# Plywood Storage Cart



## chopnhack (Nov 5, 2011)

*Plywood/Lumber cart musings - or How I would like to clean my garage!*

Part of my problem, which I assume all woodworkers have is that there is no such thing as scrap wood….thus the piles of ply and lumber everywhere. This leads me to where I am now, musing over a design or two to aid in my quest for floor space and for that matter to just be able to see my floor!

At this point I grow weary of looking at sketchup and would like your thoughts.

Picture #1 - the overall design, partly borrowed from the generic A frame you have all seen around, with a twist?
Picture #2 - Shows a section to reveal torsion box bottom.
Picture #3 - more platform detail

*Question:* Is clamp storage on the lumber cart a good idea or too distant to be of use? The shop is a two car garage so its not like walking to the moon and back! I have no set place for the clamps yet and as you can see from the section photo, that is a lot of valuable real estate being used up on the inside of the cart - if the clamps don't get stored there, I can possible store 1/2 ripped sheets in that area!

So what's the twist? - You can barely make it out in the bottom view photo, but I was thinking about putting a 4' t-track on either side of one of the A frame sheets of plywood to allow me to place a few long boards to act as clamps across the face of the stored plywood pieces - thinking thin stuff that likes to flex like hardboard and other sheet goods like veneer. This would still allow me put other sheet on top of the thin stuff without damaging them or having them move around. Ultimately some type of ability to separate the different thicknesses would be nice, but I don't believe I could do it on this 24" wide model without losing too much storage capacity.

Fire away


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## DIYaholic (Jan 28, 2011)

chopnhack said:


> *Plywood/Lumber cart musings - or How I would like to clean my garage!*
> 
> Part of my problem, which I assume all woodworkers have is that there is no such thing as scrap wood….thus the piles of ply and lumber everywhere. This leads me to where I am now, musing over a design or two to aid in my quest for floor space and for that matter to just be able to see my floor!
> 
> ...


Looks pretty good.

Re: Clamp storage, I say store lumber with lumber & clamps with clamps. Just my 0.02.
Re: Twist, not 100% sure of your plan, but I can see this working. Perhaps flat bar steel/aluminium with wood spacers at the T-Track could save space???

I like the Skech-Up rendering. I really need to figure out how to use it!!! I mean I can "draw/build" a 2"x4"x8', but that pretty much the extent of my Sketch-Up abilities.

Looking forward to seeing the finished project.


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## canadianchips (Mar 12, 2010)

chopnhack said:


> *Plywood/Lumber cart musings - or How I would like to clean my garage!*
> 
> Part of my problem, which I assume all woodworkers have is that there is no such thing as scrap wood….thus the piles of ply and lumber everywhere. This leads me to where I am now, musing over a design or two to aid in my quest for floor space and for that matter to just be able to see my floor!
> 
> ...


I would leave the "center space" for odds of lumber you have, make another type of cart just for clamps !


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## Freakazoid (Oct 17, 2010)

chopnhack said:


> *Plywood/Lumber cart musings - or How I would like to clean my garage!*
> 
> Part of my problem, which I assume all woodworkers have is that there is no such thing as scrap wood….thus the piles of ply and lumber everywhere. This leads me to where I am now, musing over a design or two to aid in my quest for floor space and for that matter to just be able to see my floor!
> 
> ...


Consider the plan from plansnow.com:










You don't necessarily need to buy the plans, but it has definite options to use the bins or one of the interior shelves for clamp storage until you decide exactly how and where to store them (it may end up in the cart, who knows?)

Besides, you will have a ton of scraps to store as well, and this cart does that. I will be building something similar in the summer.


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## chopnhack (Nov 5, 2011)

chopnhack said:


> *Plywood/Lumber cart musings - or How I would like to clean my garage!*
> 
> Part of my problem, which I assume all woodworkers have is that there is no such thing as scrap wood….thus the piles of ply and lumber everywhere. This leads me to where I am now, musing over a design or two to aid in my quest for floor space and for that matter to just be able to see my floor!
> 
> ...


On to part 2 ;-)


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## Viking (Aug 26, 2009)

chopnhack said:


> *Plywood/Lumber cart musings - or How I would like to clean my garage!*
> 
> Part of my problem, which I assume all woodworkers have is that there is no such thing as scrap wood….thus the piles of ply and lumber everywhere. This leads me to where I am now, musing over a design or two to aid in my quest for floor space and for that matter to just be able to see my floor!
> 
> ...












