Replacement Latches for Overhead Cabinets

[WillieJ]

Best price I found for the latches ($27.20 ea.) is at this vendor:
http://ahturf.com/store/index.php?ro...FYhufgodL1QA6A

I used them for kitchen hardware during a major remodel and found their pricing and service to be very good. No other relationship except as a customer.

[bconyer]

I have a different problem. 2017 Interstate, 6 weeks old. Some of the drawers are very difficult to open. The door to the pantry is a real bear. Is there some way to ease opening without compromising on safety.
bconyer

[Pahaska]

My wife has real problems pulling out galley drawers with the necessary 10# latches. I bought two of the "LAMP TLP Push Knob" latches for the two drawers beneath the silverware drawer. These are the most-opened drawers and the ones she has the most problems with.

I had to enlarge the 1" holes in the drawer fronts to 1 1/8" to accept the new latches. I made a 3/4" thick plywood template with a 1 1/8" hole and clamped it to the drawer front so that the resulting hole would be as low as possible and still cover the original hole. I used a 1 1/8" Forsner bit through the template. A Forsner, by nature, can cut an off-center hole like this very accurately by using a guide.

For the upper drawer, The hole location turned out to be located perfectly. I had a trim router all set up with a guide bushing in case I needed to remove some wood from the frame above to mount the catch, but it was not necessary.

The drawer front wood is just a bit too thin for the new catch. The chrome ring would not seat fully against the front of the drawer with the latch mounted. I made a shim from scrap Lexan to place between the latch body and the drawer front so that the chrome ring could seat fully.

This was the easy drawer!

The bottom drawer will be very different since there is nothing on which to mount the catch strip. What I will do there is mount the new latch upside down and devise a spring-loaded rod that will lock the drawer into the wood underneath the drawer. I'll still need to keep a 5# latch at the rear of that drawer. I'll post some photos when I get around to that job.

[Pahaska]

I installed the new self-locking latch on the bottom drawer this morning. As I noted in the post above, there is no frame on which to install the catch for the latch. I could jury rig a frame, but I decided it would be a lot easier to install a rod to latch the drawer into the frame below. For this reason, I installed the latch inverted. The following is how I decided to do it

I disassembled the drawer and routed a notch into the drawer box for a vertical rod. When I reattached the drawer front, I added extra screws into the drawer face to account for the weakening of the box.

The vertical rod will actually be a 3/8" x 7/16" piece of 40 year old hard maple that I has been laying around in the shop. That stuff is like iron! I haven't decided yet how to add springs to raise the rod when the knob is unlocked. Not a hard thing to figure out. I'll probably add a metal reinforcement at the drawer bottom to take strain off the locking rod.

I'll bring the AI home this weekend so I have all of my tools available when I fit the catch for the latch

[wachuko]

I can't understand what you did... guess I will have to wait for additional photos to see it all in place and then have that "aha!" moment.

But mad woodworking skills John... very nice.

[Pahaska]

Originally Posted by wachuko

I can't understand what you did... guess I will have to wait for additional photos to see it all in place and then have that "aha!" moment. But mad woodworking skills John... very nice.

Maybe these shots will help. I glued and air stapled a doubler to the inside of the drawer so that I could install a stronger locking bar. I routed the notch in the drawer deeper than shown in the prior post.

I cut the bar from some 40-year old hard rock maple. It is even hard to saw that stuff. I ran the bar through the planer to get a perfect fit in the slot with no friction and no wobbling.

I cut off the little triangular catch on the latch since it was just getting in the way.

I needed a spring to retract the bar when the drawer is unlocked. I used a spring I had laying around in the shop. It was easiest to install the spring horizontally where it will be out of the way. The photos show the latch open and locked and the latch plate on the bottom of the frame. I'll probably install a piece of plastic over the spring for trim.

I need to make a trip to storage tomorrow to fit the latch bar to the right length. I need to cut the bar to length and cut a notch to account for the vertical part of the catch.

[Alex AVI]

Originally Posted by wachuko

I can't understand what you did... guess I will have to wait for additional photos to see it all in place and then have that "aha!" moment.

But mad woodworking skills John... very nice.

WACHUKO - remember JOHN now has a new GT with much bigger & better drawers and different layout. So the perspective from his pics are much different than our teeny little drawers in our Lounge model.

[wachuko]

Originally Posted by Alex AVI

WACHUKO - remember JOHN now has a new GT with much bigger & better drawers and different layout. So the perspective from his pics are much different than our teeny little drawers in our Lounge model.

Alex, I could not visualized how it would work. But John follow up photos did the trick.

[Titus]

All of our overhead cabinets except the one at the back are hinged at the top and sit sideways in the van. I can't imagine cornering hard enough to cause a door to open. Even during a crash it is hard to see how the contents of the side cabinets could become projectiles. We ware often surprised by something that falls out due to shifting during the trip, and have considered installing a cargo net to prevent this. (Remember the airplane warning 'Be careful when opening the overhead bins as contents may have shifted during the flight')

This thread did get me thinking about doing something to lock the rear overhead - the one that faces to front. We open this overhead once per day on average, so even an awkward lock would not be too bothersome.

[toskeysam]

We encountered the same problem with our Lounge rework that added some larger drawers. Upfitter used latching catches, except where there was no frame to place the catch. There he used the standard drawer latches with the camlocks. If I am sure to push drawer in until it catches, it holds.....there have been a couple of noisy “releases” while driving winding roads.

[Pahaska]

I finished installing my upside-down latch today. It took a couple of iterations with sandpaper to get the locking bar just the right length and the notch in the bar at just the right depth.

My upside-down latch seems to be working quite well. The additional spring adds no noticeable resistance to pushing the locking knob in. I put back one of the 5# rear catches since my new latch doesn't have any catch to keep the drawer closed on a slope when not locked. The 5# is no problem for my wife.

We have one more drawer that has heavy contents and still has a 10# latch. I may refit that drawer in the future. That is the bottom drawer under the microwave where we keep our canned goods. We so seldom open that drawer that it is low priority.

[Alex AVI]

Originally Posted by nesoutlook

On the draw under the stove I use a Velcro strip. Drawer doesn't open on turns and speed bumps anymore.

Originally Posted by PSchw

Yes that what we use it too. The Velcro sounds like a good idea I will try that.

NESOUTLOOK, PSCHW - Yes, Velcro is what I use too. Simple, clean, fast, & cheap (< my favorite) way to secure upper cabinets. And removable anytime. Or tuck inside cabinet when parked. Will work for drawers too but I have not needed them there coz we have small drawers in Lounge, so only using Velcro on the overheads. Use the hook side to fasten to the carpeting inside the cabinet. Only leave out enough of the end to hook tightly over the push button. The weight on the items inside cabinet, combined with the Velcro holding power, & the door acting as a self-wedging mech - this will never open unless the velcro rips/tears. Just be sure use the heavy duty 1" wide Velcro with the 1.25" slotted head opening.

[wachuko]

^^^ What a great and clever idea!! ^^^