Pretty much you are SOL ! LOL!
Old roll top desks often had complicated locking systems. Often closing and locking the roll top locked up the whole desk and sometimes there was away to leave access to one drawer.
You will have to find a locksmith to unlock it for you and make a new key. or you could pick the lock your self.....there are directions on the web.
Good luck!!
Linda C

Good Luck! I have an AB Chase 1905 piano the lid got slammed and locked. EVERYONE who came over had tried to 'pick' with no success. A local locksmith with a good reputation came out for $50 and tried everything in his arsenal and still couldn't opened. He did offer to break the lock-I declined. Finally found a seller of pianos in CA & he had a key and it worked! Only $20. As for the local locksmith....No charge since he couldnt open, not even for the hour he was here.

I'll try to explain how my desk works, it also has drawers without keyholes.
When I'm sitting at my desk, there is a drawer directly in front of me. If this drawer is closed all the way, the drawers along the side are all locked. When I open the drawer in front of me, there is a mechanism which releases and unlocks the side drawers. Try this and see if it works.

Linda is completely ill informed. Roll tops are the easiest things in the world to open and DO NOT require the expense of a locksmith.

If you explain which locks you are unable to open, I would be happy to tell you how.

Most roll tops have levered pressure back drawer locks that are simple to circumvent.. as well as the main roll top lock. Don't waste your money.

I really have to say that I am extremely disappointed in this board that a poster would be told they are "SOL" and recommend an expensive fix that requires.. in the worst case... 2 butter knives... and as a last resort... 2 - 1 1/2 inches to 2 inches pieces of masking tape, a screw driver, and less than 5 minutes of their time.

I apologize for the outburst. I was just floored that someone seeking advice would be "talked" to in that way for a 30 second fix.

My bad. I tend to get a little grumpy after 10pm and I don't have my beauty sleep. :-)

My apologies.

No need to apologize. I thought the reply was rather rude toward someone merely asking a question also.

I don't think linda was being rude, I think it was no more than any other outburst most of us would have sitting around talking with friends. She did, after all, guide the OP toward the internet for directions to pick the lock. Re-read the thread -- who's the rude here?

Hmmmm, ok, I guess it's a cultural difference between us. I didn't think it was acceptable to torque someone around when they have a problem on their hands and are asking for help. My bad

I used a technique not too long ago to unlock a secretary for a friend, maybe this will work for you.

It turned out, the faceplate over the lock was attached with what looked like possibly brass brads instead of rivets, it turned out to be just that. I laid a piece of waxed paper along the edge of the face plate (so as not to scratch the wood) and I worked a putty knife under the face plate and working carefully around it, I was able to pry the plate off without bending it or the brads. The lock mechanism was laying inside there, in a routed out hole. I lifted the lock out and took my finger and slid the lever over and it unlocked. We took the lock mechanism, about the size of a Zippo lighter, to an antique shop and tried different keys until we found one that fit real good and unlocked the lock. That one required what we called a skeleton key with a hole in the center. Looking at the lock mechanism after it was out, I think we could have used a dental pick to open it, not sure but worth a try also. We aligned the brads back into the holes and pushed them back in to remount the plate. There was no evidence we had ever done it, worked out great.

That was too easy Mikk!!!! I'll copy your post to my notes I'm sure it will come in handy some day!!

Yeah.....think I'll make a copy of thoe instructions too. My husband has such a desk when I married him so I inherited it. It's lovely other than there is a hole where the lock used to me. I've never asked him, but now I bet I know what happened. LOL

Little skeleton keys. If you're lucky enough to get them with your antique pieces I'd recommend you get a copy made pronto and keep in a safe place. I had a locksmith make a copy for my china cabinet key when it broke.

OK
Thanks to Mikk the desk is unlocked!

I had my hubby lift up the ends of the desktop, while I put 2 books on each corner. He then pushed down the rectagle dowel things and the drawers unlocked on each side. We are going to tape a thin piece of plywood over those dowels, so this does not happen again

I can see where someone had been gauging between the drawers like this has happened before

Thanks to my Gardenweb friends!

Lindamarie's desk was one of those in the 5% category, so her instructions where a bit more detailed. She had to go to the screwdriver/masking tape/5-minute method. :-) Glad it worked out.

One other little industry secret when it comes to skeleton type keys... there just aren't a whole heck of a lot of unique keys around. Probably less than a few hundred. The deal being that the same hardware supplier sells to different furniture manufacturers the world over. The locks and keys are identical.

Keys get lost in shipping. It's common practice for manufactueres to supply copious numbers of spare keys to their dealers in order to prevent any delay in sales, and to be able to service their customers in the event of a lost or broken key. The reason why that is important to know is that the next time you loose or break a key, turn to your local furniture dealer rather than a locksmith. Chances are, they have boxes upon boxes of spare keys floating around in their back office that will more than likely work for you. The longer the dealer has been in business, the greater the odds are thay you'll be able to find a key that works.

