Wood Wheels Give Hand Cart A Unique Look

Wood Wheels Give Hand Cart A Unique Look TIRES/WHEELS Miscellaneous 31-1-4 Larry Williams needed a way to get his handcrafted muskets and other items into various trade shows. He wanted something just a little bit different. So he built a coffin-size hand cart that can carry a couple hundred pounds of stuff. He fitted the cart with homemade wood wheels. The box is 24 by 18 in. and 6 ft. long. Two 2 by 2-in. runners run the length of the box. At the center of each side, he attached a metal plate with holes drilled in it to support an axle. To make the wheels, Williams started by cutting out two 22-in. circles from some excess plywood. He then cut four 8-ft., 2 by 6-in. boards into 2-ft. chunks. He laid them out flat on a smooth surface and applied liquid nail to one side. He pushed them tightly together and squared up the edges. He then laid the plywood circle down on the glue and then screwed it down with sheetrock screws. The second step required reversing the process, applying glue to the other side of the plywood and then covering it with 2 by 6's. After trimming the 2 by 6's where they stuck out beyond the rounds, even more screws were used, this time in a pattern. Williams then began work on hubs. He located the center of each wheel and drilled holes for hubs. Each hub consists of a piece of pipe sized to fit the hole without any play. A piece of steel plate was then welded to each end of the pipe and bolted to the wheel. To make the cartwheels even more traditional looking yet, Williams cut four wooden cleats, which he nailed in place. These gave the wheels the authentic appearance of wooden wheels held together by the cleats. "The wheels were easy to make, and they work great," says Williams. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Larry E. Williams, 1720 Downing Rd., Kirksey, Ky. 42054 (ph 270 489-2663).

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