project 3 from ogorir: sheet steel cart

this is a cart I built to hold 4x8' sheets of 20ga. I had to order 10 sheets to get a decent price, as no one I called stocked 20ga. paid 39.70/sheet + tax + $93 delivery to the ranch (40 miles) worked out to a little over $50/sheet all told. the stuff is a little thin (0.032") which unless they've changed standard sheet gauges since my B&S steel sheet and plate gauge was made is 1/2way between 21 and 22ga. needless to say, I'll be giving someone an earful next time I need to order steel.

anyway, the concept is pretty simple. I made a 3-sided frame out of 1" angle 1/2" wider than the sheet (48.5"wx96.5"h) and used a piece of 2" angle turned the other way for the bottom so the sheet stays put, but you can still slide them in and out without having to pick the whole sheet up.

I added a diagonal brace across the back of the sheet tray to keep it square as well as keep the sheet from bowing inward and falling through.

I decided I didn't want the cart to be deeper than about 2', so I made the bottom 2' deep out of 2 1" angles welded into a U shape. the casters are tacked on the open end of the U, the flat side is against the 2" angle. I used a piece of 1" angle to tie the back together, also. I eyeballed the angle so the back legs would be roughly vertical. I overshot a bit, the profile is a very slightly obtuse triangle.

I threw some 10' sections of 1" on the back, tacked it, then cut off the extra, welded it up, and added another diagonal, this time facing the other direction.

the casters are 4" rubber swivels from harbor freight. they suck. the wheels themselves are fine, but they don't swivel worth a crap. unfortunately, they're the same ones on my welding cart. I'll probably cut those off and put better ones on at some point.

the pipe bumper is tack welded on there in 2 places to act as a ballast while loading, as it's a bit tippy without anything on it. now that the sheets are on, it's very stable, as most of the weight is going straight down.

Attachment 2130 Attachment 2129 Attachment 2128

I will say that if I had the space, turning the sheets on their side would make them a lot easier to deal with. part of the problem is the gauge of the metal, but they like to bend over double and fall on your head when you pick them up. I never remember having that problem with 18 and 20ga sheets at my dads, or .050 or .063" aluminum, and his sheet rack was a PITA to get things in and out of, as it was on the back of the big metal table wedged behind the drill press under the stupid plastic clock that always got knocked off the wall by full sheets.

anyway, I think I used
(8) 10' sections of 1x1x1/8"
(1) 4' 1/2" section of 2x2x1/8"
(4) 4" casters
(1) old pipe bumper (free)

I might have $75 in it, plus wire. it works, for what it is. I dunno if anyone else needs to store this much sheet, but if you do... have at 'er.

final thoughts:
I have half a mind to put a sheet of 1/4" ply behind and in front of the sheets to keep them from rusting. currently they're just sprayed down with WD-40. I might also add another trough inside the framework for smaller sheets so they're not in the way.