I built one similar to this and can't stress enough to use large heavy duty casters. You will regret not doing so as soon as you load it up and try to move it. Don't ask me how i know that

I designed mine for full sheets on one side and partial sheets on the other with full length / partial width sheets in the center space.


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## chopnhack (Nov 5, 2011)

chopnhack said:


> *Plywood/Lumber cart musings - or How I would like to clean my garage!*
> 
> Part of my problem, which I assume all woodworkers have is that there is no such thing as scrap wood….thus the piles of ply and lumber everywhere. This leads me to where I am now, musing over a design or two to aid in my quest for floor space and for that matter to just be able to see my floor!
> 
> ...


Rick, we're twins! That's exactly what I was thinking in terms of storage as I am fortunate enough to have some rack space along a wall in the garage but desperately need sheet storage. I see how you trapped the A frame at the bottom so it would not need additional mid-bracing. Very craft sir, very crafty indeed  I was going to pocket screw the length of each A frame sheet as it meets the platform, but didnt enjoy the thought of having to crawl through that narrow tunnel! I'll post my new sketchup and a pic of the platform in part 2


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## chopnhack (Nov 5, 2011)

*All in a day's work....*

Well I thought I could have the whole cart knocked out in one day, but you wouldn't believe how incredibly hard it is to work in a garage full of crap! Well, then again, maybe you have been there and can sympathize. Needless to say I made a lot of dust and made some big wood into smaller pieces today. I will let the photo do the talking because there isn't much to say: torsion box + 4" wheels = platform. 

As for design, there have been some changes to account for my storage needs. You can see the addition of some 5 degree wedges on the bottom to keep the plywood against the A frame, ledge and some long boards on the right side to act as cauls to keep the thin stuff flat against the frame.

Viking, these are 4" 265 lb casters do you think these are adequate? What did you use on yours?


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## Grandpa (Jan 28, 2011)

chopnhack said:


> *All in a day's work....*
> 
> Well I thought I could have the whole cart knocked out in one day, but you wouldn't believe how incredibly hard it is to work in a garage full of crap! Well, then again, maybe you have been there and can sympathize. Needless to say I made a lot of dust and made some big wood into smaller pieces today. I will let the photo do the talking because there isn't much to say: torsion box + 4" wheels = platform.
> 
> ...


I used 500 lb castors on mine. They are 5 inch dia. I could get them at the time and they were reasonable. The original plan I used was in Shop Notes around 2000 or 2001. I did widen the sheet storage side of mine about 6 extra inches. It is heavy. The rack alone has about 5 sheets of plywood. then you add several sheets and some cut pieces and hardwoods to it and it gets heavy really fast.


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## doncutlip (Aug 30, 2008)

chopnhack said:


> *All in a day's work....*
> 
> Well I thought I could have the whole cart knocked out in one day, but you wouldn't believe how incredibly hard it is to work in a garage full of crap! Well, then again, maybe you have been there and can sympathize. Needless to say I made a lot of dust and made some big wood into smaller pieces today. I will let the photo do the talking because there isn't much to say: torsion box + 4" wheels = platform.
> 
> ...


looks like a good design. I can sympathize with you for sure, some days don't turn out as well as I hoped.


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## thedude50 (Aug 13, 2011)

chopnhack said:


> *All in a day's work....*
> 
> Well I thought I could have the whole cart knocked out in one day, but you wouldn't believe how incredibly hard it is to work in a garage full of crap! Well, then again, maybe you have been there and can sympathize. Needless to say I made a lot of dust and made some big wood into smaller pieces today. I will let the photo do the talking because there isn't much to say: torsion box + 4" wheels = platform.
> 
> ...


WELL YOU KNOW MY SHOP IS STILL A WORK IN PROGRESS WHEN I FEEL I CANT DO ANY MORE CLEANUP I GRAB A TURNING BLOCK AND HIT THE LATHE. damn caps lock sorry any way it can be tough with lots of clutter thats why I am getting rid of it it is all going into the shed I like the design but mine would have to be 4 feet to five feet wide for the baltic birch plywood but that is as wide as i can go the wood woul be 8.5 feet high then will my mod of this design work


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## chopnhack (Nov 5, 2011)

chopnhack said:


> *All in a day's work....*
> 
> Well I thought I could have the whole cart knocked out in one day, but you wouldn't believe how incredibly hard it is to work in a garage full of crap! Well, then again, maybe you have been there and can sympathize. Needless to say I made a lot of dust and made some big wood into smaller pieces today. I will let the photo do the talking because there isn't much to say: torsion box + 4" wheels = platform.
> 
> ...


