Dresser drawers wont open. Help!
May 31, 2010 2:49 PM Subscribe
My dresser is designed to only open one drawer at a time, but now, none of the drawers are all stuck closed...how can i fix this?
After closing the top drawer of my 4 door dresser, i tried to open another drawer. But none of them will open now! Its obviously something to do with the mechanism that only allows one drawer open at a time. Is there a way i can release the mechanism or disable it? Thanks! :D
After closing the top drawer of my 4 door dresser, i tried to open another drawer. But none of them will open now! Its obviously something to do with the mechanism that only allows one drawer open at a time. Is there a way i can release the mechanism or disable it? Thanks! :D
When I've seen a mechanism to do that, it's been a vertical bar, either down the back of the drawers or down the side. In locking filing cabinets, for example, it's almost always down the side below the lock. Sometimes it's engaged by a spring, sometimes by gravity.
In your situation, the first thing I'd try is wiggling all the drawers, and maybe picking up the dresser and gently tapping it against the floor to try to get the mechanism to disengage.
If that didn't work, I'd have a look from the bottom and see if I could see anything. If the back was thin nailed-on wood (like is common in flat-pack furniture) I'd consider taking that off, and see if I could see anything from there.
If you have a digital camera, some photographs might be good.
posted by Mike1024 at 3:05 PM on May 31, 2010
In your situation, the first thing I'd try is wiggling all the drawers, and maybe picking up the dresser and gently tapping it against the floor to try to get the mechanism to disengage.
If that didn't work, I'd have a look from the bottom and see if I could see anything. If the back was thin nailed-on wood (like is common in flat-pack furniture) I'd consider taking that off, and see if I could see anything from there.
If you have a digital camera, some photographs might be good.
posted by Mike1024 at 3:05 PM on May 31, 2010
Um. Make? Pictures?
On toolboxes that do this that I have had before, there is a rocker mounted vertically at the rear of the cabinet that is pushed left or right as a drawer opens (locking the others) or closes (freeing them all). When we have had issues with this, we have pried the drawers apart a little until we have a gap large enough for a flat piece of steel to fit, and then slid it in and pushed the rocker across one way or the other by feel.
Without knowing any details of yours, this may be pointless or useful advice. Without knowing what system/make you have, no-one can really help.
posted by Brockles at 3:07 PM on May 31, 2010
On toolboxes that do this that I have had before, there is a rocker mounted vertically at the rear of the cabinet that is pushed left or right as a drawer opens (locking the others) or closes (freeing them all). When we have had issues with this, we have pried the drawers apart a little until we have a gap large enough for a flat piece of steel to fit, and then slid it in and pushed the rocker across one way or the other by feel.
Without knowing any details of yours, this may be pointless or useful advice. Without knowing what system/make you have, no-one can really help.
posted by Brockles at 3:07 PM on May 31, 2010
Yeah, percussive maintenance is the solution to this one. I'd first try pulling out each drawer as much as possible (may only be a fraction of an inch) and then slamming it shut. See if that allows normal operation, if not, repeat for each drawer. If that doesn't do it, try shaking, bumping, or banging on the unit as a whole. If that doesn't work, you are going to need to start taking things apart, and the best way to do that depends greatly on what kind of drawers we are talking about (metal file cabinet vs wooden dresser).
posted by Rock Steady at 3:56 PM on May 31, 2010
posted by Rock Steady at 3:56 PM on May 31, 2010
It's possible that the problem may not be with the mechanism, but with the drawer. A numer of times I've had drawers not open due to their bottom panels sagging down or falling out of their grooves.
Try taking a small screwdriver or something flexible like a credit card and push it up under the botttom edge of each drawer, pulling it open as you push up. Try this on both sides of each drawer at the same time (use two credit cards or screwdrivers).
posted by Hardcore Poser at 10:33 PM on May 31, 2010
Try taking a small screwdriver or something flexible like a credit card and push it up under the botttom edge of each drawer, pulling it open as you push up. Try this on both sides of each drawer at the same time (use two credit cards or screwdrivers).
posted by Hardcore Poser at 10:33 PM on May 31, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by zippy at 3:04 PM on May 31, 2010