I got a nice job of making parts for a silk screener. The job is cutting parts from ¾” melamine 15 or more sheets at a time. I have to haul the sheets about 50 feet and it was killing me. So now that the job is a repeat I needed a material cart.
So today I came up with this design after look at a few carts. The top is 48”x48” and the base is about 45x36” I wanted it a bit narrower but I was not sure about stability. I tested it by doing a pushup on the top edge and the cart did not rock and I weigh 260 or so. I was not sure of the weight limit so I made it to handle 5 sheets of ¾” stock.
The cart was made with 3 sheets of ¾” (I wish) shop birch plywood. I wanted to use Russian ply but it is 90.00 a sheet verses 35.00
Also the hardware was around 90.00 the wheels are really nice and they lock normally plus rotation is locked too they were about 17.00 each I used lag screws on the front of the table to hold the frame and the lip in place. I used a ¾” bolt for the pivots. I wanted something with a large bearing surface to keep the design with wood only to make it easier to build. It will also have a flip out stop for the sloping side for uneven loads but I did not have a hinge on hand.
The rails are 2 pieces of ply glued and nailed together. Then everything was screwed together.
I had to cut the slots in the base again as they were not long enough. I goofed a bit and cut outside and not inside.
I will have the vcarve file if anyone wants it. It may need a bit of work to get the dado’s the right size depending on your ply. Plys I reused toolpaths for different sheets to make sure you work that out.
I had to trim a little bit off the top of the vertical supports to get the top to tilt right. I also had to move the front cross rail on the base down a bit.
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Originally Posted by Angus Hines
. So after going to another IWF show in Atlanta and seeing all those big Vac lifts in the mags and at the show, I concluded that I needed one but was not going to pay the $12-18,000.00 they were asking and in my AC'd CNC room, it just was not going to fit anyway. So I wondered by the PIAB table and saw the vac cups and queried as to which one would work for my application. Well I had one built for about 700.00 for the cups, venturi pump, hoses, regulator, on/off valve and other miscellaneous components. Went down to Harbor Freight and found a 400lb wench for 79.00 and then a barn door trolley system from Tractor Supply for around $100.00 +-( I honestly don't remember) but I did it all for less than $1,000.00. I made sure that it would hold 250-300 lbs even though most melamine never goes over 80-90 lbs. I like the safety factor.