# Flat File Plans?



## bgettel (Sep 18, 2012)

Hello All,

Anyone ever find plans for a flat file - a filing cabinet for storing blueprints flat? All I can seem to find on the net are references to folks who built their own, but no plans. 

Thanks.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

What size vellum are you using? All you would need to do is build a simple cabinet with narrow drawers. It wouldn't be difficult to work up plans for a cabinet that would fit your needs. Would need to know how many drawers or other needs you might have. Full extension drawer guides would also be helpful.


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## bgettel (Sep 18, 2012)

Steve Neul said:


> What size vellum are you using? All you would need to do is build a simple cabinet with narrow drawers. It wouldn't be difficult to work up plans for a cabinet that would fit your needs. Would need to know how many drawers or other needs you might have. Full extension drawer guides would also be helpful.



Great question/points, Steve. I need to think through all that and decide exactly what I'm going to build. I was hoping to find a set of plans to use as a starting point for my thinking. 

What I'd really like to do is build a modular, stackable system, so that you could stack anywhere from two to eight drawers. This would allow the flat filing "cabinet" to easily adjust to different heights based on how high the drafting review table or counter top is. 

The other thing I need to work out is how deep (tall) the drawers are. I've seen a single set of blueprints exceed 1/2" in thickness, and all that paper gets heavy. I'm torn between trying to keep a single set of drawings in a single drawer (for convenience), or splitting the set up across two drawers (to keep from overloading a single drawer).

Maybe I'm over thinking this. I just don't have the time or resources to go through several design iterations to get this right, and the first "stack" of eight drawers is going to be a donation.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

You know those stack bookcases with the glass doors that raise up. You might build something along that idea. You would just build a base and a crown seperate and then you could put as many sections as you needed between. That way you could build a couple of sections, then at a later date when you needed more drawer space add some more sections.


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## bgettel (Sep 18, 2012)

That's a great idea. What do you think on the wood thickness - 3/4 for the bottoms and 1/2 for the sides for each section, then 1/2" all around for the drawer?


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

I believe I would make the sides out of 3/4" and use pins like on table leaves to align each section stacked together. You really don't need a bottoms on the sections, you just need corner blocks to strengthen them and keep the section square. If you are going to put plywood in it I believe I would limit it with 1/4" plywood due to the weight. The 1/2" plywood for the drawers sounds good. I built a smaller drawer for a drafting table I built that was for 18"x24" vellum and just used 1/4" plywood for the bottom. It's holding up fine. When you build the unit you should allow 1/4" clearance for it to sag anyway. Even empty a sheet of plywood will sag and if you build it with too close tolerances it will sag and scrape the cabinet when you pull the drawer out.


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## Gary Beasley (Jan 21, 2009)

bgettel said:


> Great question/points, Steve. I need to think through all that and decide exactly what I'm going to build. I was hoping to find a set of plans to use as a starting point for my thinking.
> 
> What I'd really like to do is build a modular, stackable system, so that you could stack anywhere from two to eight drawers. This would allow the flat filing "cabinet" to easily adjust to different heights based on how high the drafting review table or counter top is.
> 
> ...


The metal flat files I've seen and used were about 1 1/2 inch deep, and if using plywood I would design it with struts under the drawer that rides on rails under it for support. There may be drawer slides built like that you can use to take the strain off the frame of the drawer and transfer it directly to the cabinet frame. Then the sag amount would be of less consequence.
For a fact at a newspaper office I worked at long ago the negative flats were stored in flat file made of heavy duty corrugated which held up surprisingly well to the abuse.


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## J Thomas (Aug 14, 2012)

The first thing that came to my mind is a "chart table". Which are made to hold nautical charts on larger vessels. Similar to this..










Of course this is made of metal but you get the design idea.
Sagging would be a concern with wood & perhaps the drawers would need to be deeper to accommodate "joists" for strength.
I couldn't find any made strictly from wood.
Perhaps a hybrid version?? Might be a niche fro the yachting market!!
Good luck.
..Jon..


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