Tell me about your guncart

[Lewie Girardeau]

          Hey Everybody....


              I have been thinking of a cart and wanted to make a cedar coffin. Thought of making a poplar frame and covering it with cedar closet lining.
         The thing that is bugging me up is how to put wheels into it, with the narrower size of the base the only way I can think of is to have an axle housing sticking way out the sides of the bottom or the back side.
         Can anyone give some advise on this ?
         I figure it will have to be at least 15 to 16 inches at the base, flare out with shelf's at the wide part then taper back down toward the top to the first measurement. I thought of putting lips on the shelf's for ammo storage
         I think some tung oil or danish oil rubbed in would make the color or the wood just pop out at ya!
         I would have already started on this but being in the army all my tools are in the storage unit, so that has a big affect on what I make!!

                                                                                             Louie Girardeau
                                                                                               Rob Wright

[rebsr52339]

After attending a few Cowboy matches and photographing several score of carts I decided I could build one myself. The total cost in materials was about $60 including the wheels I got from Northern. The wood is a good grade of birch 1/2 in ply on sale because it had a damaged edge($21). The ammo carrier and the cooler rack both fold up into the handle assembly and it all comes out and lays flat in the bed of my truck. I remove the guns(4) first as it is easier to store them in their cases. The accessories box in front is removable and I will pad it later for a seat. It actually is about 6" too high and would reduce the handle etc. by that dimension if I had it to do all over again. All in all it works very well and I will add more later such as a coat hanger, hand gun holder etc.

[rebsr52339]

Here are a couple more.

[Adirondack Jack]

         Hey Everybody....


             I have been thinking of a cart and wanted to make a cedar coffin. Thought of making a poplar frame and covering it with cedar closet lining.
        The thing that is bugging me up is how to put wheels into it, with the narrower size of the base the only way I can think of is to have an axle housing sticking way out the sides of the bottom or the back side.
        Can anyone give some advise on this ?
        I figure it will have to be at least 15 to 16 inches at the base, flare out with shelf's at the wide part then taper back down toward the top to the first measurement. I thought of putting lips on the shelf's for ammo storage
        I think some tung oil or danish oil rubbed in would make the color or the wood just pop out at ya!
        I would have already started on this but being in the army all my tools are in the storage unit, so that has a big affect on what I make!!

                                                                                            Louie Girardeau
                                                                                              Rob Wright

Louie, I have built a lightweight coffin, (full sized, used as a CAS vendor merchandise display and also as a cargo box on my MC trailer)
 and here's my recommendation.  Build up yer coffin box using ripped down pine sticks at the joints and to form reinforcing battons inside, and 1/4" panelling of some sort as the skin.  I used underlayment plywood.  the completed coffin is urethaned with satin exterior urethane.   Rip down 3/8" thick pine mouldings to cover the joints in the skin.  Use screws and glue on structural stuff, brad nails and glue on trim.  My full-sized coffin only weighs 30 lbs.

THEN frame up a basic, very light handcart ala the one's they used to move wooden crates and barrels back in the day and mount yer coffin on it using a couple of wingnuts or some such to secure the box to the frame of the handcart. The box would happily sit on the cart frame, but a couple of screws and wingnuts to hold it fast when used as a gun cart would unitize it but allow the box to be easily removed from the "chassis".  Then use the traditional method of attaching the wheels to the handcart chassis with a straight solid axle and clevis pin clips (again for ease of removal for transport/storage).  It'll look just like what it is, a coffin being moved about on a handcart.  Plow handles can be bought that would make great handcart vertical rails/handles.....  Interior should be kept very light.  Use simple cutout "rack" forms and either leather or pipe insulation to make upper and lower cradles for guns, etc.

here's my MC trailer with the coffin box...



It wasn't quite done in this pic.  The internal brace was temporary and is now cut out.  The trailer now has a tailgate, lights and fenders added.  the coffin box lid has a water-tiight gasket made up with white silicone and four "tool box latches" hold the lid secure for travel.  I've taken guns, ammo, clothes, merchendise, etc, everything except a gun cart needed for a three day shoot (stayed in a pard's RV) in the box, towed behind the bike.

Here it is in use as a vendor display.

[rebsr52339]

Jack, that is realy neet. Now I wish I had my HOG back.       Dang it.   

[Swifty Morgan]

Awsome carts!!!

RTH

[rebsr52339]

Louie, been thinking about what you said about the wheel placement on the coffin and how far they would stick out.

  " I figure it will have to be at least 15 to 16 inches at the base, flare out with shelf's at the wide part then taper back down toward the top to the first measurement."

Think about this, cut an axle in half and mount it on the backside of the coffin so that each axle protrudes perpendicular to the side. That way the wheels will be close to and parallel to the coffin side and although canted at an angle it would not impede the rolling ability of the cart. I can mail you a sketch if you PM me your address.

[Lewie Girardeau]

       WOW...

         Pulling it on the back of a bike, I am sure you get interesting looks on the way to shoots! I bet the MP's would spazz out if I pulled up to the gate pulling that!! It would be a photo op for sure!!
     I love it though that is just about just what I was thinking of, I was thinking a little smaller but the same none the less.


