5 Wheel Dolly for 5 Gallon Pails

I use Oneida's Dust Deputy with 5 gallon pails and my shop vacuums in my work areas.  This project is a 5-wheeled base for the 5 gallon pail to keep it from tipping over easily.  The pull from hoses on the Dust Deputy make them tippy, especially when recently emptied. 

5 sided for a stable footprint

I cut the base from a 1.25" thick scrap of heavy particle/chip board.  The casters came from a box I have of casters salvaged from past projects and discarded furniture over many years.  

The ancient particle/chip board was a dusty mess to cut on the CNC.  Two air cleaners and my shop vac running constantly during the cut, and there was still a mess to vacuum up after it was done. 

The pails are tapered.  A 3/8" deep tapered pocket in the center was the first detail cut.  When finished I move the router back and tested the fit of the pail while it was still clamped to the CNC bed.  Had the fit been too tight I could have generated a new tool path to widen the pocket. This time I got lucky with a good snug fit. 

Holes for the caster stems were cut next.  A quick check for fit verified the caster stems fit. The last toolpath to cut was the perimeter pentagon shape.  I left two tabs on each side of the shape to make sure it wouldn't come free while the router was still cutting. 

Once the CNC was done I flipped the board over. I used my multi-tool to cut through all the tabs.  The base was then taken to my trim router table to flush trim off the tabs. 

Fit is snug.  The base doesn't drop off when the pail is lifted, yet can be taken off with a good tap. 

A wedge fit.

This was a quick, easy project.  Key is that the base is relatively heavy.  Extra holes in the top were mortises for dowels to support an upper ring.  In use that ring isn't needed.  

4D

A Little Box for Push Pins

I got poked by a push pin while digging through a drawer.  I ask the push pin why it poked me.   It replied that it was jealous of the paper clips and straight pins that had their own dedicated box, and wants its own box so it doesn't have to live in a drawer of random junk. 

I complied.

White Oak.  V-Carved Text and Graphic 

Push Pins Happy

Push Pins can't read, so the push pin graphic is there for them.  I should have videoed the stampede as Push Pins rushed from places unknown in my house to gather together in this box.  They all seem happy to be together.   Job done.

4D

A Little Box for Paper Clips

Old Box.  New Use

My box for pins solved one storage challenge for collections of small things.  This box solves that same challenge for my collection of paper clips.  This box has a sliding lid.  The lid's slanted edges slide into an undercut dovetail inner edge of the box. Of course the box needed a label. When closed it was otherwise impossible to tell what was inside. 

Slid Open

With a coat of tongue oil on the lid the letters stand out better.  The clip graphic doesn't look as good as it did in my CNC software render, but it will do. This box consolidates clips found in three places in my house so far. There is room for even more. Now I just need a specific place to keep this box.   😏

4D

A Little Box for Straight Pins

This little wood box came to the rescue when a plastic package self-destructed.

A Box for Straight Pins

Box Open. Pins Inside.

 

I needed to use some straight pins on a project.  This little box I previous made from scraps using my CNC.  To establish it's final purpose the text and pins graphic were v-carved into the top.  Some tongue oil as a finish was applied. 

4D

UpDn Diamond Corner Joint

UpDn Diamond Interlock

This is another test corner joint.  It uses a 1/8" end mill rather than a 3/16" end mill to cut both sides. The same initial vector was used for both sides.  For the male side a perimeter line around the end was added so it would pocket out the surrounding wood. On the female side a profile beside the line and clearing profile on the line were used to cut the negative shapes. 

Female Side. Walnut

For contrast the female side was cut on the top end of a walnut board.  The male end was cut on end of an oak board.

Male Side.  Red Oak

Not knowing how exact the dimensions of the bit used were, I made two toolpath versions of the male side.  One with no added allowance, and the second removing an additional 0.003" to allow for some glue room if the first toolpath was too tight. 

The female side was cut first, clamped vertically in my Bridge Vise.  The impractical aspect of such joints done with a 1/8" bit is that it take several passes and considerable time to step down 3/4" around and inside the diamond shapes. 

