Lumber Cart Caster Wheels Question

[Greg R Bradley]

As much as I would like to try Jim's method to get the practice, I think adding a sheet of plywood to the bottom will be the quicker option. I go to the 70% off section at Home Depot and now and then I can find a sheet of damaged plywood (that is the end of the board is cracked or something and I just cut off the bad section) that I can make use of. Would 5/8 or 3/4 be too thick to use if that's what I come across?

Thanks for the help!
Steve

The thicker the better - it is just that you get a huge increase in strength from having ANY sheet on the bottom. Thicker will mean you will have less issue with attaching the casters well. With thin stock, you can just double up the area behind the casters.

[Jim Becker]

As much as I would like to try Jim's method to get the practice, I think adding a sheet of plywood to the bottom will be the quicker option. I go to the 70% off section at Home Depot and now and then I can find a sheet of damaged plywood (that is the end of the board is cracked or something and I just cut off the bad section) that I can make use of. Would 5/8 or 3/4 be too thick to use if that's what I come across?

Thanks for the help!
Steve

This is a good suggestion...an extra layer of plywood with lots of glue and screws will stiffen things up very much and not require reworking the base.

[Dave Cav]

My source for inexpensive utility casters is to get a Harbor Freight furniture dolly for about seven bucks with a coupon, take the casters off, and recycle the lumber for jigs or utility use. I have done this several times for mobile bases, utility carts and so on. They aren't the greatest casters in the world but they are decent and have solid wheels, and I have had several hundred pounds on my shop carts without problems. There are also a set under my Woodmaster 712 planer/moulder and my scrap bin.

[Dick Strauss]

Check out SES Casters...I think I paid $6-8 for 4" 300# swiveling locking casters not including shipping.

[Jerome Stanek]

I've heard that drywall carts make a good lumber cart. I need to do this on a shredded shoe string budget. This is being put together with the existing lumber I have and a little bit on a gift card from a hardware store. Plus, it gives me the practice I need with the router, table saw, etc.

After you use a drywall cart you will never want to go back to a home made one. They can handle more weight and are easier to move around. When I was remodeling drug stores I had 2 of them that I used all the time and when some of the other crews came on the job they ended up getting them also.

[Steve Siwek]

A big consideration will be weight limit. If you are limited to buying your casters from a hardware store, you may end up limited by the capacity of the casters. Four "200-300 lb capacity casters" means your limit needs to be 500 lb of lumber. Even that will probably result in wheel failure in ten years after you leave it sitting in one spot for a year and then go to move it. 500 lb of lumber might be OK if you are storing lighter stuff but if you start loading up 5 sheets of plywood you are in trouble. MDF will get you over the limit pretty quick.
If you want a capacity of 1000+ pounds, you are going to need better casters AND more structure in the base. More 2x4 like Jim suggested or even easier is a second sheet on the bottom, making a torsion box. You are going to have to add something on the bottom to mount the casters anyway. 3/8" plywood top and bottom will be a lot stronger than 3/4" on top.

Hello, I was able to get a few sheets of 3/4" really cheap. before I attach it to make the torsion box, should I add 2 more 2x4s on then end for when the wheels get attached? or will the plywood be sufficient to support the wheels?

Thanks!