I don't know dude, I think at that point your center of gravity would be too high and you would be likely to tip. Do you have 10' ceilings in your garage? Lucky dog


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## thedude50 (Aug 13, 2011)

chopnhack said:


> *All in a day's work....*
> 
> Well I thought I could have the whole cart knocked out in one day, but you wouldn't believe how incredibly hard it is to work in a garage full of crap! Well, then again, maybe you have been there and can sympathize. Needless to say I made a lot of dust and made some big wood into smaller pieces today. I will let the photo do the talking because there isn't much to say: torsion box + 4" wheels = platform.
> 
> ...


well 9.5 foot so it might work as it is now they are stacked i may need to make another lumber rack that will be better than this but who knows


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## chopnhack (Nov 5, 2011)

*Man that hurts...*

Well no progress today, I had taken a vacation day to get some work done but unfortunately I have been hurting since Wednesday when I bought the plywood. Apparently I had hurt my lower back/hip that day and didn't realize the severity. It was windy and I think the twisting may have done it. I have nursed it over the last few days and it really wasnt impeding my work but this morning I woke up stretched a bit went into the garage to get a nice long day of building to wrap up this project: I bent my leg and stretched forward to put my shoe on and *BAM*! My lower back and hip were in some serious pain, I could barely straighten up… What a way to use a vacation day, eh?

Have you ever lost time on a build due to injury? This is my first and all I can think about is ways to get back in there to finish!


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## gul (Apr 16, 2010)

chopnhack said:


> *Man that hurts...*
> 
> Well no progress today, I had taken a vacation day to get some work done but unfortunately I have been hurting since Wednesday when I bought the plywood. Apparently I had hurt my lower back/hip that day and didn't realize the severity. It was windy and I think the twisting may have done it. I have nursed it over the last few days and it really wasnt impeding my work but this morning I woke up stretched a bit went into the garage to get a nice long day of building to wrap up this project: I bent my leg and stretched forward to put my shoe on and *BAM*! My lower back and hip were in some serious pain, I could barely straighten up… What a way to use a vacation day, eh?
> 
> Have you ever lost time on a build due to injury? This is my first and all I can think about is ways to get back in there to finish!


Be very careful,I got sciatica coz of some slight wrong twist.I just hope you don't it.
I used to just sit in my shop and wondered when I'd start wood working again.Took me a month to heal though I still feel the pinch but I am extra careful while bending and twists.
Get well soon


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## ClayandNancy (Feb 22, 2010)

chopnhack said:


> *Man that hurts...*
> 
> Well no progress today, I had taken a vacation day to get some work done but unfortunately I have been hurting since Wednesday when I bought the plywood. Apparently I had hurt my lower back/hip that day and didn't realize the severity. It was windy and I think the twisting may have done it. I have nursed it over the last few days and it really wasnt impeding my work but this morning I woke up stretched a bit went into the garage to get a nice long day of building to wrap up this project: I bent my leg and stretched forward to put my shoe on and *BAM*! My lower back and hip were in some serious pain, I could barely straighten up… What a way to use a vacation day, eh?
> 
> Have you ever lost time on a build due to injury? This is my first and all I can think about is ways to get back in there to finish!


I feel your pain, I have been drastically slowed by 2 herniated discs. Also have a couple of knees that need replacement. It's very frustrating to not be able to do much work in the shop before you have to quit due to the pain. Take it slow and easy and pay attention to how you bend and lift. Good luck


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## Jimthecarver (Jan 14, 2008)

chopnhack said:


> *Man that hurts...*
> 
> Well no progress today, I had taken a vacation day to get some work done but unfortunately I have been hurting since Wednesday when I bought the plywood. Apparently I had hurt my lower back/hip that day and didn't realize the severity. It was windy and I think the twisting may have done it. I have nursed it over the last few days and it really wasnt impeding my work but this morning I woke up stretched a bit went into the garage to get a nice long day of building to wrap up this project: I bent my leg and stretched forward to put my shoe on and *BAM*! My lower back and hip were in some serious pain, I could barely straighten up… What a way to use a vacation day, eh?
> 
> Have you ever lost time on a build due to injury? This is my first and all I can think about is ways to get back in there to finish!