Also, don't be fooled by unique key end designs. Manufacturers can have those customized, but the key shafts and ends are largely the same and open the same locks as their competitors. :-)

Better yet, take in your single key BEFORE you loose or break it. :-)

Mikk:

What's the making tape approach?

I tried the "easy" way, but even through the flanges seemed to retract, the lock would not disengage.

I must be in the 5%. :-(

Much TIA!

Mikk, pls help me open my desk too. I don't have middle drawer. And everything locked even drawers. I opened and take out drawers from back. But still don't know how to open middle lock.

Pls anyone. I need help with my desk.

try this:

Picking the lock

video on picking lock

Please contact me. (Mikk) I have an old rolltop desk that was closed by movers and locked. our only key was in a drawer inside the roll down desk top. It is a Macey desk and Macy lock. From what we remember the key is flat and has a straight back and teeth on the other side. You can slide a knife under the lock between the rolltop lid and the desk top so it must latch on the sides both left and right. The cylinder is relatively deep and spins completely around until you get to the back of the lock. Can you help us. Thanks, Bernie, bjb628@gmail.com

Just opened my roll top desk is less time than to go to kitchen and get the two butter knives needed for the fix.

Thanks for your help

THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH MIKK FOLLOWED YOUR INSTRUCTIONS AND OPENED MY ROLLTOP DESK IN A JIFFY, SINCERLY GRATEFULL.

This is a followup to my earlier post. This pic shows the back of a side drawer with a hook. When the main drawer (the one at your lap) is all the way closed, a bar is raised and all of the side drawers are effectively locked.

When my mother passed away I had her Oak Crest roll top desk (cir. 1982)moved to my house and when the movers disassembled it to move it they lost the dowels that operate the drawer-locking mechanism. I can not find any current info about the Oak Crest Company to order replacement parts or at least find out the size of the dowels so I can replace them myself. Can anyone help?

Please, can someone help with my desk. The roll top slammed down & of course it's locked now. I tried the above trick from Mikk & the lock is spring loaded & when I pushed the flange back, I see the lock but no amount of trying will release it. Maybe I didn't understand the directions? It's a large roll top that is maybe 10 years old if that. (it belonged to my mom) and of course the skelton key is locked inside. What can I do? I'm about to flip out!! Auuugggh!

I have to move a roll top desk interstate very soon - should I take it all apart for transportation?

Oh, goodness! I just bought an Oak Crest roll top desk at an estate sale today and have this very problem! DH, who helped disassemble the desk, handed me two dowels and I told him "Remember how you took it apart, so we can put it back together when we get home!"

The desk is put together, and I still have the two dowels, and all the drawers on the right side are locked because they got pushed in.

Where do the dowels go? DH couldn't remember!

The photo that sam_md posted is exactly what the back of the drawers look like. I took photos and cannot tell where the dowels go...but I will print out the instructions from Mikk and have DH see if he can be successful.

Here is are photos of the inside of left side of the desk that has all the drawers removed, so you can see the "mechanism" (in the back right corner) that moves up and down... but I see no place for dowels. Any help--even though this post is over 2 years old, is appreciated!

Smiles,

Sooz

Sooz ,I have the same problem, closed rolltop and everything locked, but top wasn't locked when I looked at desk only after middle pull out tray wsa taken out. My drawers are exactly like yours and I didn't get any dowels or see any. How did you get it fixed.

On the opposite end of the square bar that is " HORIZONTAL " with the vertical square bar that is " NOTCHED " to receive the metal hook of each drawer is a small hole for a dowl pin "above it ! " INWARD SIDE OF DESK If you look very carefully with a bright LED flashlight you will see what I'm speaking about! A mirror helps with finding the dowl pin hole! The idea is when the roll top is in the most upward position the bottom of the roll top ( The side you never see which is inside the Desk ) pushes the two pins downwards ( one each side of the desk ) therefore pushing the square HORIZONTAL SQUARE BAR DOWNWARDS thus RAISING the opposite end of this bar that is connected with VERTICAL BAR THAT IS NOTCHED thus releasing the vertical bar thats notched releasing the metal hook on each drawer ! This allows the metal hook and drawer to be pulled outwards in the open position! Had the same thing happened to me when the shippers assembled my OAK CREST desk the other day no Trambo pins consequently making the drawers in the lock position! Looks like I'm going to have to fabricate to Dowl pins myself which will be about 3 inches long and install them in that Dowel pin hole above the horizontal Squarewood bar! The other alternative is to remove the metal hooks of the drawers , but then you would never be able to lock them! Anybody have a photo of one of these pins? Dan-o

PS good luck

Dan-o, I don't have a picture but we had to make pins for my desk since ours were lost in the move. If I remember correctly we used 5/8" dowel and each pin was 3 inches long. Just make sure that the pins can slide up and down in the holes easily. Mine's been working fine.

