Trolley design

[RobinBHM]

Im helping a mate get his fledgling joinery shop organised

He is lucky to have a unit of 28m x 7.5m on a farm, which is a great space, but its a mess.

what I want to do is set out the unit so it has a 1.2m wide gangway the whole length of the shop, then build trolleys so all WIP, some machines etc is kept on trolleys


So Im thinking I need trolleys, but what design.

my initial thoughts are 2no 200mm dia fixed rubber casters in the middle and a swivel jockey wheel at the ends say 100mm dia

I dont like 4no swivels as they are hard to push around and turn

any ideas would be most welcome

 

[TRITON]

Im using 2 fixed, 2 swivel/locking on my saw bench, and 4 swivel/locking on my planer/thicknesser.

I find on the saw the 2 fixed are a bit of a pain, as you cant easily move it sideways without going back and forth to waggle it even so much as a few inches. No such probs on the thicknesser, which normally fits against a wall, in between 2 work benches. I need to pull it forward and waggle it to the side to clear adjusting knobs from catching on the bench legs.

 

[Jameshow]

Sounds like a garden centre trolley to me!!

32" would be a great width enough for a decent amount of stock.

A 6x2 bottom frame and 4x2 uprights for the handle

1" axle across the bottom, probably want a inboard support too.

Cheers James

 

[Ttrees]

I dont like 4no swivels as they are hard to push around and turn

I'd say wheel size and type are a factor in this, as a softer wheel will not change direction as easily.
Another thing is the placement of the wheels which can make a bigger difference
than the caster type.
I spent quite a bit of time relocating casters on the base of my cabinet saw, as the
design I wanted has a non obstructive somewhat hidden caster within the cabinet.

The weight of the saw was over the caster, in both the x and y axis,
and this made it quite difficult to move about ...as in change direction and keep it from choosing a path on its own accord.

This was so bad that the base lifted up on the far side of the machine,
so have a ponder about where those casters are in relation to the weight,
or just as far out as you can make them is a safe bet.

As for designs, look up Carl Holmgren on youtube for some inspiration


So far have made a small bandsaw, cabinet saw and recently my workbench with with that single point foot lever principal and believe its probably the most hassle free way of carting and stowing something away.
Much handier than on my bandsaw for example.

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/threads/tablesaw-mobile-base-design.126720/and on my new bench add on retractable caster wheel kit.
https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/threads/wheely-good-workbench-solution.127444/
Keen to see some more ideas, as I have more of them to make,
namely my other workbench which brings some more complications to that design.
Here's another system which might intrigue, looks like the design could sort some
problems out if something wouldn't suit.


Keep us updated, as everyone probably could do with some more things on wheels in the workshop.

Tom

 

[Cabinetman]

With a workshop that size, I don’t think he needs wheels on his kit at all, that’s the beauty of it you set it up to be able to put long pieces through all your machinery which is spread out, a couple of laying out/glueing up tables on wheels are always handy though, I favour two fixed and two castors, same height as my bench. Ian