Your own handcart will soon be used more often than you initially thought. Many do-it-yourselfers build the wagon themselves because they think it will rarely be used. After a few excursions, the practical piece also finds its job in your own garden at work. Owners of a wood-burning stove will appreciate the small transport cart even more, because it transports a lot of wood from the shed to the house and also transports the briquettes. In order for the handcart to remain so versatile, it should be simple and flexible.
You need that
- drilling machine
- Cordless screwdriver
- Forstner bit / countersink
- Wood drill
- saw
- Sandpaper
- Combination wrenches
- screwdriver
- paint brush
- Birch plywood / multiplex panels 60 x 40 cm / 5 mm thick
- Side panels 2 x birch plywood / multiplex panels - 60 x 30 cm / 3 mm thick
- Front panels 2 x birch plywood / multiplex panels - 40 x 40 cm / 3 mm thick
- Bar about 2 x 2 cm thick
- Slat about 3.5 x 3.5 cm thick
- Broomstick / strong rope / bar for handle bar
- Spax screws
- 4 wheels
- 2 axes / threaded rods
- U-clamps
- Washers and nuts
- Sleeves / spacer sleeves
- Acrylic varnish
costs
First of all, of course, many do-it-yourselfers ask themselves why they should build a do-it-yourself handcart when there are so many models on the market. The second question is, of course, what is financially cheaper, building it yourself according to our instructions or buying a handcart made of wood or metal. One of the answers lies in the personal bond with the handcart. Your children are guaranteed to pass on the good piece that you have built for them to their own children and grandchildren. You will certainly not develop this relationship and above all great pride with a purchased handcart. Nevertheless, a self-built wagon is in most cases much cheaper than a bought handcart.
In order for you to be able to estimate the costs incurred quite precisely, we show here different prices for the important materials in different versions:
- Set of 4 wheels - sack truck wheels with pneumatic tires - around 20.00 euros
- simple rubber wheels without air hose - 4 pieces from around 12.00 euros
- Axis 2 pieces - threaded rod with shaft - from around 15.00 euros
- Complete set of axles and wheels - from 38.00 euros
- Birch plywood - multiplex panels - 60 x 40 centimeters - 5 mm thick - about 3.80 euros
- Birch plywood - multiplex panels - 60 x 30 centimeters - 3 mm thick - about 2.70 euros
- Spax screws - 100 pieces 3.5 x 40 mm - about 4.00 euros
- Drawbar - self-made with broomstick and wooden handle - about 2.00 euros
- Drawbar bought ready-made - from around 20.00 euros
Tip: With pneumatic tires, you have significantly better suspension in your handcart. However, you then have to inflate the tires almost every time you use them. Unfortunately, pneumatic tires lose pressure over time, especially if the vehicle has been in the shed for a while. However, with unsprung hard tires you will shake your Father's Day beer so hard that it either blows up by itself or foams over when you open it. Even children who sit part of the way in the handcart will not survive the journey without bruises if you choose the hard tire variant.
Construction manual handcart
Since the handcart only gradually shows its true qualities, you should not have too narrow ideas for self-construction beforehand with the construction plan. A trolley that fits exactly to a certain type of beer crate will not be as practical as a slightly more generous model that comes from a universal blueprint. Therefore, your first step should be to adapt the construction plan from our construction instructions exactly to your dimensions, if you do not want to copy it exactly. But don't make your model too small so that the handcart remains nice and practical.
Tip: A simple old box is usually sufficient for a simple handcart, which may actually only be used to haul the firewood through the garden. For example, a large apple or potato crate is well suited for such a cart. The same robust pneumatic tires can also be installed underneath. A simple, smaller fruit crate is also good if you want to build a small pushcart for a child to play with. So the work will not be a complete do-it-yourself, but with a little paint you can do this too
Cut wood - smooth the edges
Depending on the size, you may not have to saw the side parts and the base to size, as the matching panels are often available in different sizes in every hardware store. Otherwise, a lot of the wood will be cut to size for you there. However, you should round off the edges a little with sandpaper. The front side and the rear plate must be beveled so that it later fits exactly between the strips on the side panels. You should also saw to size the slats that run transversely under the handcart. These must protrude so far on the sides that the side struts can be screwed onto them. The upright side struts must be sawn off at an angle of about 30 degrees at the bottom. This is how you will hold the side plates at the correct angle later.