The male side was cut clamped flat across my bridges with its end hanging over open space.  After it finish I checked the fit and found it too snug to slip together easily.  I made a profile pass with a .003 allowance and recut the end.  Second try the other side slipped on smoothly with no extra force needed.  

Both Sides Cut.

The straight grained oak helps emphasize the contrast.

Nice Contrast

Partly together.

Almost

Fully together.

Fit is perfect with a 0.003" gap for glue.

Once glued together, sanded, and with some finish applied this joint would be a nice surprise to discover on the sides of a kitchen drawer when opened.  It should easily be as strong as a dovetail corner joint. 

With one coat of Tung Oil

The interlocking diamond pattern might be nice for the corners of a jewelry box. With a 1/8" bit as long as your boards are thick many variations can be made for corner joints like this one. Imagination, knowing how to configure a CNC for vertical (and angled) cuts, and some understanding of wood properties are all that is required. 

4D 


 

Square Interlock Corner Joint

Square Interlock Joint

This joint, cut on my CNC, could easily replace half blind dovetail corners for strength.  It can only be assembled in one direction.  It won't pull apart sideways.  As with many of the CNC joints I've come up with it uses the same vector for both sides of the joint.  One side is cut on the end of a board clamped vertically.

Side A. Clamped Vertically

The other side is cut on the end of a board clamped horizontally. 

Side B.  Clamped Flat.

This joint is half blind, showing only on one side of the corner.  

All the corners are rounded to account for the 3/16"diameter end mill used to cut the joint. A sharper cornered version could be cut with a 1/8"diameter bit if the cutting length of the bit was as long as the boards are thick. 

This sample I made from some pine board scraps.  When both sides were cut they slipped together easier than I expected.  This suggests that the bit I used was a little bit larger than .1875" in diameter.  More than enough room for some glue. 

Sample Ready to Assemble

The positive and negative sides together look a bit like a zipper.   

Partly Together

Drawer sides would be a good place to use this joint.  A drawer that holds sewing supplies would be a perfect application for it!

Glue Together and Sanded Flush

As with dovetail joints, the spacing between squares could be varied for a more personal design. Your imagination and the size of router bits available are the only limiting factors. 

4D

Rolling Stand for a Portable Air Conditioner

Portable AC Cart

I made this rolling stand from some old wafer board that had previously been the side of a shipping crate. The legs were cut from a couple scrap pine 2x6 boards.  

Stand Alone

The center bulge is for a 5 gallon pail to collect the water from the AC's drain. 

The pale pail. 

 

Drain Hose Attached

Four old casters add mobility to the stand. Their stems extend through the wafer board and into the pine legs. 

Old Casters

A stiffening rib made from northern hard maple was glued and screwed to the bottom of the bottom shelf to keep the weight of the water from bending it.  

Stiffening Rib

The wafer board was marked and distracting.  I ran it through my drum sander a few times, then painted both sides before assembling the stand. The paint is a dark red latex left over from a previous project. The pine legs were shaped to compliment the top and bottom. A bit of detail continuity. They have a spar varnish finish on them for some protection from the environment.  They compliment the red of the top and bottom.  

A simple design.

I used my CNC to cut out the top and bottom outlines and pocket holes where the caster shafts are.  I also used a V-bit to mark where the screws needed to be for screwing the legs to the top and bottom.  With the holes marked I took the boards to my drill press to drill through and chamfer the screw holes.  

The shelves have 1" radiused corners.  The rounded corners of the legs I put a 3/4" radius on with the intent to set them in from the shelf edges 1/4".  I made this jig to help inset them when assembling the cart.

Inset jig

Legs inset 1/4" from shelf edges

For the radius on the legs I first used a moulding toolpath on my CNC.  Results were varied as  the 2x6 boards I started with were a bit beaten up.  Before putting a finish on them  I ran the corners through my router table past a 3/4" radius roundover bit.  Then a couple passes through my drum sander to smooth both sides.  Still a bit imperfect, but fine for this little stand. The casters are happy to have a new use.  The wafer board and 2x6 boards are also happy to be parts of something useful rather than scraps in my garage. 

4D