Mother's Wheelbarrow

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

Next, bore the 1/4" center carriage bolt hole for each handle-to-leg mount. These openings should be about nine inches from the axle ... but the distances on both handles must be equal, as any significant difference will cause the frame to scissor unevenly. After the handles are ready, slide each one onto its appropriate axle and brace them with a 1" X 2" X 19-1/2" crosspiece nailed (about one inch behind the wheel) atop the handles.

(The 1" X 2" brace was initially used by MOTHER's research staff simply for rigidity during construction . . . but eventually became an integral part of the design: the mud scraper.)

Now fetch your other length of 2 X 4 and saw off two 34" portions ... which will become the wheelbarrow's legs. Because these stanchions bolt to the outside of the handles, you'll have to drill a 1/4" hole at a point 23 inches from the end of each 34" piece. Then, bolt the legs and handles loosely together. Since the remaining four carriage bolts have not yet been inserted, the angle of intersection between the portions of the frame remains adjustable.

From the remaining chunk of 2 X 4, lop off two more sections-one 20" and one 23-3/4" to use as front and rear braces. Slide the 23-3/4" board between the legs and handles from behind . . . until the upper angle formed by the two major components is 145°. Mark the position, and remove the brace. Then pick up your drill again and bore four holes to start the lag bolts which secure this support. (The hole in each brace must be 1/4" in diameter, while the handle bores should be slightly smaller.) Use the same bits to prepare the front (20") strut and the legs for their lag bolts. When all the assorted handles, legs, and braces are in position, drill the remaining four carriage bolt holes (roughly two inches to each side of the original pivot mount holes) . . . and cinch the frame together.

Now, you're ready to install flooring and side boards. First, saw four 28" lengths from the 1 X 12 and tack them into position along the handles and legs. Drill and countersink holes for the No. 8 X 1-1/2" wood screws (using a 3/32" bit) which will secure the planks in place. Once the bed is attached, cut the 1 X 10 to make two 43" pieces, hold one in position, and scribe the side board profile you need. Then, tack the two boards together and cut them as one. Drill and countersink holes for the remaining 24 wood screws, and fasten the sides to the assembly.

Finally, pull out your nastiest rasp file and work the handle grips down until your mitts get a comfortable fistful of timber. Add a coat of paint and you're ready to do some totin'.

Pitch on a load that would have left your conventional carrier belly up and busted ... and take her for a spin. MOTHER thinks you'll be amazed how much you can haul with nary a whimper-from you or the wheelbarrow.

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print