ryanpeds Posted July 10, 2015 Report Share Posted July 10, 2015 I've been recently inspired by all of the sound carts and follow carts on here so I finally got started ordering and building. For the main cart I order a custom rack rack case, but that won't be ready for awhile so I started on the follow cart. I was originally going to buy a cart from somewhere and mod it but I have a lot of extra time right now so I figured I would just build a custom one that better suits my needs. Went with a metal frame because it is much easier to weld and a lot cheaper than aluminum. Weight isn't much of a factor for me. Got the main frame welded together and now working on a "jockey box" and a handle. I'm going to build custom wood drawers that will sit on the left side of the cart. Will post more pics as I make progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Marien Posted July 10, 2015 Report Share Posted July 10, 2015 Looks great Ryan. One question: in the picture above, is that the cart sitting on its back or as it will be standing in the end ? I look forward to seeing your progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanpeds Posted July 10, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2015 It is as it will be standing in the end. It will make more sense once fully assembled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Perkins Posted July 10, 2015 Report Share Posted July 10, 2015 You appear to be a very good welder! One question though--as a location soundie, how is the weight of your gear not a factor? philp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Wexler Posted July 10, 2015 Report Share Posted July 10, 2015 I think Ryan has decided to not dwell on weight and has opted to work with the materials he is comfortable working with. I know the feeling --- I have had to do all sorts of things when building my soundcarts that are not exactly what I would like to do but they are the things I am able to do on my own. Weight IS a big consideration, for me, so that even though I am quite good at wood work I would never choose to build wooden drawers. Ryan has said: "I'm going to build custom wood drawers" --- this would not be an option for me. Manufactured and purchased aluminum drawers for all my cart building. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundtrane Posted July 10, 2015 Report Share Posted July 10, 2015 weight, size, ability to dismantle into manageable parts and robustness of structure when erected - is all important to me. I started with wooden shelves and a drawer (all made of great old teak wood and hand varnished) - all looked great, but two years ago, after some solid sweat and toil, went totally aluminium. Worth the weight loss. Looks great - fully jet black - modern and stealth mode... heh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanpeds Posted July 10, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2015 I should clarify on the weight is not a factor. I meant that the weight difference between the steel I chose to use and aluminum is great enough to warrant the extra cost and effort that goes into working with aluminum. Plus the type of work I do when I have a follow cart and a main cart is such that two people can easily move either together. I did try to keep the frame as light as possible because I don't want to have to lift a frame that is 500 lbs. This frame by itself I can lift off the ground quite easily. And I figure that once you get all of your gear and cables loaded onto the cart, an extra 20-30 lbs isn't too bad to just weld with steel. Jeff, I am lucky enough to have a couple very skilled carpenters at the studio that I work at that can help me the wood drawers. I don't think that I could build them on my own either. Thanks for the confidence in my welding. I am currently not a great welder, just starting out but I am a good grinder. I have an excellent teacher for the welding skills as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tourtelot Posted July 12, 2015 Report Share Posted July 12, 2015 Thanks for the confidence in my welding. I am currently not a great welder, just starting out but I am a good grinder. I have an excellent teacher for the welding skills as well. I wore out a Makita angle grinder on my first steel cart . D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanpeds Posted July 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2015 Added the handle with custom brackets I made and got the wheels attached. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Wexler Posted July 14, 2015 Report Share Posted July 14, 2015 Looking good! Keep them coming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanpeds Posted July 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2015 Got some more finished this week. Built a custom wood cabinet with 5 drawers on the one side. The back side will have a jockey box in the top and the lower area will be for plugging the cart into power. Built out of 3/4" Maple Plywood and the drawers are 1/2" baltic birch. The drawer fronts will be installed after paint. Got the blimp holders, which idea I got from this forum (I believe R Sharman). Next week everything will get a nice coat of hammerlite paint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete D Posted July 24, 2015 Report Share Posted July 24, 2015 First off, very cool. I love following a good cart building thread. Especially when it's DIY. Not to be a backseat driver here but are you worried at all about the bolt head on the inside of the blimp holder causing unnecessary wear and tear? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanpeds Posted July 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2015 First off, very cool. I love following a good cart building thread. Especially when it's DIY. Not to be a backseat driver here but are you worried at all about the bolt head on the inside of the blimp holder causing unnecessary wear and tear? I'm going to see if it catches at all and if it does I was going to glue some felt over it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Slater Posted July 25, 2015 Report Share Posted July 25, 2015 I'm going to see if it catches at all and if it does I was going to glue some felt over it ? Small dome head bolts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Wynne Posted July 25, 2015 Report Share Posted July 25, 2015 great looking follow cart in progress Ryan, very impressive your welding it yourself ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikefilosa Posted July 26, 2015 Report Share Posted July 26, 2015 I am a big fan of wood.... I have a friend who is commissioned to complete a similar cabinet for me, as soon as he gets "less busy".We plan to use this stuff he's found - Phenolic coated plywood. It is a plastic coated product. Of course seams and joints will need treatment, but it's a start in the fight against humidity - which is a big thing in these here parts. LOVE the cabinet and the cart - especiall the handle... great design MF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate C Posted July 26, 2015 Report Share Posted July 26, 2015 A friend has started to build his kitchen using a black Phenolic coated plywood and hand milled timber, i believe a local gum, It is looking good. In nice mix between new age industrial and classic country. Ryan looking at the progression of your project really makes me wish I had the jobs to justify building a follow cart like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Blankenship Posted July 27, 2015 Report Share Posted July 27, 2015 I'm going to see if it catches at all and if it does I was going to glue some felt over it If there's sufficient clearance, foot foam strips on either side of the bolts would solve that issue and offer some cushioning benefit as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanpeds Posted July 28, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2015 I am a big fan of wood.... I have a friend who is commissioned to complete a similar cabinet for me, as soon as he gets "less busy".We plan to use this stuff he's found - Phenolic coated plywood. It is a plastic coated product. Of course seams and joints will need treatment, but it's a start in the fight against humidity - which is a big thing in these here parts. LOVE the cabinet and the cart - especiall the handle... great design MF I'm going to be painting with a special paint called hammerite. Its a very tough paint coating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Wynne Posted July 28, 2015 Report Share Posted July 28, 2015 Hi Ryan, I'm in the process of having a custom follow cart built as well and a good set painter friend of mine were talking paints and he had mentioned Hammerite as being really great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanpeds Posted August 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2015 Here are some more pics. I am almost done with the follow cart. Have to add the drawer fronts and pulls, have to add the wiring and plugs, put the base in for the one side and make a few accessory pieces for the top. The main cart should be finished and ready for pickup this week or next. The custom rack panel came today that will be mounted on the back of the main cart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Wexler Posted August 4, 2015 Report Share Posted August 4, 2015 The Follow Cart is looking great! You did the painting yourself, right? I hope the Hammerite paint is as durable as powder coating. The patch panel, wow! I don't think I have ever seen that big a panel for a production sound cart --- looks more like it is suited for a fixed installation in a studio --- that's a a whole lot of I / O. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben B Posted August 5, 2015 Report Share Posted August 5, 2015 Very impressive! And that I/O panel even more! That's a whole lot of I/O. I'm looking forward to see the final product! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Bacon AMPS Posted August 6, 2015 Report Share Posted August 6, 2015 What is the name of that carpet type stuff you have used and where did you find it?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanpeds Posted August 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 8, 2015 What is the name of that carpet type stuff you have used and where did you find it?? Matt, I'll ask our shop guys on Monday about what type of carpet that is. It was just some extra stuff laying around. The Follow Cart is looking great! You did the painting yourself, right? I hope the Hammerite paint is as durable as powder coating. The patch panel, wow! I don't think I have ever seen that big a panel for a production sound cart --- looks more like it is suited for a fixed installation in a studio --- that's a a whole lot of I / O. We don't want to have to ever dig through the back of the cart to patch stuff or have access to cabling. Also the sonosax mixer has a lot of DB-25s and this allows us to break them out to XLR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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