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How To

Here we find a stereotypical rolling garbage can:

R2D2 Garbage Can

I’ll make sure these Deathstar plans are delivered to the Rebels!

If your trash needs to be hauled to-and-fro, R2D2 will do the job with panache… assuming his cheap, plastic wheels don’t give up the ghost as soon as they encounter a rogue chunk of meteorite on the planet’s surface. For heavier jobs than moving your old feather pillows to the curb, you may need some more reliable replacement wheels.

The problem is, most rolling garbage cans come equipped with plastic wheels that are often simply not up to the task at hand. They are breakable, they don’t roll well on softer terrain like grass or gravel, and they can be obnoxiously loud. But we have a solution for you! If you’re looking for replacement wheels, or simply an upgrade in both quality and style, consider these 8-inch yard and garden wheels with metal hubs, or one of our other similar products. They’re tough, reliable, and I’ll be darned if they aren’t good-looking, too.

As a bonus, instructables.com has a quick and handy guide for replacing the wheels on your can.

Happen to have an old chest lying around? Perhaps an antique from the grandparents gathering dust in a basement or attic? Is it doing you much good? Probably not. Fortunately for you, instructables.com has a solution which will turn your old, not-doing-much-good chest into an old, actually-doing-some-good chest.

Here we have a refurbished old chest-turned-fancy-coffee-table. It will be the talk of the town (or at least of your family, who had been wondering what the heck you were doing). This transformed piece will make a beautiful addition to most living rooms, bedrooms, craft rooms, or even bathrooms.The finished product, without casters

But why limit yourself to just one room? Instead of putting feet on the bottom of this chest/table, why not a set of quality wheels like these classic steel ones from wheelandcaster.com? Now you have a mobile example of your artistic classiness to showcase in any room you choose! Party in the living room? Fancy mobile chest. Need somewhere to store those posh flannel pjs in your bedroom? Fancy mobile chest. The applications are limitless.

What’s that you say? Those steel wheels will scratch your new hardwood floors made from endangered trees and the tears of bark beetles? Fear not, friend. The boys in the lab have once again attempted science, and created a fantastic product! These rubber-lined chrome ball casters will solve any floor scratching problems you may have, and they can be easily spray painted to the color of your choice.

Wheel and Caster is a locally owned business located in Spokane, Washington. We ship all over the country and strive to provide quick, helpful service. Wheel and Caster is a division of Norlift, Inc, which is also a pretty cool place. You can read more about it at the Norlift blog.

As you all know very well by now, I’m always on the lookout for a good project for you fine folks – and all the better if I don’t have to have the boys in the lab make it up for me! Gives them more time to work on installing my home theater system.

This is a pretty stellar DIY guide over on The Family Handyman, with illustrations, pictures, a step by step guide, and guidance on what parts to purchase. It could probably be pretty easily simplified as well, if you don’t need something quite as ornate as what they end up with.

I know what you’re thinking: you’re worried I’m gonna leave you hanging without linking you somewhere you can buy top quality garden cart wheels to use in this project! Not to worry – you know I’d never do that to you.

Wheel and Caster is a locally owned business located in Spokane, Washington. We ship all over the country and strive to provide quick, helpful service. Wheel and Caster is a division of Norlift, Inc, which is also a pretty cool place. You can read more about it at the Norlift blog.

Our lab boys have some videos in the works for you fine people to kill your spare time with, but in the meanwhile, here’s the folks from This Old House with a quick video on repairing a wheelbarrow tire. Useful if you work in a factory that manufactures loose rusty nails or somesuch.

Alternatively, you could equip your wheelbarrow or cart with flat free, solid pneumatic tires and ounce of prevention your way to ultimate yard work victory.

Wheel and Caster is a locally owned business located in Spokane, Washington. We ship all over the country and strive to provide quick, helpful service. Wheel and Caster is a division of Norlift, Inc, which is also a pretty cool place. You can read more about it at the Norlift blog.

