Timber Framers Guild Forums Tools Tool Forum Timber Cart Ideas?

Anybody have any success with some shop built timber carts? I really like the Guild's but I am going to try to save a little and make one myself.

I really like the Guild cart's height. This is key for me because I like to be able to load them off of sawhorses. If they get to low its too much fighting for me. I can get some good wheels at Northern tool.

I also think the counterweight is a must, again for solo operation.

I'm use to machinery, but I have a confined work space on a small job and have never gotten around to building one. I'm betting that there are some good ideas that would be appreciated.

FWIW, I remember a great cart at the Lyle Shelter project in VA a few years ago. I think it might have been McGann's. Anyway it was awesome and I wish I had taken a better look at it. It even had a rubber bike horn. too cool.

Thanks

Super cheap? I picked up a 4 wheel garden cart - sort of a glorified wagon. Was 100$ or less at the local garden place. Pack away the folding sides. Added an extension to the handle so I could pull / push it with 20' sticks on it. Bolted on some 6x blocking. Big pneumatic wheels. Would roll over sawdust and chips from chopping tenons. Could manage 4 8x8s by myself. Fit in between my layout and joinery horses.

Wanted the TFG style cart too, but this worked for me. Cut a barn with this method, stacking and staging was key. Everything was setup so I could access and stack myself. Only had a lift for a day when timber arrived from the mill. Moved 90% of the sticks myself.

But that cart is pretty sweet. Used one at Heartwood.

Bonus, on site I put the sides back on and it was my mobile tool cart for pre assembly and raising.

Yo Mike,

So you didn't have any problem with 4 wheels and rough terrain? That's what I really like about the TFG cart is that you can use the center of gravity to move yourself over site conditions.

I was thinking the same "V" in wood with maybe some ply to serve as structure. I really need to figure out the axle configuration going through the bottom of my wooden "V's".

Moving heavy things is fun....

No issues. Rough gravel drive. On a slight incline, and then a small bump into the shop.

But I staged everything reverse stack to how I wanted it on the truck. Made 4 piles 6' betweeen, 2 bunks high each side. Would roll in and out. Finished timber went to the end of the drive to await truck. Had a few smaller piles way down the drive. Never an issue. Except in snow. As to be expected.

Big bouncy tires was key. Just enough pressure to be able to roll over the bi gravel with the weight. Too high and you get stuck. Too low and you work too hat to move 4 sticks 30'.

Look for some old MTB wheels. Should have a 9 or 10mm skewer . Pull the existing skewer and run some rod all the way through. Making the dropout would probably be the toughest part.

I'm currently using a two wheel bike trailer to move my timbers which is frankly a little low, but otherwise more than adequate. Welding / brazing a simple frame out of scrapped bikes to make a cart which used a pair of 26" MTB wheels would be child's play if you have any experience with metal working. If you want some inspiration into the types of things that you can build up from scrap bikes, check out Atomic Zombie. By comparison to his constructions a cart should be a day's work if you've already got the bikes!

nice, nice, nice. great info thanks!

I've got a metal worker associate / friend that should be able to handle this for me while I work timbers, got em shaken out for a spell.

so do you think the load rating for the TFG cart is based on the wheel capacity or the frame?

Likely the connection of the wheels to the frame. Unless you get some super light carbon spoked race wheels... Then the wheels.

The connection needs to be stout enough not to bed or buckle under what turns into a point load.

Hello,

maybe not strictly meeting all the criteria but it is a timber cart idea, one that has never let me down except when I have to pump air back into the tires after a long period of non-use.


And in relation to bicycles I can attach the handle onto my seat post and tow stuff along behind.

Individual components can be used separately or in combination.

T handle retractable and removable.


Greetings,

Don Wagstaff

In one of Jack's books there is a picture of his timber cart. Mostly wood, with a steel axle. I've got to build one soon to get my 47' timbers through a 16' wide door.

Good to see you around again mo.

Dave, are you able to mill 47'? You get an extension? Or did you hew?

I believe the Jack cart is pretty damn low, like 18" off the ground.

Yes, the cart is low.

We have the 24' extension, allowing us to saw 45'. Anything over about 43' is close, and the 46' and 47's that I cut I had to saw as far as I could, cut the slabs and boards off with an electric chainsaw, and then slide the log back to finish. My fastest 42' timber was a 12"x10", that took me 1:45 to saw, cut up the slabs and cut the boards to length. An over length log could take me 4 to 5 hours by myself. The sawing is the easy part, it's finding the logs that is tough.

Just handling a 45' log is a job in itself. What species are the timber Dave?

I use an old dolly from the abandoned sardine industry as my timber cart, only on a smooth surface, it is not so good on gravel.

White pine. I use a Lull forklift for the lifting, just can't get them through the door on the machine. My record so far is 29', which can only be done with a telescopic boom and for wheel steer.

Hello,

29 feet! That's exactly the length of this "stick" of western red cedar. In the end, after hewing, I could lift it on my shoulder.

Greetings,

Don Wagstaff

That's four wheel steer. No edit option, I guess.

I can pick up the 45' 5"x7" plates, but not over my shoulder.

My customer made his like this:



After he saw mine like this:



His worked much better then mine.

Jim Rogers

Go to your local farm store and buy a cheap quad trailer. Mine cost $160 and took 15 minutes to build.
Gut it. Throw away the box and the hitch and keep the undercarriage. Screw a peice of plywood offset on to it. I've used it for moving up to 9x13 20' fir beams. I'll take a picture tomorrow.

I bought two wheel barrow wheels and one piece of threaded rod, some nuts and washers for under $55 to make mine.

Jim Rogers

lots of good stuff. I have a metalworker doing a favor for me with some spoked wheels. We will see what he comes up with and I'll post when done.

Here's a cart that has worked well for us.
Designed to allow loading by wide-spread forks (on front-end loader in yard), and unloading by sling and overhead hoist (in shop).

I saw this cart at a flea market yesterday. This is the same conceptual design as the guilds "Timbercart". I guess the point is, you can build a similar design that could be lower to the ground? Maybe easier to load? This one could be made to work, though you'd have to pay attention to the height so that you are not stooped over when pushing it, or you'll end up with a sore back.

David,

that's pretty slick right there. Can you take the support leg out easily once loaded?

It would be pretty sweet to center the timber then push down on the unsupported side and let that leg fall out.

I have two kinds of timber movers.
Each has it's advantages.


This one is good from moving timbers from stock rack to planning
horses.


This one works well to take timbers in and out of shop
as well as moving timbers into back yards.

Thanks, all...some great designs.

A great place to get wheels and an axle is from a fish processing plant, if you're near the ocean. I got a set with a solid galvie axle and 24" cast steel spokes with solid hard rubber for fifty bucks...it used to have a steel cart that carried fish, but the cart rusted out.

It's on the heavy side, but not much it couldn't handle.

I use a couple carts from the sardine industry from back a while. Steel wheels, 3/4" axle, hard wood frame and deck, sits about 14" off the ground. Works only on smooth floors. Nothing too big for it. It is not ideal but serves well.

Absolutely agreed...fish cart wheels are solid, but no 4X4ing with them.

Here is the one I had a friend make for me:

The counterweight has only about 2" clearance. He assumed it needed to sit level.. Hasn't proved to big a problem as of yet, but if need be, I can have him hack it off and raise to increase clearance. The weight is just a tube full of metal waste from his shop.