Method for making filing cabinet including adhesive bonding

A method for forming a rectangular filing cabinet from thin prefinished metal comprising the steps of:

• a. forming an integral wraparound cabinet envelope having a top and two side walls defining an open front, bottom and back, said envelope flanged inwardly along its edges to provide a front perimeter flange, a rear perimeter flange and a pair of base flanges at the bottom of said side walls;
• b. forming a cabinet back panel having a top and bottom flange;
• c. applying adhesive to the inside surface of said rear perimeter flange, the upper surface of said back panel top flange and the top lateral edges of said back panel bottom flange;
• d. positioning said back panel inside said cabinet envelope so that said back panel top flange abuts the inside surface of said envelope top, the perimeter edges of said back panel abut said inside surface of said rear perimeter flange and said top lateral edges of said back panel bottom flange abut the bottom of said side wall base flanges, adhesively, bonding said back panel to said cabinet envelope;
• e. forming a pair of track assemblies each including a pair of front and rear vertical corner channels interconnected by at least one drawer track;
• f. applying adhesive to each rear corner of said envelope and to both front vertical channel members of said track assemblies;
• g. positioning said front vertical channel members of said track assemblies inside said front perimeter flanges of said envelope, and rotating said track assemblies to wedge said rear vertical channels into said rear corners of said cabinet envelope, adhesively, bonding said track assemblies to said envelope;
• h. forming a kickplate to enclose the bottom front end of said envelope, said kickplate having an upper portion including an inwardly directed flange, said upper portion extending across said front perimeter flange, and a bottom portion including an upwardly extending flange, said bottom flange extending across said envelope side wall base flanges;
• i. attaching said kickplate to said envelope by securing said upper portion to said front perimeter flange and securing said lower portion to said side wall base flanges;
• j. forming at least one drawer, said drawer having a front, bottom, back and two sides, said sides being shaped to slidably engage said drawer track wherein said drawer can reciprocate along said drawer track between an open and closed position;
• k. inserting said drawer into said cabinet envelope.

A method of forming a vertical rectangular metal storage cabinet comprising the steps of:

• a. providing thin, flat sheet metal stock;
• b. forming said thin sheet metal stock into multiple components which are complementary and interfittable into overlapping relationship with one another whereby said components define a vertical rectangular hollow cabinet case having one side open for access to such cabinet and with said components overlapping one another adjacent at least two of the vertical corners of said cabinet to provide interfaces therebetween extending substantially the full vertical length of the respective vertical corners;
• c. applying adhesive substantially continuously throughout the vertical length of at least one such interface adjacent each of said at least two vertical corners of said cabinet and interfitting said components into such overlapping relationship with one another and thereby forming such a rectangular hollow cabinet case having one side open for access to said cabinet;
• and
• d. securing said components to one another substantially continuously throughout the length of said interfaces by adhering them to one another with said adhesive and thereby rigidly fixing said interfitted components into a rugged storage case of such thin metal stock.

A method of forming a rectangular storage cabinet case of sheet metal, said cabinet case being fabricated of a plurality of panel members, each of said panel members including at least one panel for defining one wall of said case, and certain of said panel members including flanges extending from edges of said panels thereof, each of said panel members having a transverse dimension which equals the corresponding dimension of the respective panel plus the overall length of any flanges extending therefrom in the corresponding direction, said panel members including at least one panel member having a first transverse dimension and the remainder of said panel members having a second transverse dimension, comprising:

• a. Providing a first flat sheet metal blank of indeterminate length and of a first predetermined width which corresponds to said first transverse dimension;
• b. Cutting said panel members of said first transverse dimension from said first flat sheet metal blank with said first transverse dimension of said panel members and said first predetermined width of said first flat sheet metal blank in registry with one another;
• c. Providing a second flat sheet metal blank of indeterminate length and of a second predetermined width which corresponds to said second transverse dimension;
• d. Cutting said panel members of said second transverse dimension from said second flat sheet metal blank with said second transverse dimension of said panel members and said second predetermined width of said second flat sheet metal blank in registry with one another;
• and
• e. Assembling said panel members together into the configuration of a storage cabinet case, including folding the flanges of the respective panel members into their assembly positions relative to the respective panels, and assembling and securing said panel members together whereby said panel members cooperate with one another to form the storage cabinet case in said configuration.

