Here’s my latest new contraption…inspired by someone on BT or JLC.
It is built on a wheeled mini scaffold. Now I really can hang up the tool belt…everything I need at my fingertips:
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nice set up..... i have 2 old hotel room clean up /towel /maid carts even have the wheels on the edges to keep em from scar'n the walls... that work pretty well when properly loaded.... i have a shopping cart i modified for my sparky... he loves it...
i think anytime you can move all the tools u usually need around with you on wheels it's always a good thing...
p
--"maid carts even have the wheels on the edges to keep em from scar'n the walls"I think I might put some pipe insulation on the vertical scaffold pipes...at least at door knob height.
Our experience with setting up a "Baker" rolling scaffold as the "trim stand" is that it too soon gets so loaded up with crap that we cannot find anything on it.
So, every couple days we have to have a meeting . . . clean it up, throw out the coffee cups, bits go here, glue goes there, where d'ya want the trim gun to go now, yadda, yadda, yadda.
But working alone, I suppose there are no such issues. Anything with lots of space like that, and that also has places to hang rolled up cords and eels, and that can roll around, is great.
That's alot better than the floor I've been hanging my tools on.
May neighbors respect You, and troubles neglect You.
Gord
In my case, I must be gettin' taller, the floor keeps getting further away._______________________________________________________________
I just want you to feel you are doing well. I hate for people to die embarrassed. - Fezzik the giant
Taller, and faster.The trip down seems to take less time, too.And might I add, the floors nowadays seem to be getting much more hard than they used to be.
Hey, don't look at me, I'm mentally retireded.
Weird. I've actually taken a couple of falls recently.
About a month ago, I was walking around the back of my pickup in a customer's driveway. There was a skiff of snow everywhere that morning, but it wasn't slippery.
What I didn't know was, under the skiff of snow at the back of my pickup was a fairly large patch of clear ice that had formed from the bottom of a nearby gutter.
BAM!
In a heartbeat I was down, flat on my back. Very disconcerting to be upright and ambulatory one micro second - and immobile, ignoble, and in shock the next. I am sure I exceeded the natural laws of falling objects as I instantaneously went from vertical to horizontal.
I was amazed, yet totally unhurt.
Yesterday I fell while texturing a ceiling. I was walking backwards, concentrating on putting an even film of texture on, when my foot came upon a section of vent pipe sticking up out of the floor. BAM! Down I went again!
I managed to keep most of the texture in the hopper.
I kept thinking (for some strange reason) - Down Goes Frazier! Down Goes Frazier!
Totally unhurt again.
Like I said, weird.
_______________________________________________________________
It ain't what you make, it's what you don't spend
I don't know if our reflexes are getting slower or our brains are working slower, or what.But it is true... I seem to hit the ground in a micro-second any more. And I seem to remember having tons of time to catch my balance, and/or grab something on the way down... for most of my life.Weird is right.
Hey, don't look at me, I'm mentally retireded.
I saw something interesting on the Minneapolis Craigslist tonight - a couple rolling tool cabinets that came out of the St. Paul school system. They were made by Brodhead & Garrett, have locking doors and are selling for $20 each. They wouldn't be very portable if you had to take them to job sites, but around the shop may not be bad. This link will probably go away in a couple days but it's current as of Tuesday night:
http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/tls/293464755.html
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I think I'll see if they are still available for my shop...thanks for the info.
If I may.....I'd suggest you add some edges to the shelves....at least three sides. Don't have to be too high. Just enough to keep tools from wandering over the edge while your rolling around.
I'm seeing a nice sharp chisel makin' a dive towards a brand new hardwood floor. Ouch.
These pretzels, are making me thirsty.
--"I'd suggest you add some edges to the shelves"Good point...I will do that. I did make slots and holes to hold the tools considered to be "flight risks."
thats very nice, I use an old carpenter stool we always made with a cut out handle, tray for tools and you can step on it, however its not enough anymore and i look like a old fart with it with my nail sets and hand saws and old tools. but for doing one window trim its great
Nothin' wrong with lookin' like an ol' fart...we are all heading in that direction, if we aren't already there.I've wanted to make one of those stools. For some tasks, they look like just the ticket.
