Cabinet locks come in almost as many variations in size and
design as cabinets themselves. Since
the first wooden furniture
made its way into our homes, cabinets in their
different guises
have been used to store things either to keep them safe, or out
of the way. As we grew more prosperous, and acquired more goods
of value, the emphasis on security grew, and so did the range of
security measures we could take to secure our new found wealth.
Cabinet locks are one such way of keeping our things safe.
Either from curious children, pets, or external threats.
Cabinet door locks come in two main types, a disc tumbler or pin
tumbler. For tumbler, see cylinder, what word is used depends on
where in the country you are. A disc tumbler cabinet lock works
by rotating discs back and forth to lock in the lock to turn a
steel cam which holds the door closed. This movement allows the
lock and unlock function. A pin tumbler has spring loaded pins
that drop down into place when it's locked and are pushed back
when unlocked.
Disc tumbler locks are the most popular, as they are the
simplest in design and have the most applications. They don’t
offer quite as much security as a pin tumbler, but are effective
for keeping the door shut or children and animals out of the
cabinet. Pin tumbler locks are more suitable for securing
property, and offering a little more protection to the cabinet,
and whatever is inside. There is a popular variation of the pin
tumbler for sliding cabinet doors in the plunger lock. This is
where the key is inserted, and then pressed in like a button to
lock the mechanism. This button is called a strike, and is what
prevents the door from opening without being unlocked. Once the
key is inserted, the button or strike pops out and allows for
the free movement of the door.
Cabinet drawer locks offer a little more variation. They are
either dead latching or spring latch locks and work just like
doors. The dead latch works just the same as a door deadbolt and
is merely a physical barrier turned in place by the key to
prevent drawer opening. The Spring latch is like a door handle,
where the mechanism is pushed out by a spring, then retracted by
the key. Both are very effective yet simple to maintain and
operate, which makes them ideal for their purpose.
The other way of securing cabinets is by using a
combination
lock. The locking mechanism is exactly the same as a disc lock
in that it uses a steel cam to prevent opening, but uses a
combination lock mechanism to free the cam. These are ideal for
high use areas where there might be many people who need to work
the cabinet lock.
Most of us have
cabinets purely for storage or for their
aesthetic appeal, but it’s nice to know that there are options
to keep our stuff secure if the neighbors kids come to visit or
the new puppy gets curious.
