100% Biker – August 2019

108 | 100% Biker | issue 250 | http://www.100-biker.com

to make the base, I measured down to the cross tie under the second drawer and

added an inch to that and then drew a line all the way around (Fig.4) using a large

framing square before taking a disc cutter to the cabinet. Make sure that the locking

mechanism is in the downmost position before you chop the cabinet in half. With the

cabinet bifurcated, turn the top half upside down and you’ll see there’s a channel in

each corner to carry the runners, I cut the rearmost one (Fig.5) down with the grinder,

but ended up notching the two box section side rails slightly anyway to fit between the

front channels and the rear of the cabinet (Fig.6).

With those clamped in place (Fig.7), measure between them for the cross pieces – the

sides were 22 inches and the cross piece 16½ inches if memory serves. With the cabinet

upside down on a flat surface and the box section checked for square and level, the box

section can be welded on the top face and inner corners before being removed and the

other face welded. I chose to leave the outer corners unwelded and ground the top and

bottom welds flush before refitting the frame into the base of the cabinet. To secure the

frame in the cabinet the sides were drilled and five 1/8-inch pop rivets used on each

side with a further four across the back (Fig.8). The lower ends of the front channels

were also pop riveted to the skin of the cabinet to further stiffen things. If you’re

planning on putting a lot of weight in the cabinet, then it’s worth adding extra rivets to

attach the back to the sides, and several more to hold the front channels firmly in place.

I think the best choice for castors is to have two fixed ones and two steering ones that

lock. I used some 75kg-rated 75mm rubber tyre castors from Tool Station that came

to about 12 for all four, although, in the past, I’ve pinched them off of bread trolleys,

SHED HEAD

I THINK THE BEST CHOICE FOR CASTORS IS TO HAVE TWO

FIXED ONES AND TWO STEERING ONES THAT LOCK

Fig.^6 Fig.^7

Fig.^5

Fig. 8

Fig.^9

Fig. 4

etc, but you really do need to have two

locking ones. The castors are just welded

to the frame (Fig.9), taking care to avoid

inhaling the fumes from the zinc plating.

Then I painted it all satin black.

So far, so good, but because I was

aiming for a mobile work bench I had a

swivel vice that I wanted to mount on it

and the belt sander was going on there

too instead of blocking the spindle on the

lathe. Since the idea here was to put the

power tools in the bottom drawer, then it

made sense to have somewhere to house

an extension lead and a four-way socket.

I found a sheet of 18mm ply in the corner

which could have been sourced from a

wood recycling project or the offcut bin

by the B&Q (or anyone else’s) panel saw

for cutting sheets to size. The top was

cut to have a 2-inch overhang at the back

and a 1-inch overhang on one side. Once

it was cut out it was drilled to bolt to the