Thread: Stopping draws from flying open in van

One method is to use a locking rail. There is an example in the campaign chest here. Since your fronts go right across the front, you can do it with an 'L' shaped rail on a piano hinge from the side of the chest.

Cheers
Michael

thanks for this, Michael. What keeps the vertical bar in the closed position when the doors are pushing against it when trying to open under accelaration?

My problem is the drawer fronts are 19mm pine, so I would have to use a couple of long hinges rather than thin piano hinges. Will visit Bunnies to see what is available

Use a "slide bolt" (used Google to verify nomenclature) mounted vertically, so that gravity provides a latch. I don't quite understand your geometry, but multiple hinges could be "married" on the operating leaves with a piece of lath.

Cheers,
Joe

Originally Posted by JillB

thanks for this, Michael. What keeps the vertical bar in the closed position when the doors are pushing against it when trying to open under accelaration?

My problem is the drawer fronts are 19mm pine, so I would have to use a couple of long hinges rather than thin piano hinges. Will visit Bunnies to see what is available

An 'L' shaped rail allows you to mount the piano hinge or several butt hinges on the side of the cabinet so the rail hooks around the front of the drawers.

You could lock it in a few different ways. Use a couple of hasps mounted on the drawers with staples on the rail. Or you could use a couple of offset barrel bolts mounted on the drawers and slotting into the rail.

Cheers
Michael

Drawers in mobile homes use pushbutton catches to keep them closed. I'm not sure they'll take the weight but it would be worth a trip to a supplier to check out.

Gerry

I used these catches in my trailer sailer. They are flush when locked, press the knob centre, it pops out and becomes a drawer pull.

Caravans Plus - DIY Parts & Accessories

Cheers
Graeme

thanks Gerry and Graeme, these are a neat solution, but a bit too expensive and sophisticated for a tradesman's van, I think This guy would most likely drill holes in the side of the carcass and push a 1 inch diam galvanised bolt in to each drawer side

My easiest and cheapest solution is to do an L shaped bracket the length of the carcass and screwed to once side, which swings around over the front of the draws on that side, and is held in a closed position by a barrel bolt

That's what I said

Cheers
Michael

Ooops, sorry Michael, I didn't acknowledge your input and suggestion

I thought it entirely possible you didn't understand my murky description and arrived at the same idea through 'fools never differ' so was just saying, "yeah, that's what I meant", not seeking a citation for the idea!

Cheers
Michael

A little bit of scrap 1/2" square timber say 2" long with a screw through the centre, screwed to the frame, and turned to either obstruct the drawers or allow them to move. Probably called a turnbutton or something. I found cast alloy ones for 50 cents each at Jayco last week to keep my drawers closed. Just put a washer under it and you can make it as tight as you want.

LeeValley have these: Double-Locking Extra-Heavy-Duty Slides - Lee Valley Tools

Heavy Duty slides with a locking lever. Not as comprehensive as a single bracket that covers all the drawers, but if you have varying widths (say 3x full width and 4x half-width) then it's a possibility. Not bad for an off the shelf solution.

I'd be going for something robust to survive the constant cycling of the drawers trying to open every time the vehicle accelerates or turns a corner or hits a pothole.

you could mount spring loaded deadbolts (or straight round bar) horizontally on the front of the drawers. As you reach up to open the drawer you grip a bit of flat welded on the bolts and slide them towards the centre of the drawer disengaging them from the sides of the cabinet then pull the drawer out.

Very similar principal to type of locking mechanism you see on swing out doors on steel cabinets or rear swing up windows on rear canopy covers or like the lower section on the locking mechanism on that roll top desk.