I have a customer that wants to extend her countertop space with a roll around cart. The cart would live behind cabinet doors when not in use and roll into position when needed.
She doesn't want the cart to be real big. My concern is how to minimize footprint yet keep as wide center of gravity as possible. One thought is to put additional weight at the bottom of cart except that would make the cart heavier to push around.
She wants the cart to move laterally in all directions.
Can anybody recommend a source of castor that will spin 360º yet not shift center of castor in opposite direction of thrust? I.e., can anybody recommend a castor that keeps the pivot point centered on the wheel below?
From contributor Je
casterspecialists.com
From contributor Mi
I've done this a few times and the best I've found were ones that I got from a local flea market for two bucks each. We also use these for all our shop carts because they are so well made. The main thing is get rubber tires. I did an island and used plastic tires and they broke on the tile...never again.
From contributor Ro
I am working on a similar project. How are you going to keep the cart from moving when it is in use? The locking casters still seem to move/turn when they are locked.
I was thinking of some sort of retractable wheel system, so the cart is not on the wheels when in use. I can't find a commercial wheel system, so it would be some homemade system.
I am probably over-thinking/over-engineering it. It wouldn't be the first time!
From contributor ca
I think that motion on the cart will have something to do with overall weight and wheel diameter. Flooring material could also have a lot to do with it. The cart would possibly be more stable on a wood floor than a tile one.
As Mike pointed out you also probably want a rubber wheel rather than a plastic one. The hardness of the rubber might have something to do with it too.
It is probably important to discuss these issues with the homeowner. The point about locking the wheel down is an important one. I think it would be a pain in the ass. I am not real happy about this part of the project but it seems to be very important to her (so I like this part best!)
From contributor da
I think you are going in the wrong direction. We use ball casters with a kick stand. the kick stand is a little bulky but can be mostly hidden in the toe kick. Super stable.
