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Handcart

Background for The Project:
As is the case for almost all of my woodwork projects, the idea for a handcart was conceived as a result of an actual problem. Carrying home ones groceries is often a quite tedious task - especially if one has several heavily loaded bags, and if one wants to shop a little around after buying all the necessaries, the heavy bags also make it difficult to relax and enjoy oneself. Having a car would solve problem, since the groceries could be locked in the trunk while the shopping continues, but what about those who do not own a car? The problem was achieving the advantages of having a car when grocery shopping, without actually owning a car. The solution, I found, was to build a handcart.

Choice of materials:
One of the first decisions I made was to make the handcart out of wood (I love wood). The type of wood I chose was pinewood. This type of wood is strong, cheap and beautiful and the surface of this type of wood is also easily treated so that it can withstand the elements. However, when working with cutting tools like a rabbet or saw, the resin that sometimes can be secreted from this type of wood, can cause problems. All screws are Climate screws, which will not rust when exposed to water or dirt. I also used strong bolts, wood glue, and a number of different types of tools, and also a turn-disc used for TV-tables (something that I will get back to later in this text.)

The different Phases of the Project:
The construction of the handcart can be divided into three steps:
1: Construct a box-shaped container of suitable size, which can be locked shut.
2: Equip this container with wheels and a steering mechanism.
3: Treat the surface of the finished handcart, so that it can endure the elements.

1: Construction of The Box-shaped Container
This was probably the easiest part of the project, and I am not going to get into any great details concerning its completion. In order to conctruct the box-shaped container, a simple square-shaped frames is constructed and fitted with wooden plating. The lid and the box itself are put together with hinges. All you really need to be able to do is saw straight. Turning a big wooden box into a handcart - that is where the beef lies.

2: Equipping The Container with Wheels and A Steering Mechanism
My idea for how the box was to be equipped with wheels and a steering mechanism was based on the idea of a handcart with two front- and back wheels, where the front wheels are connected to a steering device, which, at the same time, would be used to pull the handcart - in other words; a quite traditional design. To start, I had to get hold of a sizable block of wood which could hold both the front wheels and the steering device. I started by making two big holes in this solid block of wood. Through these holes I then placed two short pieces of wood, which are locked tight with strong bolts, enabling the block of wood to both secure the front wheels and to connect to the steering mechanism which in this way can be tilted up and down. The holes one can see in the picture are for the bolts that hold the steering stick, which also has fitted holes for these bolts and in the other end - a handle.

So far so good, but we still need to attach the front wheels to the block of wood and attach this block to the box in a way that ensures that it can be turned from side to side. The is where the previously mentioned turn-disc comes in. It consists of two metal plates, which are attached to each other with a set of ball bearings between them to avoid any friction. The turn-disc is normally used with a regular TV table. Unconventionally, this turn-disc is placed between the block and the box. As you can see, metal plates and clamps secure the metal stick which functions as an axel for the wheels. The purpose of the metal plates is to prevent the metal axel form digging into the wood, eventually working itself loose. The hind wheels are mounted in a similar manner; without a turn-disk of course. Now all that is left to do is to attach the steering stick to the block of wood, before we are ready to treat the surface of the handcart. Notice the pictures of the handcart in the right side of the page. As can be seen, the handcart can also be locked to a number of thing by way of a pipe clamp mounted on the side of the cart.

3: Treating The finished Handcart
The best way to protect pine wood is to treat it with some kind of oil or sealing wax. I really wanted to accentuate the beauty of the naked wood, while also making sure that the surface coating would be extremely durable. This is why I chose to use a terpentine based clear coat sealing wax, normally used for wooden panels and the deck of a ship. The first layer of sealing wax should consist of an equal amount of sealing wax and terpentine, so that it can be absorbed into the wood. Hereafter, three more layers of pure sealing wax is applied. In between each coating, one can use a fine grained sand paper, to ensure a stronger and more beautiful finish. Since the year 2001, the handcart has been exposed to sun, rain, snow and frost, without showing any signs of wear and tear.