How to create a comics filing cabinet

[Garlanda]

It sure beats short boxes

 

Previously, I had maintained my collection in short boxes on shelves. This became pretty cumbersome as my collection rose over 10,000 issues. Some LCS’s in my area used drawers to store their comics like filing cabinets. I found a source that would custom-make such comics cabinets, but they were approximately $1000 each. I evolved from that to regular steel vertical file cabinets, which can cost more than $600 each. I transitioned from that to used office supplies, which were a winner at $50-60 per drawer.

 

Choosing a cabinet is a geometry problem. You have to make sure that the internal dimensions are good for comics. Most drawers are deep enough for comics to stand upright, and most drawers are long enough to hold about as many as a short box. The real considerations are in width. Assume that a comic is 8 inches wide, which will allow for a Golden Age book with a little space between rows. Measure the width of the inside of the drawer, which will be a few inches narrower than the overall width of the cabinet itself. For example, a 36” cabinet has 34” of room inside, which lets you make four rows, while a 42” cabinet has 40” of room inside, which lets you make five rows.

 

Once you have your cabinet, you need to consider its placement. A fully loaded 36” cabinet will weigh about 950 lbs, so don’t put it in your attic. Also, don’t plan on moving it to reach the leaky pipe in the wall behind it unless you add mobility.

 

Turn your empty cabinet over by tipping it backwards so the drawers don’t fly out. Get it all the way upside-down and look at the bottom. Every cabinet has removable feet for leveling. Unscrew those all the way out. Take one with you to the hardware store to make sure you get the right bolts to go back in.

 

At the store, you will need to buy the following parts:

1. Wood furniture dolly

2. 3 inch swivel casters (need 4)

3. Hex head bolts ¼ inch, size 20 x 1½ (sold in packs of 4, need 4 packs)

4. Flat washers 5/16 inch (2 for each bolt, so 32. Sold in packs of 50)

5. Hex nuts ¼ inch, size 20 (1 for each bolt, so 16. Sold in pack of 100)

6. Solid wood panel as large as your cabinet and at least ¾ inch thick

7. Wood screws approximately 1½ inch long (need 8)

8. Wood screws approximately 2-2 ½ inches long (need 8)

9. Hex head bolts of the same size as the levelers you removed from the bottom, 3 inches long (need 4)

10. Flat washers to fit the hex bolts for the bottom of the cabinet (need 4)

 

I was able to buy all these things at Lowes. You will need the following tools, at least:

A. Flat head screwdriver

B. Pliers

C. Power drill with ¼ inch bit, Philips driver, and drill bit slightly larger than the bolts you got for Part #9

D. Pencil

E. Two adjustable crescent wrenches

F. Ruler or T-square

 

Build your cabinets!

 

[Garlanda]

Remove the carpet from the furniture dolly (part #1), pull out the staples. Use the flat head screwdriver and pliers for this.

 

 

[Garlanda]

Turn the furniture dolly wheels-up, and place the four additional wheels (part #2) on it. Mark the holes to drill. Drill the holes with your ¼ inch bit. Use the crescent wrenches to bolt the casters on with the ¼ inch hex head bolts (part #3) using flat washers (part #4) on each side of the wood and hex nut (part #5). You now have a furniture dolly with a much higher weight capacity. Set it aside for the moment.

 

 

[Garlanda]

Get your solid wood panel (part #6) that is at least as large as the bottom of your cabinet. Having this layer will evenly distribute the tensions caused by pushing and pulling the cabinet and prevent any warping or collapsing of the metal. Measure from the edges of the cabinet with your ruler or T-square to the center of the hole and mark that corresponding spot on your wood panel. Drill holes in the wood panel that corresponds with the holes in the bottom of the file cabinet. It’s hard to get all four lined up, so you may want to drill the holes a little bit larger than the bolt. For example, if your bolts are 3/8 inch you may want to drill a ½ inch hole. Once you have your holes, bolt the wood panel on with your other hex bolts (part 9) and flat washers (part 10).

 

 

[Garlanda]

Now it’s time to combine the two constructs. Align the furniture dolly with the cabinet to be as close to center as possible. No need to measure, an estimate is close enough. You will see that two sides of the furniture dolly are in contact with the wood panel, and two sides are not. Use the shorter wood screws (part #7) interspersed along the sides where the wood is in contact, and the longer wood screws (part #8) interspersed along the sides where the wood is not in contact. Now you see why you need two sizes of wood screws. If they are long enough to do the sides not in contact, then they are too long to do the sides in contact without hitting the bottom of the cabinet.

 

 

[Garlanda]

Your cabinet is now assembled, but is upside-down. Tip it backwards again so the drawers don’t fly out. Setting it upright will be harder than turning it upside-down, because the wheels will try to roll as you get it almost upright. Your cabinet is now almost ready to load.

 

I didn’t like the idea of my comics being in direct contact with the metal, because of the possibility of dings along the bottom or chemical exchanges with the bags. For this step, go to a craft store (I use Michael’s) and get white foamboard. This is available in a variety of sizes, but you will probably have to cut it to fit properly. You don’t have to cover the whole bottom, just enough to keep your comics off the metal. The while also brightens up the inside so it’s a little easier to see. For the front and back of the rows, I use an old comic bag with 3-4 old boards inside, the same thing I used in my short boxes to prevent damage through the handholds.

 

 

Your cabinets are now ready for use! Standard sizes will hold a maximum of 150 bagged and boarded issues tightly, so a 36” four drawer cabinet will hold up to 2400 comics, and a 42” four drawer will hold up to 3000. Fill with drek and enjoy!

 

 

[Ogami]

I LOVE THIS CABINET/PROJECT!!!

 

 

Well done!

[spideyfan76]

Very cool. Nice job!

[Garlanda]

This project does run to be fairly expensive; everything comes out to about $350 total, but it's all necessary. The first time I tried it I just got big casters that screwed directly into the holes in the bottom of the cabinet where the leveler feet were. This was a disaster. When trying to push the cabinet, it put too much stress on the front wheels and caused them to collapse, which resulted in me holding up the cabinet while my wife pulled books out and put them back in short boxes. This is why the large wood panel is essential to redistribute the tension to all four points evenly.

[rsouxlja7]

Awesome thread, will be using this advice.

[Hepcat]

I've been using this pair of pre-made Global lateral filing cabinets to store my really good comics and magazines: