague references to actual episodes of MacGyver. This post, and the content contained herein, including the "How-To's" and the accompanying diagrams, are my own creations and are © Robert D. West, 2003. I am not affiliated in any way with Paramount Pictures. Any opinions expressed in this website are my own and do not represent the position of Paramount Pictures in any way. This site is intended only as a fan tribute to the series, and as a way to showcase things I have done that reminded me of the series. Please do not take anything for your own use without permission.