After lower back surgery and all the other health issues. Bending over and/or picking up heavy objects is out of the question
This is what I built to safely move those large sheet goods and no longer deal with back issues from that reason.

Hope it can help, get better soon.


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## dbhost (Jul 20, 2009)

chopnhack said:


> *Man that hurts...*
> 
> Well no progress today, I had taken a vacation day to get some work done but unfortunately I have been hurting since Wednesday when I bought the plywood. Apparently I had hurt my lower back/hip that day and didn't realize the severity. It was windy and I think the twisting may have done it. I have nursed it over the last few days and it really wasnt impeding my work but this morning I woke up stretched a bit went into the garage to get a nice long day of building to wrap up this project: I bent my leg and stretched forward to put my shoe on and *BAM*! My lower back and hip were in some serious pain, I could barely straighten up… What a way to use a vacation day, eh?
> 
> Have you ever lost time on a build due to injury? This is my first and all I can think about is ways to get back in there to finish!


Chop,

You know it. Not sure if you recall my posts I guess a year and a half or so ago, when I literally had to take I guess it was a month and a half off of doing any lifting due to back injury flareups… Happened the day before my Grizzly air filter showed up… So that was I guess October of 10, took me until almost December 1 to get that thing hung. Sure do use the heck out of it though…

I like that little plywood wheels gizmo pictured above. I am gonna have to build me one of them!

I've been looking at your cart build design, as well as the one I did the Sketchup on. I have to ask… What's the advantage that you can see with the A Frame?


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## chopnhack (Nov 5, 2011)

chopnhack said:


> *Man that hurts...*
> 
> Well no progress today, I had taken a vacation day to get some work done but unfortunately I have been hurting since Wednesday when I bought the plywood. Apparently I had hurt my lower back/hip that day and didn't realize the severity. It was windy and I think the twisting may have done it. I have nursed it over the last few days and it really wasnt impeding my work but this morning I woke up stretched a bit went into the garage to get a nice long day of building to wrap up this project: I bent my leg and stretched forward to put my shoe on and *BAM*! My lower back and hip were in some serious pain, I could barely straighten up… What a way to use a vacation day, eh?
> 
> Have you ever lost time on a build due to injury? This is my first and all I can think about is ways to get back in there to finish!


Thanks all, Db I do remember that! I think you ended up doing some sort of cribbing with 2×4's? to raise it little by little until you could hook up your chains. As for the A frame, I just figured it was a stable design, I had seen many carts in that fashion and knew that I could build one relatively quick and cheap using sheathing ply, some 2×3 for the base and a 2×6 beveled at the top. The lower center was a nice area to use for long rips of ply under 26" wide that might be leftover from other projects with finally a small shelf area in the upper middle for probably some lumber that I don't want to store on the rack. The other idea I had toyed with but scraped because I have a limited depth to work with (think looking at the broad section of the cart - the depth from front to back, not across the sheet) was to make dividers with one side closed off. That side would have dadoes to capture the divider sheets. I thought the design was too limiting from an access point of view. Also, I didnt think that design would be strong enough to hold all those sheets pressing against the dividers. The A frame is certainly not going to spread from the weight of sheets inside nor collapse on itself from sheets pressing from the outside. The lower plywood portions of the A frame are capture between the angled wedges and at this point either pockets screws on the inside or another sheet of plywood on the inside. I haven't decided yet.

Jim, did you attach a handle to that? I have seen something like that before, I think its called a panel troll or something like that. I have in the past made a stick with a t at the end and just put the sheet on and held onto the stick, saves the bending, but I disassembled that years ago - I had only made it at the time because I was roofing and needed to move many sheets. Just getting old I guess


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## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

chopnhack said:


> *Man that hurts...*
> 
> Well no progress today, I had taken a vacation day to get some work done but unfortunately I have been hurting since Wednesday when I bought the plywood. Apparently I had hurt my lower back/hip that day and didn't realize the severity. It was windy and I think the twisting may have done it. I have nursed it over the last few days and it really wasnt impeding my work but this morning I woke up stretched a bit went into the garage to get a nice long day of building to wrap up this project: I bent my leg and stretched forward to put my shoe on and *BAM*! My lower back and hip were in some serious pain, I could barely straighten up… What a way to use a vacation day, eh?
> 
> Have you ever lost time on a build due to injury? This is my first and all I can think about is ways to get back in there to finish!


