Wood Runs and Steel Runs
Early wooden case racks were fitted with strips of thin wood upon which the cases were moved in and out. These slender strips were not always of perfect grain and were difficult to attach firmly to the side frame. They warped and split easily, and the nails and screws with which they were fastened would work loose. In order to have them strong they had to be thick, and this thickness gave a wide space between the cases so that fewer cases could be kept in a given space.
To avoid these disadvantages case runs are now made of flat strips of steel fastened to the side frames of the rack or cabinet. In some cabinets they are fitted between side slats of wood, and a couple of perpendicular iron rods are run through holes in the slats and the steel strips from top to bottom of the rack, binding the pieces together and to the side frame, making a particularly substantial rack. Another style of steel run is made of a wider strip of iron bent the entire length into a right-angle shape. Screw holes on one side of this angle strip enable it to be fastened to the side frame, the other angle of the strip being used to support the case.
Extension Fronts and Backs
The later method of providing for this is to place the cases further back in the rack, as in the old-style stand, and have the runs on the cabinet extended entirely to the front. This is the extension front, and in modern cabinets the rims are of thin steel, as already described. (Fig. 34.) With this arrangement the cases have no protruding arms and can be conveniently placed anywhere; standard cabinet cases can be placed on working stands or temporarily in any convenient case rack.
Furniture Racks