That's a good one. I have something similar. Made it out of one half of a 6ft metal shelf kit, you know the grey colored Gorilla type that comes in a box, with 6 adjustable shelves or so. Assembles with screws or snap in rivets. Attached casters to the base. Attached hooks to the vertical perforated members for cords, hoses. No pic but I think you get the picture.
I also see we use some of the same tools, bostitch gun & flexeel, channel locks, shark/vaughn pry bars, titebond trim glue... Great minds think alike :-)
--"I also see we use some of the same tools, bostitch gun & flexeel, channel locks, shark/vaughn pry bars, titebond trim glue... Great minds think alike :-)"Yep. I've got 3 Bostitch guns (all good). For trimming I use a 16ga Padlode pneumatic, 18ga Hitachi and that little 23ga Bostitch. I have 25' and 50' flexeel hoses and several other hoses of similar quality. Since I use several guns, I often run a single hose to the area I'm working in, then from a manifold, I run three 33' hoses to the three trim guns.I still try to stick with one gun as long as I can, but when I need to switch guns...I just set it down and pick up the next gun (ready to go--no swithing guns & messing with couplers).It also helps to be set up this way when working with a crew. Your cart sounds like it would have some advantages (adjustability & the square uprights with holes for hooks).
I have a regular customer who lives in a second floor condo at the far end of the stairwell end of a courtyard. The first couple of times I went there, I had to schlep my tools & materials up two flights of stairs then down the length of the courtyard to her unit.
On about the third trip there, I got to her door huffing, puffing, and sweating and she sorta giggled and asked me why I didn't use the elevator and one of the grocery carts that are parked near the elevator lobby. That qualified her for the family discount!! - lol
nice little set up, gives me some ideas.
Dave
I keep trying to work smarter instead of harder...the trim cart is only a week old and I like it already.Nice to know you might get something useful from my version of the idea. I hope the person I got the idea from will chime in--I can't remember who it was.
I have a similar cart, one thing I added was a couple of screws simply partially screwed into the top of one of the shelves.
When I set my guns down, I set them so the handle goes over the screw.
That way when I wheel it around, there's no chance of the gun being pulled of the table by the hose.
The screws were a "while at work" temporary fix that are still there several years later.
I had some leftover 1/8th inch waffle-type rubber rug pad, I used that as a shelf liner on the shelf I tend to put my cutting tools on. No slipping and sliding of tools, or dinging of cutting edges, etc.
An aside, I have a hinged cleat screwed to the back of the table. Velcro holds it closed. The cleat can be rotated out, it's the same height as the table on my miter saw stand. Comes in handy as an auxiliary table when cutting 16' pieces of trim.
Mongo
Edited 3/18/2007 11:49 pm ET by Mongo
Here is a pic of the trim cart in use as my apprentice trims a window. The cart is proving very useful.
You have an apprentice? Cool.
Who dares, wins.
http://thewoodwhisperer.com/
This one is a quick study...he is my 19 y.o. nephew Aaron. A hard worker with a good set of skills already. Looks like I will lose him to the Air Force this summer though.Since Aaron is really interested in learning, I use the term apprentice rather than helper.
Dood for you. Both.. A true apprentice like that is a rare catch now days.
Who dares, wins.
http://thewoodwhisperer.com/
Edited 4/13/2007 7:24 am ET by Gunner
Bass,
With this set up, do you still wear a tool belt or no?
Justin Fink - FHB Editorial
Your Friendly Neighborhood Remodelerator
No tool belt required......I think I can be even more productive with all my tools layed out on the cart. It is nice to be able to see all the tools you are using and have them all within easy reach.The large shelves also make a handy work table for assembling small trim runs & returns, etc.
Agree about the toolbelt.