Hey chop:

I can really relate to your injury on the old back….I've had back trouble for about 25+ years, and already had 2 back surgeries, and really need another one now…but 3 years ago I had to have both knees fully replaced, and about 8 months ago I had to have a hip replacement, so I'm right there with you…About 1 1/2 years ago here on LJs I did a forum topic about how many of us have severe back trouble…..WOW….there were probably 100+ hits on the subject, and surprizing to me how many poeple do have back problems….and now with so many people on here now, I'd bet it probably has doubled….nothing worse (I don't think) than back problems….you can't do* ANYTHING *when your down in your back….I hate evey minute of it, and nothing you can take for it helps that much (meds)...So we just have to endure as best we can..one thing I found out…...*back surgery is NOT the answer*...it helps, but it's not the cure for sure….take care of the back, and take it easy as best you can….very fustrating….


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## chopnhack (Nov 5, 2011)

chopnhack said:


> *Man that hurts...*
> 
> Well no progress today, I had taken a vacation day to get some work done but unfortunately I have been hurting since Wednesday when I bought the plywood. Apparently I had hurt my lower back/hip that day and didn't realize the severity. It was windy and I think the twisting may have done it. I have nursed it over the last few days and it really wasnt impeding my work but this morning I woke up stretched a bit went into the garage to get a nice long day of building to wrap up this project: I bent my leg and stretched forward to put my shoe on and *BAM*! My lower back and hip were in some serious pain, I could barely straighten up… What a way to use a vacation day, eh?
> 
> Have you ever lost time on a build due to injury? This is my first and all I can think about is ways to get back in there to finish!


Medicine, electronic muscle stimulator and a hot bean bag work wonders! Onto Part 4 for today's progress!


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

chopnhack said:


> *Man that hurts...*
> 
> Well no progress today, I had taken a vacation day to get some work done but unfortunately I have been hurting since Wednesday when I bought the plywood. Apparently I had hurt my lower back/hip that day and didn't realize the severity. It was windy and I think the twisting may have done it. I have nursed it over the last few days and it really wasnt impeding my work but this morning I woke up stretched a bit went into the garage to get a nice long day of building to wrap up this project: I bent my leg and stretched forward to put my shoe on and *BAM*! My lower back and hip were in some serious pain, I could barely straighten up… What a way to use a vacation day, eh?
> 
> Have you ever lost time on a build due to injury? This is my first and all I can think about is ways to get back in there to finish!


no woodworking on percocets chop! seriously glad to hear your all mended up.


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## chopnhack (Nov 5, 2011)

chopnhack said:


> *Man that hurts...*
> 
> Well no progress today, I had taken a vacation day to get some work done but unfortunately I have been hurting since Wednesday when I bought the plywood. Apparently I had hurt my lower back/hip that day and didn't realize the severity. It was windy and I think the twisting may have done it. I have nursed it over the last few days and it really wasnt impeding my work but this morning I woke up stretched a bit went into the garage to get a nice long day of building to wrap up this project: I bent my leg and stretched forward to put my shoe on and *BAM*! My lower back and hip were in some serious pain, I could barely straighten up… What a way to use a vacation day, eh?
> 
> Have you ever lost time on a build due to injury? This is my first and all I can think about is ways to get back in there to finish!


LOL, no way man, just motrin. Not all mended up, but in a working condition, just can't bend too far or too fast


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## chopnhack (Nov 5, 2011)

*Squaring up time*

Ok, despite this morning's drama, I manned up (just kidding, I felt better, if I still felt like that nothing would have been accomplished today) and got something done.

At this point some thoughts and opinions on squaring up the A frame and how would I go about measuring the angle to make sure its true 5 degrees from centerline on either side?

