The Adventures of a Haphazard Handywoman #2

It has been quite some time since the last installment of my handywoman escapades(and my last blog post for that matter) the first one can be seen by clicking here

Problem: The kidlet is plundering the cabinets and drawers.
Welcome to the exciting adventure of practical baby proofing as my wonderful daughter transitions from baby to toddler and proceeds to attack all things that were previously out of her reach. She is now crawling, standing and getting her cute pudgy little fingers into everything.
However, one thing I despise is the impracticality of baby proofing by using things such as cabinet or drawer locks that one has to fidget with every time to open a darn drawer or cabinet, that's just outright annoying and they look like cheap plastic eyesores that would attract a child like metal to a magnet! So I had to find something that wouldn't piss me off every time I use or even looked it as I (and most of my generation) was raised without such things.

Solution: Install a double roller catch. I've found these common yet simple devices to be successful at preventing kids (at least till they're a kindergartner) from getting into things and I specifically remember dealing with them as a kid too.
Things you will need: A drill, as many double roller catches you need, and extra screws the same amount as what comes with the catch, and roughly the same size (they can be a little bigger, but try not to get smaller) as the ones that come with the catch.



Step 1: Remove the drawer or open the cabinet door.



Step 2: Put the catch part on the area that you want to have it installed and mark the holes with a pencil. Make sure the when the cabinet or drawer is closed that the catch will not prevent the door from closing all the way, and that it is not too recessed that it won't catch the prong or spear. I usually do this with the haphazard method of eyeballing it but you may want to measure.



Step 3: Then drill where you made the pencil marks, with an appropriate sized drill bit. I usually stick with one just a bit smaller then the screws or the same size as the screws. Also don't drill too deep as the screws are relatively short and you want them to anchor into the wood securely and you don't want to go bawls out and destroy the area where you're drilling.

Step 4: Drill the screws in with the catch where you have pre-drilled your holes, one side at a time.



(NOTE) At this point I ran into a problem as the screws the double roller catch came with were badly manufactured and the heads broke off on them, which I should have figured out by the catches being mis-named on the package.

So if this has happened to you grab a pair of pliers (I used needle nosed) grip those suckers on the threading and remove the screw by twisting it out of the wood. If the screw is too deep you could try to gouge around the edge so enough of it is exposed that the pliers can grip or you could start drill a new hole near it (I would suggest drilling it so the catch would cover up the broken screw once installed).



Step 5: Once the catch has been installed successfully put the spear or the prong into the catch, and mark the back of it with a pencil or a marker making sure to coat around the screw holes thoroughly. Then close the dawer or cabinet door and press it firmly closed. The pencil or marker marks should transfer to the other
side marking where to pre-drill the holes.



Step 6: Repeat Steps 2 and 3 with the prong or spear and check your work to make sure it closes properly.



Step 7: One down and the rest of the house to go ;)