Got my filing cabinet - problem

  • Thread starter Thread starter keymoo
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keymoo

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Hi there,

I now have a "standard" filing cabinet and have 100 avery tabbed folders. However all the folders just fall down and collapse. How do I get them to stand up? I've heard you can buy things to put in filing cabinets to reduce the space in them so that files stand up.

Does anyone know what I should do, or where to buy from? I'm in UK.

This is the filing cabinet and these are the folders I bought.

I'm also after some bold A-Z dividers to put in the cabinet. Could someone suggest where to get those in UK?

Thanks!
 
Got My Filing Cabinet-Problem

One easy "low-tech" solution---simply place a large heavy book behind the folders until the drawer is full. Some file cabinets come equipped with an adjustable "paddle" which slides up and down the file cabinet, others have wire guides which you can insert on the sides of the drawers but the drawers must have pre-drilled holes for those to work.

Good luck!

Danny Hardesty

www.dannyhardesty.com
 
Filing Cabinets

I've heard from various sources that the UK is a hard place to find filing cabinets with spring-loaded backstops that solve that problem. When I've had filing cabinets without the backstops, I had enough books around to store in the empty drawers to relieve my bulging bookcases. The stacked books make a good back stop until the drawer fills enough so that the files stand by themselves. If placed on their front edges, with the binding facing up, the books can be removed a few at a time as the drawer fills.

Good luck!
 
Tension Rods

This is what makes hanging files so appealing.

However, about your problem. You need something behind the files to support them and keep the entire pile from sliding. You might look into curtain tension rods. These are straight curtain rods that have rubber ends, for traction. There are two pieces that slide together or apart to the distance required (usually within a window frame), and a spring maintains sufficient tension to keep the rod and curtain up, or in this case, keep the files from falling down.

Tension rods are available in lengths as short as 8-11 inches here in the U.S., and I've seen and used two types. One, the less expensive, relies on twisting the two halves of the rod together or apart to change the width of the rod. The other, more heavy duty and expensive, is flatter, and has a spring mechanism adjusted by a screw. You'd simply extend the rod to a bit over the internal width of the drawer, set the screw, and then compress the rod to get it into place. If I were doing this, I'd used the more expensive design. I'd also put a plain, tall bookend behind the files, with the horizontal part facing the front of the file drawer (under the files), and I'd put the rod behind that.

Home decorating stores here in the U.S. have the rods, as well as some major general marketers like Sears and J.C. Penney. I don't know the equivalent overseas--M&S?

At any rate, good luck!
 
A cheap easy solution is to use a utilitarian metal bookend. You can buy them at office supply stores for about $4
 
I know this comment won't help keymoo or anyone else having this problem with a filing cabinet they already own, but for anyone planning to buy a filing cabinet: this problem is why it is important to select a cabinet with a moveable plate in the drawers that will compress the files. A filing cabinet designed to handle free-standing folders is the best solution. Shop carefully.

Keymoo, if you can still exchange the cabinet for another type, you might consider that.
 
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