What I was able to do today was rather surprising. I almost finished, but didn't know how exactly to get things lined up, so I clamped it and cleaned up just in time to bathe the kids. The angled stops went down on the deck today, center piece of ply with beveled edges went next, positioned so that it would trap the upright ply from the A frame between itself and the angled stops. Next I borrowed a technique from gable raising and fastened a 2×4 at either end sufficiently long enough to go from the ground to the top of 4' edge of the plywood to be raised. The 2×6 that was beveled for the top was fastened to one sheet yesterday and made for an easy way for me to move that sheet without injuring myself further. I squeezed the bottom edge which was beveled between the stops and the center plywood piece, then tilted it up into position and leaned it against the temporary 2×4 post. Fastened a plywood strip at about 26" from the top for the interior shelf on either sheet, brought the second sheet into position, slid the center shelf in place, put two screws on one side to center and fasten the shelf at which point I noticed the seemingly parallelogram effect I was getting. Opposite sides of the shelf were sticking out slightly. I first thought of getting a clamp and pulling it square but realized I don't have an 8' clamp….. as I type this I realize I have some pipe clamps that I could have put back to back. I was in a rush and only got two photos snapped, but in one you can see how far out one corner is. Both pieces of plywood had some curve to them, so maybe if I can center the shelf and start screwing from the center out on both sides I can walk out some of the curve? Most of the curve at the bottom was removed when the pieces were wedged in. In the first photo you can see some quick wheel chocks I threw together from scraps, they were a necessity while I was working on the project, but even now with the cart unloaded approaching 300 lbs, it still glided uphill into the garage effortlessly so I will be needing to use those again.


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## chopnhack (Nov 5, 2011)

*Finished*

I was able to figure out why the piece of plywood was not square to the other piece of the A-frame. It turned out that one of the angled wedges at the bottom was a little long and needed to be trimmed. The plywood was already in place and I didn't feel like unclamping and lifting it off. I used my dozuki and trimmed a thin line between the wedge and ply and after fishing the sliver out from underneath I was able to pound the sheet down into place. I used a level and a framing square to ensure a 5 degree bevel was achieved on each side. I screwed down the boards on either side of the top support and the center support and also put screws into the bottom of the A frame on both sides. The result was a rock solid cart.

I am very pleased with the result. I loaded it up and it immediately made a difference in de-cluttering the shop. I highly recommend it! The 4" casters worked really well, even mostly loaded and on an incline (driveway) I was able to push it fairly easily into the garage.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

chopnhack said:


> *Finished*
> 
> I was able to figure out why the piece of plywood was not square to the other piece of the A-frame. It turned out that one of the angled wedges at the bottom was a little long and needed to be trimmed. The plywood was already in place and I didn't feel like unclamping and lifting it off. I used my dozuki and trimmed a thin line between the wedge and ply and after fishing the sliver out from underneath I was able to pound the sheet down into place. I used a level and a framing square to ensure a 5 degree bevel was achieved on each side. I screwed down the boards on either side of the top support and the center support and also put screws into the bottom of the A frame on both sides. The result was a rock solid cart.
> 
> I am very pleased with the result. I loaded it up and it immediately made a difference in de-cluttering the shop. I highly recommend it! The 4" casters worked really well, even mostly loaded and on an incline (driveway) I was able to push it fairly easily into the garage.


Wow that holds tons of plywood scraps .Good job.


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## doctoj (Mar 27, 2010)

chopnhack said:


> *Finished*
> 
> I was able to figure out why the piece of plywood was not square to the other piece of the A-frame. It turned out that one of the angled wedges at the bottom was a little long and needed to be trimmed. The plywood was already in place and I didn't feel like unclamping and lifting it off. I used my dozuki and trimmed a thin line between the wedge and ply and after fishing the sliver out from underneath I was able to pound the sheet down into place. I used a level and a framing square to ensure a 5 degree bevel was achieved on each side. I screwed down the boards on either side of the top support and the center support and also put screws into the bottom of the A frame on both sides. The result was a rock solid cart.
> 
> I am very pleased with the result. I loaded it up and it immediately made a difference in de-cluttering the shop. I highly recommend it! The 4" casters worked really well, even mostly loaded and on an incline (driveway) I was able to push it fairly easily into the garage.


Nice…..this is the formatt I've been wanting….Seems as though it may be a little too skinny and not enough lean on the large sheet goods…..Just my 2 cents worth!


