Timber timber
Another trolley. Quelle surprise.
It was a necessity, promise. All the timber I’ve collected from the side of the road/plywood scraps had been piling up in the garage, making it a wonderful place for the spiders to hide.
Most of the materials I used to make the trolley were from said piles, so not only did I organise my stash, I reduced it, too.
Let me tell you, if you find timber slats on the side of the road, pilfer them. They are incredibly versatile in the workshop and for projects. They are the perfect size to shove in the car, and you won’t break your back maneuvering them about.
I wanted something that was on wheels (obvs), and that was large enough to take on decent sizes and quantities, but without making it impossible to put the car in the garage.
I mucked about with a footprint of 1600mm x 600mm (and a height of 1200mm), transferring my smudged sketches into SketchUp.
I needed something that would take sheets of plywood/MDF, long lengths (like dowel), and slats. This thing needed three distinct sections.
Despite being (almost) made entirely from what I had on hand, I knew I needed something other than a spade bit to make neat holes for the dowels. Under recommendation from my woodworking tutor (Hi, Marc!), I bought a Forstner bit.
I also wanted to gussy things up a bit. I salvaged some old paint (from when we fitted out our cafe), and I painted a big circle for contrast. I also painted the ends of the dowels blue to help with depth perception (after almost taking out a boob shimmying past).
I was pleasantly surprised at how much space was left in the trolley after adding in all of my stash. It feels really good to have everything up and off the floor, and it’s super easy now to find a particular piece.
(Matchy-matchy orange castors were a must. I have a stash of them for all future trolleys.)
I’m well pleased with how it turned out. It is functional and serves its purpose, and I learned a whole bunch of new skills making the thing. The mistakes that are on display are a gentle reminder of being human.
Amanda
Materials:
Timber bed slats for the frames
Dowel, 19mm
Plywood, 12mm and 6mm
Castor wheels with brakes, heavy duty, 100mm (4”)
Wood screws (an assortment from my father’s stash)
