The Woodbox Wheelbarrow
Here are plans for a functional woodbox that doubles as an attractive piece of furniture.
December/January 2000
By Will Shelton
When the hearth dies down and the wind starts howling, the last thing I want to do is dash out into the rain and snow for a load of firewood. It occurred to me that keeping the woodbox in the house would increase my level of comfort - and if I could disguise it as a piece of fine furniture, my wife might just let me keep it there.
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PUT A LID ON IT
Before you jump to the main project it's always smart to gather your materials. Construct the box lid first and set it aside for later attachment. First, cut two 23"-long half circles out of a 2" x 8" piece of wood. (You probably won't have a compass big enough to scribe the arc, so make one out of a flat stick: Pound a nail through one end, then mark a spot 12 5/8" from the nail and drill a pencil-sized hole.)
Next, for the cross strips, cut two pieces of 2" x 2" stock to 38". Glue and nail these to the bottom inside of the half circles and plane the 2" x 2" to fit the curve of the circle (see diagram at right). Then, cut a piece of 1/2" plywood to 43" x 32" and groove a series of 1/4"-deep channels 1 1/2" apart. This gives the plywood flexibility (use a table saw or a skill saw with a plywood blade). Glue and nail the top to the half circles and the cross strips. The panel is a little oversized so that the fit can be adjusted. After the glue has dried, trim off the excess wood.
BUILDING THE BOX
For the rest of the project, I scavenged a wheel, axle and handles from an old wheelbarrow. You can also get all of these parts at any decent hardware store. Either way the sizes will vary, so you will have to make a few calculations for the handle slots, the wheel hole in the bottom panel, the axle strut spacing, the wheel enclosure dimensions and the legs that hold up the handle end of the box.
HANDLE SLOTS
The box is designed so that the handles fit inside the handle slots. Just measure your handles' girth and add 1/6" for clearance, then cut the slots to a length of 38". A word of caution: When you are gluing up, be sure to wipe off all excess glue from inside the slots, otherwise the handles won't fit.
WHEEL HOLE AND AXLE STRUT SPACING
Cut the bottom plywood panel to the dimensions given in the diagram below then mark a centerline from front to back. Cut the two axle support struts and place them on the bottom, spacing them left and right of the centerline at a distance that will allow the axle support brackets to rest on the struts. Ensure that the struts are parallel to the centerline, then scribe the plywood using the insides of the struts as a guide. Take the struts off. Come back 1 1/2" from the front end of the plywood and scribe a line parallel to the end between the wheel strut scribemarks. Measure the diameter of the tire you are using and add 3 1/2". Measure that dimension from the front end of the plywood and scribe another line between the wheel strut scribemarks. You should now have a rectangle approximately 4" x 16". Cut out the rectangular hole. Temporarily mount the axle support struts (using screws). Mount the wheel and axle in the center of the rectangular hole. Turn the assembly over. Support the four corners of the plywood so the bottom remains upright and steady (cinder blocks work nicely). Glue and nail the forward framing structure in place on the bottom (see " Framing " diagram).
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