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If you want to add a lock to a metal filing cabinet you have sitting around, you can do it yourself and don’t need a handyman to help you. In fact in 10 minutes you can have a locking filing cabinet complete with keys. Some filing cabinets come with a lock, and others don’t, but you can add one later if you want. Office supply stores sell the kits and they are easy to install.
About the hardest part of the job is removing the knock-out in the cabinet. This is usually located in the upper right corner. Use a screwdriver and tap it out with a hammer. The lock mechanism fits in it’s place. Insert the lock through the front at an angle. Push it into position and secure it with the included tension clip. The lock mechanism usually connects to a rail on the right side of the cabinet. This rail runs the entire length of the cabinet and will engage or disengage all of the cabinet drawers simultaneously. So when the key is turned to lock the cabinet, the rail lifts and locks all drawers. When the key is turned to open the drawers, the rail drops.
You need to bend the lock mechanism’s arm around a small wrung in the rail to move it. Once this is done you can lock and unlock to your heart’s content.
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