I have an Eaglecraft desk and am having trouble locating a key for it. The key is locked inside the rolltop. I've ordered a couple round skeleton keys, but they don't fit. Can anybody offer some help picking/replacement key? See pictures. It
appears to be a flat key. Is there a way to pick this?

Good Morning, Grateful for any assistance regarding an Archibald Stewart & Co. Glasgow, Stewart Roll Top Desk made in USA., the Roll Top of which, we can't open. There isn't a key and despite watching lock-picking videos and trying various keys, can't get it open and don't wish to compromise the lock or desk. If you can suggest a solution or know of a key source based in the UK, I'd be extremely grateful. From my limited knowledge, it appears to be a double bit key which is required to open it

I just got an antique roll top desk that is missing the locking mechanism inside for the drawers. I am assuming that there is something missing for the tambour as well. I would like to restore everything on the inside, but I can't seem to find any info/plans for how to do this. Any help would be greatly appreciated. It is a Cutler roll top desk, with three drawers on the right side and one wide drawer where the chair goes. The wide drawer is the only one with a lock. The tambour has no lock or handles to lift it up.

i have an antique roll top desk that i am trying to find more about. it is in good shape. the only thing that doesn't work is the lock mechanism. I could replace it, but I do not want to decrease any value, if there is any, in the desk. the lock plate reads "WM Richardson, Leeds & Bradford, office furnisher." the desk is pretty on all four sides. it appears to be oak. can anyone tell me anything about this desk? I can send pics. I ultimately want to know if it is worth much.

thank you for your help.

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions all of which I've read and tried without success. I have an Angus Menstrie roll top desk which, according to my father who left it to me when he passed in December, is old enough to be a true antique. I have the key which does open the tambour lock. When the movers left this morning I could open the drawers. I don't know what I did wrong, but none of them will open now. There are one large center drawer above the knee hole,

4 drawers on the left side, and 3 drawers (the bottom one is large enough to hold file folders standing up) on the right side.

I've removed the plate for the tambour's locking mechanism from the desk top, and it appears to be only for the tambour, so whatever locks the drawers must be some kind of lever or hook mechanism that I can't see even when I lie on my back in the knee hole and look up. There is a space behind the center drawer where I can see the end of the tambour when it is up, and my fingers can reach through that space into the drawer which has a very low back, but I feel nothing that could be part of a locking mechanism.

I know there is a trick to getting the drawers open because this happened once years ago when I was visiting my father and he told me exactly what to do. Unfortunately, I no longer remember what is was and he took it with him to his grave.

Does anyone know the secret?

Is the tambour going all the way back when it‘s open? I have an antique English roll top desk and the brass lock is only for securing the tambour and the middle drawer. The unlocking of the side drawers is triggered by the weight of the open tambour. The back edge of the tambour pushes on a lever/mechanism of some sort and releases the drawers. This illustration from Fine Woodworking gives a visual of a modern mechanism, but the idea is the same...

From Fine Woodworking,Traditional Furniture Projects, Taunton Press.

That's it, elunia! Thank you so very much. I knew that it was something simple. It had looked and felt like the tambour was fully open, but when I read your posting and gave it a quick hard push, it retracted a little bit more and the drawers could be opened. As Lewis Carroll wrote in "Jabberwocky" callooh callay! I can now set things up the way I want them in my new desk and get back to my normal routines.

I’m so glad it worked!

Thanks Mikk. The first two photos are what the device looks like from below. The last two are a demo of Mikk's technique with the roll-top up and the device out for better visibility.

My situation is a bit different as I have the keys to my desk but when I try to unlock the desk, the locking mechanism doesn't raise... the key just rotates.... it tries to engage and raise but it won’t... suggestions???

I’m trying to find a replacement lock for a rolltop. Desk was made in 1911. When you turn the key on the tambour unit, the latches pulls some brass pins inward that lock into the desk sides, allowing the roll top to lift (which unlocks the lower drawers) it’s an old Eagle Lock CO lock. If anyone knows where one can be found please let me know

Hello

i was just gifted my grandfathers roll top desk from our family Plumbing office (crying)

i have no idea what the brand is.

Question 1- how can I determine the brand desk, all I see is an Eagle lock

#2 I used mikk’s advice to push the lock from underneath- it resulted in the left set of drawers unlocking. The right side remain locked, any thoughts?

thank you so much

Had same problem with our Oak Crest Roll top desk on 1/13/2021; solution I discovered after buying master key and it didn't open roll top, found key was working, but top still didn't lift. The other problem was that we had failed to periodically oil same. Lid finally opened after a few blows from an opened hand.

I just bought a rolltop desk (not an antique but with the lever mechanism in thr back). its not locked and i have keys. the right bank of drawers doesnt open. everything else does. i tried opening the center drawer - no results.

help!!

I have the same problem but with all drawers. I,m afraid to close them because I can,t unlock them.