Most of these carts are just using the scaffolds things. I have two service carts -- both courteous of Harbor Freight and Chinese simplicity. My big 36" X 24" cart is heavily 00mo2dified. [Cat typing] The top shelf was inverted and covered with a slab of 3/4" plywood, stained and varnished. 1/2" and 3/8" bolts can attach an illegal vice, grinder, benchtop drill press as needed. I added a power strip under the overhang. Also I added a couple of big hooks for extinction cords. Also replaced original 5" casters with pneumatic 10" ones but I don't recommend these as they loose air over time. Also I added UniStrut type L brackets to carry my 7' Werner step ladder which is a good size.
However this is too big to fit into my car without dis-assembly. So I bought a red, 3 shelf version, 16" wide for about $33 on sale. The extra shelf is worth it. The only modification is the same big hooks for a lime green, 80' extention cord with an orange triple T tap on each end.
Others prefer the RubberMaid plastic, fiberglass ones but these cost more. To each his own. Tool carts are a good idea. A small vice would be very useful but unfortunately they are illegal at construction sites.
~Peter
[Insert initially amusing but ultimately boring clever statement here.]
Which one is illegal on a constrcution site -- vice, vise, or both?********************************************************
"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
Vises are illegal at construction sites.
Have you ever seen one on a construction site? Of course not. My point is proved.
~Peter
I thought you were kidding.Why would they be illegal?********************************************************
"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
Haven't you heard of the "Vice Squad"...you better watch it man!
I've never heard vises are illegal and I've been on plenty of construction sites. What's the story?
Peter,Cat typing! <G>Post a pic of your carts if you get the chance.I do want to add a power strip to my cart.I will take some pics of how this cart breaks down. I will also time how long it takes (it is fast and easy). I don't have room in my van for a cart, like the Rubbermaid, that does not fold up to save space.Thanks for posting,Basswood
I don't remember if you answered these questions: Do you have a problem scooting the cart over finished wood floors? Does it roll easy over carpet without tipping?
Is there room on there for a box of donuts?
_______________________________________________________________
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,
Edited 4/14/2007 2:01 pm by Heck
Yes, Yes, and Yes. On some surfaces and in tight quarters, I pull the cart, rather than push it (more control).Here is some more info and some pics.The cart, when folded flat, takes up just 6"x24"x48" (including the shelves). It tends to get piled on top of all the other stuff in the van (last to go in and first to come out). It takes just a minute to set up the cart and about five minutes to load my stuff onto the cart. Most of the new homes I work on have garages with slabs level with the main floor in the house. In the pictures here (working on my house this weekend), I had to carry the cart parts and tools up three steps and do the setup and loading of the cart inside the house (this does add more time and schlepping of stuff).I haul most my tools with the cart to my main work area, then off-load the stuff and set the cart up again for trim work or whatever. Then the cart goes with me to each window & door I trim, etc.
I might just have to try my own cart one of these days, especially now that I know I can put donuts on it.
Thanks, bass._______________________________________________________________
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,
Hey Bass,
Weren't you using a Bostitch TrimAir compressor not long ago? How's that DeWalt working for you? I'm looking at a smaller compressor to save my back a bit on smaller jobs and that one might be the ticket.
Sorry to hijack.
Nick
You are correct...but the Bostitch belonged to my helper. I got to use it daily for about six months, until the help got busy working on his house and stopped bringing it to work. It worked fine, even framed a few walls with it. Very light and quiet and kept up with a couple of finish guns.That experience made me rethink the attributes of the jobsite compressor...at least for trim work. I am spoiled now. Trim compressors should be light and quiet (less than 30#'s and quiet enough to carry on a conversation while it runs in the room with you).I decided on the Dewalt D55140 as it has a more rugged design than the others in the trim comp class. It has virtually the same output as the Bostitch (.7 SCFM @ 90 psi IIRC) and is a few pounds heavier (24# vs. 20#) and a little quieter (69 db vs. 75 db).One afternoon, last week, we ran two guns (16ga and 18ga) simultaneously for several hours on the 1 gallon Dewalt...it kept up easily. If you want more output, consider my compressors' big brother. The 2 gallon version is just 30#, with two output ports and 3x's the capacity (2.2 SCFM @ 90 psi).I will only resort to heavy, noisy beasts for serious framing/roofing...and I only do that kinda thing about once a year (I try to avoid even that).