File cabinets are useful in the way that they help you organize and provide easy access to your documents. They come in many styles, many sizes and different levels of quality. You may select either wood or metal file cabinets. Wood, more specifically solid oak, is the most elegant and durable material type than any other wood. Solid oak file cabinets will last for many years and can add elegance to your home or office interior.

Lower quality wood file cabinets are normally made for self-assembly. This is usually more complicated than you expect as it utilizes “cam” assembly hardware. When you’re looking for wood file cabinets, be wary of ones that are made of particleboard. Although the tag might say it is made of wood (and looks like wood) the description might still be referring to particleboard, so beware. According to the Furniture Manufacturers Association, solid wood includes particleboard. But what you really want to look for is SOLID wood; either solid oak, cherry, or pine. Another thing to bear in mind is that in order to hold a great deal of weight, a file cabinet should have glue screws and clamps; not cam locks in particleboard. Wood drawers are best made with English Dovetailed joints. If a drawer is assembled with cams, it won’t hold together. A drawer glued and stapled can be an acceptable assembly method if the staples are only holding the assembly together until the glue dries.

The next thing you need to know is the difference between genuine wood veneer, printed grain, and solid wood without particleboard. The easiest way to tell if a piece of furniture is made of solid wood is to look at how the grain is running. If the end grain runs the wrong direction (perpendicular to the other grain), it is most likely veneer.

Another essential element of a file cabinet is the hardware used to open the drawers. Check the runner system; does it pull out smoothly and evenly? How does the tracking system work? If the drawer pulls out less than 90%, you will lose storage space and it might be difficult to retrieve your documents from the back of the file. Euro type roller glides are undesirable for any file cabinets. This type of roller system works with two interlocking wheels on a spindle and it can’t take the heavy weight of a file drawer and will likely not last very long. The better glide system for file cabinets is a full ball bearing, full extension slide system with at least a 100 lb weight rating.

Related Articles: