I built a dolly:
I did this because I need to clear and rearrange space in the living room, workroom, and attic to receive a bunch of (mostly) books from back east that have been sitting in a storage locker for several months longer than my father would like. This sudden flurry of boxing and moving boxes and furniture contemplation led to the following:
- Box up books in one corner of living room. Consider placing them temporarily where the desk is currently located.
- Realize the bookshelves that are also coming from NY would fit well where the desk is, and decide to place something else in that space, something that will be gone before the shelves arrive.
- Decide to take all the stuff I agreed to store for someone for the month of August and put it in the place where the desk resides currently. Plan to move other things to the foyer where the stored stuff is currently.
- Realize all this is contingent on moving the desk.
- Remove everything from the corner where the desk will go.
- Empty desk drawers, clean top, finally unplug and put away various electronic devices atop the desk that are no longer being used.
- Find that desk is too heavy to move by myself.
- Mutter ‘I could do this if I had a dolly.’
- Decide to build a dolly.
- Get sidetracked for an hour sorting all the lumber I rescued from the theater festival strike by size, even though I only need four pieces of wood.
- Finally begin this fifteen minute construction project:
You’ll need:
- 2x4s (I went with 2@18″ and 2@25″)
- four casters
- carpet padding or scrap carpet
- staple gun and staples
- 2.5″ screws
- power drill and bit set
Cut your wood and lay it out, ensuring everything squares up. Fasten with at least two screws per intersection; predrilling recommended. Remember to keep the screws to the outer edges of the intersection to make sure you can place the caster in the center.
Cut the carpet padding to size (a little hanging over all edges is best – the point is to protect anything you’re dollying) and staple directly to the top surface of the 2x4s. If you’re using carpet, you will need heavier staples or possibly tacks.
Drill a hole dead center of each intersection. The casters I had are threaded, so I chose a bit a little narrower than their dimension, inserted a caster, hand screwed it one or two turns so it was firmly in the hole, then used an adjustable wrench to tighten them down. (These casters, conveniently, had an octagonal plate between the wheel and the stem.)
12. Use new dolly to move desk fifteen feet. Call it a day and plan to deal with the rest of the living room tomorrow.