Turn An Old Chest Into A Multi-Purpose Filing Cabinet
Season 6 Episode 16
Aired on 05/06/2017
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Refurbish an old filing chest to make it more functional and fresh.
Materials
Repurposed wood filing chest
Plastic filing tray bracket
(2) 14” x 14” x ¾” plywood (or dimensions of inside chest lid)
(2) 12” x 12” burlap covered corkboard tiles (or 2” smaller than plywood)
(3) 1” x 2” x 14” lumber (or width of inside of chest)
(2) 1” x 2” x 3” lumber
Drill with a 1/8” drill bit and Phillips head bit
(2) 2” wood screws
(4) 1” wood screws
(8) 1½” wood screws
Wood glue
Acrylic paint and primer in one–2 colors of your choice (1 base, 1 accent)
Paint brush
Painters tape
Tape measure
12” Level
Decorative tray that fits inside chest
Decorative push-pins
Hanging files
Note: Remove the chest lid from the body before starting this project to make it easier to follow the steps. It will be reattached at the end of the project.
Protect any sections of the chest that you don’t want painted with painters tape. These might be metal accents or decorative handles. Paint the inside and outside of the chest in the base color of your choice. Paint the (2) 14” x 14” x ¾” plywood in the accent color of your choice. Allow paint to dry for 2–4 hours or until dry to the touch before moving onto the next step.
Two lumber supports will be added to the inside of the filing chestto hold the plastic filingbracket. To assemble the Support1, take (2) 1” x 2” x 14” lumber and set the pieces at 90° to each other. Use a drill with a 1/8” bit to drill a pilot hole through the top of one piece of lumber and into the second piece at each end. Secure the two pieces of lumber together using a drill with a Phillips head bit and (2)1½” wood screws.
To assemble the Support 2, 1” x 2” x 3” lumber will be placed at each end of 1” x 2” x 14” lumber. Drill 1/8” pilot holes through one end of each 1” x 2” x 3” lumberand corresponding pilot holes into the 1” x 2” x 14” lumber. Secure the pieces together using a drill with a Phillips head bit and (2) 1½” wood screws.
Place one hanging file onto the filing tray bracket. Hold the bracket in the chest so the bottom of the hanging file is touching the chest bottom. Mark with a pencil on the chest directly under the bracket on all four corners. This is will be where the lumber supports are placed in the next steps.
Set the filing tray bracket to one side. Hold Support 1 up to the inside edge of the chest with the topof the support at the pencil marks from Step 4. Check with a level the support is straight. Secure the support to the sideof the chest using a drill with a Phillips head bit and (2) 1 1/2” wood screws.
Hold Support 2 up across the inside of the chest at the second set of pencil marks from Step 4, also with the topof the support at the pencil marks. Check with a level that it’s straight. Secure the support to the side of the chest using a drill with a Phillips head bit and (2) 1½” wood screws.
Rest the filing tray bracket on top of the supports. Fill with hanging files. Place a decorative tray on top of the filing bracket to hold additional supplies.
Place the 14” x 14” x ¾” plywoodin each side ofthe chest lid. Attach each plywood piece to the lid using a drill with a Phillips head bit and a 1½” wood screw through the center and into the raised pieces of wood.
Apply wood glue over the back of the burlap covered corkboard tiles. Eyeball the center of each piece of plywood from Step 8 and press the corkboard tiles of them.
Secure the corkboards to the plywood using a drill with a Phillips head bit and (2) 1½” wood screws with washers per corkboard.
Add push pins to the corkboards to hold notes and paperwork.
Reattach the chest lid to the chest using the original hardware.