                                                                                     Lewie Girardeau   

[Lewie Girardeau]

       Hey Everybody,


               You know come to think of it a railroad freight dolly sits at an angle when not being used, if you put metal inserts on the bottom of the coffin and T bolts on the freight dolly all you would have to do is tilt it fore ward and the whole rig would still be attached and everything would be at a slight angle to the back.
   So, All your firearms would be leaning back into their racks.

                                                                      Lewie

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Hi,

I have been following your thread with interest, but it seems time to make myself known.

I want to build a gun cart the looks like an old shipping box/ streamer trunk, and would sit on a Railroad style hand truck.

I have bought 5' Plow Handles, but am unable to find a source for the metal parts of a Railroad Style Hand Truck

Since you have mentioned it, I am hoping you may have found some sources ...

[Lewie Girardeau]

        HIYA,


        Try looking around Discover Live Steam Online, they have scale and real stuff in their for sale page.

[Lewie Girardeau]

       HIYA Again,

          Try this company.
    They also have stuby axle kits.


http://www.rptrading.biz/SteelWagonWheels.html  

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Hi Back,

Thanks for the suggestions ... I just sent emails to both resources to see if they had something like what I am looking for ...

What I hope to do is use an old antique hand truck as a bed for an antique looking Steamship Trunk or something similar.

Of course, once opened, it would show itself to be a gunbox with yoked beds for long guns, holsters for short guns on the sides,

and ammo storage below to keep the weight low ...

[Lewie Girardeau]

          HIYA;


              You know..... you could go with a freight cart all together and bypass the freight dolly at the same time!
      They had larger wheels in the rear and had a regular type of wagon tounge ( like a hay wagon) if you go with a half scale model your steamer chest would be just about perfect!!
     You could  also get a miniature longhorn steer to pull your cart from the above link, I think the add says the harness comes with the cart. But get ready for this......those long horns cost about 1500 bucks and up each!!
     Then you would have to worry about what the RSO would say about cowpies on the firing line......

                                                                                                    Lewie Girardeau

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Lewie,

Good points all; and we havent even discussed how my litte Jetta would get the steer and wagon to a shoot ... so I think I will stay with the original plan.

The 'steamer trunk' will be through bolted to the hand truck with removable stove bolts and wing nuts ... so that the hand truck can go on the Thule Bike rack up on top, and the 'steamer trunk' can go in the back seat or trunk ....

[Lewie Girardeau]

          You know with a full grown weight of 400 lbs, and only 32" tall you could just wrap the seat belt around it in the passenger seat and from there  LOL!!


                                               Lewie

[shrapnel]

I find it interesting to see how much emphasis placed on the period correct costumes and yet there are golf carts and bicycle tires, etc. used in carts and nothing is said. Those that do, that is their choice, but what makes the the atmosphere of the West come full circle should include wood, leather and materials that would have been used in those days.

There are plenty of opportunities to express yourself in this way and my choice was a coffin. The interior is capable of holding 6 guns, 2 of which can be SXS shotguns. The coffin is simple in design and function. As the pictures illustrate, the guns sit on a rack above the lower level that serves as an ammo shelf. The wagon like wheels serve as nothing more than a way to wheel the cart around.

The coffin is simple, yet functional in that it is also designed to lay down on the legs that can be seen on the back of the cart. They serve as support when the coffin is laid down and can then be sat upon while waiting your turn.

My son and I built this with great plans to make it an elaborate gun toting tool. Once we got it to the point of holding guns, function canceled further plans, and at this point there is still a lot that can be done to make it more serviceable, but this works and it will have to do...

[Texas Lawdog]

I have a coffin shaped guncart that I bought used from another shooter. It is a factory made one by a guy who uses the "Don't Tread on Me" logo with the snake. I have been doing NCOWS lately and they don't use guncarts. It's a nice cart with larger spoked wheels which makes it to push around.

[Gold Canyon Kid]

http://s274.photobucket.com/albums/jj255/mickeyboat/?action=view&current=012.jpg

The above photos shows a slightly different type of gun cart.  Wife and I needed a cart that would haul the most in the lightest weight cart we could find.  To roll over pea gravel easily a three wheel cart was chosen. The entire cart is made from quarter inch plywood.  Bought the baby stroller from Goodwill for $15.  Had to put on new heavy duty tires, heavy duty tubes, tire liners, and green slime to allow it to be pushed around the cactus in the desert.  My son has built another cart using this cart as a model.  The photos show a foam core mockup I had to make to get all the angles correct.

[Lewie Girardeau]

     Shrapnel;


            I like how you worked the sxs or single barrel gun slots into your cart, that was a very good idea!!
    I was thinking of putting lidded shelfs on the sides where the angles meet, sorta like a secretary's desk to hold little things and such, maybe a 2 hinged lid (panio hinges ) if you were looking down at it, one hinge lifts the lid and the second moves it over toward the outside edge of the coffin, but then again I had no thoughts of more than 3 maybe 4 long guns. and the revolvers would go in the bottom compartment or the other side or into little slots and just ammo on the bottom in a second compartment.

    If you went with a smaller sized coffin ( young adult ) it would be small enough to slide into the back seat of a 4 door car!!


                                                                                                                   Lewie