McKennawerks: Odds n' endz

The scanner is having issues. And after looking at some plans for things on some other sites, I have to conclude that a .wmf (windows metafile) which is a vector graphic is so much the better way to go for the plans that I'm biting the bullet and doing them up in CorelDraw. I originally got CorelDraw so I could do coats of arms using the Armorial Gold program and that's all I've ever used it for. So have a little patience folks, the measured drawing is soon to be here in .jpg and .wmf (in fact any file type that CorelDraw x3 supports).

From some emails I've gotten and re-reading over things I want to make a few comments on this and that.

Here's a shot of the pivot pin. It's your basic 7.5" spike. I grind the tip down with the bench grinder, but you don't really need to do that. Remember you'll need to drill out a shallow countersink for the head

Also, when discussing commercial wheels, I forgot to mention wheelchair wheels. Of course, these, too, are mundane in appearance, but they are much easier to mount than bicycle tires.

Some doubt has been expressed about whether or not the rear bolster/coupling rail joint is actually supportive enough to keep the bolster from collapsing under heavy load or a deep rut. Oh, ye of little faith :-) However, if you can't convince yourself you don't need more, there are some fixes.

First is instead of using one coupling pole down the center use two poles; as I did with this wagon. Set them in the bolsters with the same egg-crate joint.

Another option is to add knees. I would probably make it a little longer from an aesthetic point but the concept is simple. Cut a piece of 2x4 and glue it to the coupling pole only. You get a better looking and structurally superior joint if you smooth the mating surfaces with a jointer, hand plane or table saw. When the glue is dry drill two 3/8" holes through the knee and well into the coupling pole (red outline) then smear a length of 3/8 hardwood dowel that's just longer than the holes and drive it in with a hammer. When the glue has dried, trim off the excess dowel that is proud of the knee.

You can also bend up a pair of hounds. I've mocked up this one with joist strapping, which will work, but a more attractive choice would be 16ga steel barstock. It's attached with 5/16" x 2" clevis pins. I only mocked up one, you would of course want one on each side. Note the black lines over the bends--they are compound bends. I have no idea of angles and such as I always do these by eye. If you're unsure of yourself when it comes to judging these things, do some mock ups in heavy cardstock first. I have a stack of old manila folders I keep in the shop for just that.