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In a previous article, I showcased a reproduction antique warehouse cart. I built the cart for my wife to use as a coffee table…

How to Build a Reproduction Antique Warehouse Cart

The project has been very popular, and I get a lot of email from people who want to build their own. The biggest problem people are having is finding suitable wheels. Look around at flea markets, antique stores, and garage sales for inexpensive wheels on other things that can be re-purposed. Some creative paint work can go a long way toward making a great looking wheel. I built my wheels from scratch, but a lot of people do not have the skills or equipment.

I designed a method that anyone can use to build their own warehouse cart wheels. Simple tools are used, and I had my wife make the prototype to proof the concept. The materials needed are shown in the picture.

1/2″ Plywood
1 1/4″ x 1/8″ thick x 48″ Steel Strap
1/2″ Bronze Flange Bearing (available at most hardware stores)

In this picture, my wife is doing the layout work. She chose a 15″ diameter wheel, and is deciding the hole size to form the spokes. Triangle, oval, and other designs may also be used.

She is using a jigsaw to cut out the outer wheel diameter. A hand coping saw could also be used.

In this picture, she is using a 3/4″ spade drill to make the center hole. Scrap wood is used under the drilling operation. This is so the wood does not tear on the bottom as the drill bit exits. The 1/2″ bronze flange bearing will be glued in this hole with epoxy.

She used a holesaw to cut holes to form the spokes. You do not need expensive bi-metal holesaws. A cheap set from Harbor Freight will work for cutting holes in wood. The holes can also be cut with a jigsaw or a coping saw.

At 5/32″ hole was drilled in the center of the steel strap, 1/2″ from the end. Additional holes were drilled every 3 inches. A countersink bit, shown on the left was used on all the holes. This was to allow the #6 x 5/8″ screws to sit flush with the outer rim. A 3/32″ pilot hole was used before sinking the screws. The plywood center will split if a pilot hole is not used.

The end of the strap was attached to the wheel center with a screw. The steel was bent around the center by hand and screws were driven as the bend progressed. The steel must be held tight to the center with the first bend. Otherwise, the bending force will pull out the first screw. This will not be an issue after the first couple of screws are set.

This detail view shows the screws holding the rim to the wooden center. She used an air grinder to grind the screw heads flush with the rim. A Dremel tool or a file could also be used. The screw heads were then filled in with autobody spot putty.

To finish the wheel, she painted it with flat black paint. Then she sprayed it with Rust-oleum multicolor textured paint in autumn brown. This wheel was a prototype. Additional time could have been spent filling and sanding the center so that you would not know it was made of wood.

Ratcheting tie-down straps are useful for gently persuading wooden fence parts into place.

To clean ash from my fireplace, I like to use the small shovel that came with my fireplace tool kit. Make sure the ashes are cold before removing them. Open the damper and place the ash can close to the opening. Opening the damper helps to draw ash dust up the flue, instead of it drifting out into the room.

The ashes should be placed in a metal can with a tight-fitting lid. The lid is important so that the wind cannot stir hot embers and start a new fire. A regular metal trash can may be used, or you can buy an ash can. There are also special vacuums designed for removing ashes.

Do not put trash in the ash can. Make sure the ashes are cold before emptying them into a regular trash can on pickup day. The ashes may also be mixed with garden compost.

This is the second coffee table I have built.

As with the warehouse cart coffee table, this was inspired by an industrial look. There is a similar table available at Restoration hardware…

Restoration Hardware Coffee Table

I started with a pile of steel.

This is a picture of the welded frame.

I painted the frame with flat black Krylon. This picture also shows the wood I have cut for the top and lower shelf.

The cast iron wheels were taken from 2 inch casters.

This picture shows the rivets I added to the corner as a nice detail.

I used pine wood. I beat up the wood a little to give it a used look. The finish is Minwax provincial stain followed by wipe on polyurethane.

The completed table…

The heat function failed on our electric clothes dryer.

The dryer operates on a 240 volt circuit, so I first unplugged it from the wall. I removed the back cover and found the wire to the thermal cutoff had burned open.

I removed the thermal and cleaned up the burned terminal. I tested the thermal with an ohm meter and found that it was not open. The wire had to have gotten hot to burn, so I suspect the connection was loose. A loose connection has a high resistance and will get very hot. I closely inspected the terminal on the thermal and decided that it felt a little loose. I suspect the spot weld has broken loose and will replace this part.

The replacement part kit included a new thermal cutoff and a hi-limit thermostat.

I checked the resistance of the heating element with an ohmeter. It is located under the silver colored sheet metal in this picture. There are two switches that control the dryer heat function. The first switch is built into the timer and is on the L1 side of the 240 volt circuit. I checked that it was closed when a heated drying cycle was selected and that it was open with a non-heated cycle. I also checked that it was open in the off positions. The second switch is on the L2 side of the circuit. It is part of the motor and closes when the motor is running. I installed the new parts and replaced the burned section of wire. After assembling the dryer, I turned it on and made sure it was heating properly. I also checked that a normal volume of air was exhausting through the ductwork.

A quick change in weather came to the Salt Lake Valley. One day it was 80°, less than 50° the next.

It is time to prepare my evaporative cooler for winter. First, I shut off the water and disconnected the line to drain it out. This is to prevent the water in the line from freezing as it passes through the attic and up to the roof.

I pulled the drain tube and placed it on the structure behind the fan cage for storage. Next I rinsed out the pan.

I wrapped the cooler with plastic wrap to help prevent cold wind from drafting into the house.

Finally, I installed the canvas cover and straps.