Ed's Custom Woodcraft's

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DRILL PRESS CART : DAY 7

Edward Keogh

I am in the final stretch of this project and cant wait to start using the cart, there is so much storage in this cabinet that it will free up a huge drawer in my miter saw station. This post might wander a little bit because I am going to write about my old unit that I am replacing, I also found a different concept for attach the casters and why I like it.

WHAT I GOT DONE TODAY

  • Removed the old casters to be used on the new cabinet
  • Attached the casters
  • Finished the top

REMOVING THE OLD

Since casters are on the expensive side I decided that I would use the casters on the unit that I am replacing, the casters are 3" but they provide 4" up from the ground, they are lockable and they can be turned in any direction as they have 360 degrees roatating ability.

Here is the current cart that I am getting rid off, as you can see it is a lot bigger and takes a lot of space, so I'm going to take the cart apart.

Here were the casters on the old cart.

I usually use lag bolts and nuts and washers, in order to use these I needed to drill big holes into whatever I was making and when doing this I needed to alter the dimensions of the unit and I was tired of doing that, because the lag bolts passed right through the base of the cart and nuts needed to used to attach it.

ATTACHING THE CASTERS TO THE DRILL PRESS CART

So now that I have the used casters off the old cart I am ready to attach them to the new cart and I am doing it differently than I have in the past. 

Instead of using lag bolts / nuts / washers to attach the casters I am using hex head sheet metal screws and washers and the reason I am using these is because I don't need to drill through holes on the vases of what I make and I can secure them in the plywood as they don't protrude through the other side. Then attaching them is very easy I just attached a hex head socket bit in my drill and screwed them home.

 

This is what I wanted to get away from, protruding lag bolts.

Here is the new method using sheet metal screws and washers, quick and easy and no protruding lag bolts

1 secured 3 to go.

Here they are all attached and can now be wheeled around.

Here is how the castors look and I am happy that this finished, as I was wondering if the new method would work, and it does!!!

FINISHING OFF THE TOP

All that was left was for me to finish off the top and all I needed to do was roundover the edges with my palm router and apply a couple coats of finish on the top where the drill press would be stationed.

Here is my trusted plam router with a round-over bit installed.

Before the roundover is applied.

Here is the top after the roundover is done, sorry not a great picture.

Here is where I leave the project for today

The cabinet is almost finished all that's needed now is the drawer pulls that I am going to try and make, I have never made drawer pulls before and I am in the process of designing them on my Sketchup program

Here is the cart as I leave it today, most of the work has been completed.

Here is the top prior to me adding finish 

Another terrible picture, but its just another angle of the front of the unit.

NEXT

  • All that's left now is to make the solid ash drawer pulls and breakdown the old cart

Until next time , take care

.