Tip: If you are still a little unsure as a beginner, it is better not to saw the front and rear plates until you have attached the upright struts that hold the side walls.
Pre-drill and countersink holes
Try to pre-drill all holes and countersink them as lightly as possible. Use a very thin wood drill to pre-drill. The wood drill should be no more than three millimeters thick. This is not always easy with the thin panels, so you have to work carefully with the Forstner bit. The side struts should be pre-drilled from the beveled underside. The hole should be placed in the middle of it. The cross struts must also be pre-drilled so that the long screws can be passed through there.
Screw the cross battens and side struts together
The correct length of the screws depends on the thickness of the battens and the birch plywood. For each of the four side struts you need a long, thin spax screw. The crossbars are screwed under the floor. Then place the side struts on the crossbars and screw them together from below.
Tip: Instead of the wooden side struts, you can also use short pieces of pipe. You then have to secure these with split pins in the cross braces. In this case, the side parts would either be leaned against or screwed in a U-shape with small pipe clamps.
Mount the wheels and axles under the floor
The easiest way to mount the axles are U-shaped pipe clamps. In some construction instructions, a fastening made of multiplex is described. But over long distances the wood will knock out quickly and the handcart will no longer run smoothly. The U-clamps are attached to the crossbars. Then a threaded rod with spacers, sleeves and washers is pushed under the car. Make sure that there is a sleeve under the U-clamp so that the axis does not rub against the wood. The wheel with the corresponding sleeves is placed on the outside of the axle and secured with washers and a cap nut.
Build the drawbar and handle
A small, thin slat or a broomstick is ideal as a handle for the handcart. Screw the middle part of a wooden hanger to the upper end. So the handle later lies comfortably in the hand even on long journeys. Two small pieces of the lath are screwed to the front of the base plate. These should be mounted at a distance that is about the width of the handlebar. The handle bar is then secured between these slats with a small threaded rod. Again, don't forget the washers so that the wood doesn't scrape the wooden rod. On the outside, cap nuts should also be put on here. Grease the rod well.
Tip: If the handcart should be easy to stow away, the long handle bar can usually be a bit annoying. Instead of the rod, you can simply attach a thick rope to the handcart. That may not be in the proper style, but it is still very convenient and simple.
Screw the strips onto the side panels
Two narrow strips are screwed vertically onto the side panels from the inside at the back and front. The distance between the strips should be a little more than the thickness of the front and rear plates. These are later inserted between these bars. Then the side parts are screwed onto the upright struts.
Tip: If you prefer to work with glue, you can simply glue the strips on. Ultimately, the strips should only hold the two end plates. If you want to install a small bench for the children in the handcart, you will also need a bar across each side wall. However, it cannot be glued, otherwise the children would collapse with it. A seat board is placed over these strips, which you can easily remove if necessary.
Paint the handcart
It is not absolutely necessary to paint the handcart, but the wood stays beautiful longer. After all, the weather isn't always nice when you're out and about. In addition, dirt likes to splash against the unprotected wood. If you want to preserve the wood grain, consider using an acrylic-based clear coat. However, a handcart in particular can also be painted brightly and brightly.
Tips for fast readers
- Adapt the construction plan to your own wishes
- Cut wood to size and sand the edges
- Pre-drill and countersink holes
- Screw the crossbars and side struts to the floor
- Attach U-shaped pipe clamps to the crossbars
- Mount the wheels and axles on the floor
- Build a drawbar from battens and screw down
- Build a drawbar from a lath and wooden bracket
- Screw the strips onto the side panels
- Screw the side parts onto the upright struts
- Push the front and end plates between the strips
- Screw the strips for the child seat onto the side panels
- Place the seat board on the ledges
- paint handcarts if necessary