Here’s another DIY project – but the boys in the lab had little to nothing to do with this one! An enterprising customer of ours decided paying $1,000 for a custom table was absurd – especially when a little ingenuity and a trip to Wheel and Caster could do the trick for much less.

Take a look – I think it turned out pretty swell. I’m gonna have the lab make me one as soon as they’re done designing the robotic personal assistant I ordered.

Custom Caster Table

 

Wheel and Caster is a locally owned business located in Spokane, Washington. We ship all over the country and strive to provide quick, helpful service. Wheel and Caster is a division of Norlift, Inc, which is also a pretty cool place. You can read more about it at the Norlift blog.

If you haven’t noticed, it’s starting to warm up out there. And we all know what that means – it’s time to spruce up the mansion! Or duplex/mobile home/medieval castle. Whatever it is, there’s room for improvement.

The boys in the lab have whipped up a few ideas for you, along with some products that might help you get them done. Just to get the wheels in your head turning (pun probably not intended).

Rolling gate

An easy way to keep those pesky neighbors out now that you can’t count on the towering snow drifts to do the job.

Gardening

Whether it’s spring flowers, a sprawling orchard, or a soup kitchen for your local deer population, you’ll need a trusty cart to move your supplies around.

Lawn mowing

You know it’s gonna happen. Grass don’t stop growing. If your mower isn’t quite up to snuff after hibernation, we can get it rolling again.

 

Wheel and Caster is a locally owned business located in Spokane, Washington. We ship all over the country and strive to provide quick, helpful service. Wheel and Caster is a division of Norlift, Inc, which is also a pretty cool place. You can read more about it at the Norlift blog.

Here’s another DIY project the boys in the lab dug up – this one’s for the aspiring film makers among you. Sometimes that perfect shot needs to be a smooth pan, or slow zoom out. Your options are to walk real careful (and hey, shaky-cam shots are hot right now), spend a few grand on a professional rig, or check out this handy DIY guide over at Instructables.com.

Their build uses used rollerblade wheels, but you could accomplish the same effect with these hard rubber wheels or, with a little creative mounting, these light duty plate casters. The rubber casters would likely give the dolly a smoother ride, and the plate casters would eliminate having to jury-rig the axles, giving the dolly more capacity.

Wheel and Caster is a locally owned business located in Spokane, Washington. We ship all over the country and strive to provide quick, helpful service. Wheel and Caster is a division of Norlift, Inc, which is also a pretty cool place. You can read more about it at the Norlift blog.

Here’s another neat DIY project I dug up for you: A simple mobile shop cart. It’s not as detailed as the last one, but some would say that will allow you to customize it to your heart’s content. Once again, if you like the mobile aspect of this cart we can get some casters out to you pronto.

Wheel and Caster is a locally owned business located in Spokane, Washington. We ship all over the country and strive to provide quick, helpful service. Wheel and Caster is a division of Norlift, Inc, which is also a pretty cool place. You can read more about it at the Norlift blog.

The Art of Manliness is a great site I’ve recently discovered, and I came across an article there written by the fellow that runs One Project Closer, another great blog. He gives you easy to follow, step-by-step instructions on building a solid mobile workbench. It uses locking casters (which I’d probably upgrade to Total Locks to avoid wobble), making it perfect for the garage or shop where you share your workspace.

From the article:

Maybe you don’t think a workbench is really all that important. After all, you’ve only got a few tools and everyone knows the folding table in the basement is your space. A dedicated workbench isn’t worthwhile, is it? I’ve seen too many guys stashing their tools in a kitchen drawer or expecting their kids to not touch the freshly painted picture frame. You need a proper place to work and store your tools, and I’m going to show you how to build it.

Read the rest of the article over here. If you’re looking for a handy place to buy the casters, I might just know of some 3-inch Total Lock casters that’ll do the trick…

Wheel and Caster is a locally owned business located in Spokane, Washington. We ship all over the country and strive to provide quick, helpful service. Wheel and Caster is a division of Norlift, Inc, which is also a pretty cool place. You can read more about it at the Norlift blog.