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## chopnhack (Nov 5, 2011)

chopnhack said:


> *Finished*
> 
> I was able to figure out why the piece of plywood was not square to the other piece of the A-frame. It turned out that one of the angled wedges at the bottom was a little long and needed to be trimmed. The plywood was already in place and I didn't feel like unclamping and lifting it off. I used my dozuki and trimmed a thin line between the wedge and ply and after fishing the sliver out from underneath I was able to pound the sheet down into place. I used a level and a framing square to ensure a 5 degree bevel was achieved on each side. I screwed down the boards on either side of the top support and the center support and also put screws into the bottom of the A frame on both sides. The result was a rock solid cart.
> 
> I am very pleased with the result. I loaded it up and it immediately made a difference in de-cluttering the shop. I highly recommend it! The 4" casters worked really well, even mostly loaded and on an incline (driveway) I was able to push it fairly easily into the garage.


It works well, the reason why I only made a 5 degree angle slant is because of where I intended to store it. If I had made it with a greater lean, the base would be too wide for me to store. You can certainly change the angle to suit your needs. Thanks for commenting.


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## Upgrayedd (Mar 1, 2015)

chopnhack said:


> *Finished*
> 
> I was able to figure out why the piece of plywood was not square to the other piece of the A-frame. It turned out that one of the angled wedges at the bottom was a little long and needed to be trimmed. The plywood was already in place and I didn't feel like unclamping and lifting it off. I used my dozuki and trimmed a thin line between the wedge and ply and after fishing the sliver out from underneath I was able to pound the sheet down into place. I used a level and a framing square to ensure a 5 degree bevel was achieved on each side. I screwed down the boards on either side of the top support and the center support and also put screws into the bottom of the A frame on both sides. The result was a rock solid cart.
> 
> I am very pleased with the result. I loaded it up and it immediately made a difference in de-cluttering the shop. I highly recommend it! The 4" casters worked really well, even mostly loaded and on an incline (driveway) I was able to push it fairly easily into the garage.


Chopnahack, 
I'm badly in need of something like your storage rack and also working with limited space. 
Are you satisfied with the 5 degree slant, and if not what would you recommend going to ~10deg?
I am thinking about scaling back the overall dimensions to cut back on weight and space… do you think it would be regrettable to only build it 5 or 6ft long and full sheets of plywood can overhang? (Full sheets don't hang around long… drops do.)
Last question… are the wedges necessary that your full sheets sit on?


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## chopnhack (Nov 5, 2011)

chopnhack said:


> *Finished*
> 
> I was able to figure out why the piece of plywood was not square to the other piece of the A-frame. It turned out that one of the angled wedges at the bottom was a little long and needed to be trimmed. The plywood was already in place and I didn't feel like unclamping and lifting it off. I used my dozuki and trimmed a thin line between the wedge and ply and after fishing the sliver out from underneath I was able to pound the sheet down into place. I used a level and a framing square to ensure a 5 degree bevel was achieved on each side. I screwed down the boards on either side of the top support and the center support and also put screws into the bottom of the A frame on both sides. The result was a rock solid cart.
> 
> I am very pleased with the result. I loaded it up and it immediately made a difference in de-cluttering the shop. I highly recommend it! The 4" casters worked really well, even mostly loaded and on an incline (driveway) I was able to push it fairly easily into the garage.





> Are you satisfied with the 5 degree slant


Yes.


> , and if not what would you recommend going to ~10deg?
> I am thinking about scaling back the overall dimensions to cut back on weight and space… do you think it would be regrettable to only build it 5 or 6ft long and full sheets of plywood can overhang? (Full sheets don t hang around long… drops do.)


Since you mention that you too have limited space, the angle of tilt will determine your base's width, so I leave that to you. As for sheets overhanging, it would be ok, but it would make it difficult to maneuver - if you truly have no need for full sheet storage, then I would suggest building a different storage solution. Sheets take up a lot of space and are heavy, that is why I built this - I sometimes go long times between projects and needed the full sheet storage as well as the ability to move them. As we speak I have about 5 full sheets sitting out there!


> Last question… are the wedges necessary that your full sheets sit on?


Yes, they aid in assembly by locking in the sheets for either side, registering them in proper position and they tilt the plywood that is to be stored.
Thanks for stopping by! I haven't thought about this project in a long time ;-)


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