A method of making a rectangular storage cabinet case having predetermined depth, height and width dimension from stocks of thin gauge sheet metal, each of said stocks having a different predetermined width dimension between said edges thereof corresponding generally to one of said dimensions of the cabinet and having an indeterminate length, comprising:

• a. cutting said stocks transverse to their length at predetermined spacings therealong to form blanks of determinate length dimensions corresponding to said spacings, each of said blanks having a width dimension corresponding to the respective predetermined width dimension of the respective stock between side edges thereof and generally to the respective predetermined dimension of the cabinet;
• b. bending and interfitting said blanks of said predetermined width dimensions to constitute the side, top and back wall panels of a rectangular filing cabinet case with edge portions of said blanks in overlapping relation with one another, with each said width dimension of each of said blanks corresponding to one of said cabinet case dimensions and without trimming said side edges;
• and
• c. affixing said overlapping edge portions of said blanks together in said interfitting cabinet-forming relationship whereby said blanks cooperate with one another to form the storage cabinet.

A method of making a rectangular storage cabinet having predetermined depth, height and width dimensions from stocks of thin gauge sheet metal, each of said stocks having a different predetermined width dimension corresponding generally to one of said dimensions of the cabinet and having an indeterminate length, comprising:

• cutting blanks of determinate lengths from said stocks, each of said blanks having a width dimension corresponding to the respective predetermined width dimension of the respective stock and generally to the respective predetermined dimension of the cabinet, and bending said blanks of said predetermined width dimensions to form interfittable side, top and back wall panels which interfit with one another to define the rectangular storage cabinet, wherein said cutting and bending include:
• cutting a first blank of determinate length from a first of said stocks, said first blank having a width dimension corresponding to the predetermined width dimension of the respective stock and generally to the predetermined depth dimension of the cabinet;
• bending said first blank to form a unitary envelope having a pair of generally parallel upright side wall panels interconnected by a generally horizontal top wall panel;
• cutting a second blank of a determinate length from a second of said stocks, said second blank having a width dimension corresponding to the predetermined width dimension of said second stock;
• forming said second blank into a back panel having a width dimension corresponding generally to the width dimension of said second blank and generally to the predetermined width dimension of the cabinet;
• and
• interfitting said panels with one another and thereby forming such a rectangular storage cabinet, and affixing said panels together in said interfitting cabinet-forming relationship, including affixing said back panel to corresponding back edges of the envelope top and side wall panels.

A method of forming a rectangular storage cabinet comprising the steps of:

• a. providing thin, flat sheet metal stock having at least one prefinished surface;
• b. forming portions of said stock into multiple components which are complementary and interfittable with one another in an edge-overlapping relationship;
• c. including forming portions of thin, flat sheet metal stock into elongate reinforcing members each of a length to extend substantially the full height of said rectangular cabinet;
• d. interfitting the formed portions in such edge-overlapping relationship to form a rectangular cabinet with said prefinished surfaces exteriorly exposed to provide an exterior finished surface of said cabinet and one side of said cabinet provided with an access opening;
• and
• e. securing said interfitted portions in said edge-overlapping relation, including laminating said overlapping portions to one another with an adhesive and adhesively laminating each of said reinforcing members to interior surfaces of said interfitted portions defining an interior upright corner of said rectangular cabinet, without penetrating or marring the cabinet exterior finished surface.

A method of forming an upright storage cabinet having vertical corners, comprising the steps of:

• a. providing thin, flat sheet metal stock having at least one prefinished surface;
• b. forming portions of said stock into multiple components which are complementary and interfittable with one another in an edge-overlapping relationship;
• c. interfitting the formed components in such edge-overlapping relationship to form an upright rectangular storage cabinet with said prefinished surfaces exteriorly exposed to provide an exterior finished surface of said cabinet and one side of said cabinet provided with an access opening;
• d. securing said interfitted components in said edge-overlapping relation by laminating overlapping portions to one another with an adhesive and thereby rigidly fixing said interfitting components into a rugged storage cabinet of said thin metal stock having an exterior finished surface.

A method of forming an upright storage cabinet having vertical corners, comprising the steps of:

• a. providing thin, flat sheet metal stock;
• b. forming portions of said stock into multiple components which are complementary and interfittable with one another in an edge-overlapping relationship;
• c. interfitting the formed components in such an edge-overlapping relationship to form an upright rectangular storage cabinet with one side of said cabinet provided with an access opening;
• d. wherein the forming and interfitting steps form an upright cabinet case with multi-sided structural shapes adjacent a plurality of the vertical corners thereof and with each side of each such structural shape including multiple thicknesses of said thin metal stock;
• e. securing said interfitted components in said edge-overlapping relation by laminating overlapping portions to one another with an adhesive and thereby rigidly fixing said interfitting components into a rugged storage cabinet of said thin metal stock.