Watcha Makin'?

[doc henderson]

Howard, weigh the lid, and you need the same weight at the center of gravity, or more wight closer in.  If you put a rod or pipe extending over the back of the slide, and can add weight to it, and poss. even slide it in and out, you can fine tune how hard it is to lift.  or experiment, and when you have the weight and lever arm figured out, it could all be welded solid.  a metal weight with a set screw would be ice for adjustment.  looks good.

[doc henderson]

the pipe sticking back is cantilever and will stop the lid going straight up and not let it flop over the back.

[Old Greenhorn]

Well way I would go.  easier to show then tell here. This is a crude sketch that will show one option for both holing it open and keep it from flopping all the way over. You can put wear boards on the back for the weight to scratch up. A cement block would work, mess with the weight until you find what works.  Sorry for the lousy sketch.

[doc henderson]

here is what I had in mind.  no moving parts, other than hinges.  weight could slid on a pipe or just be sctrewed to a board hanging out over the back.

[Jack S]

the first thing that came to my mind on your heavy cover would possibly be a couple lifting struts like what is used on todays vehicle hoods and rear hatch doors

[WV Sawmiller]

   Thanks to all for your advice but in this case I think Doc has pretty much nailed it in regard to simplicity and use of available material and my limited expertise. In fact I can easily see adding enough weight so the the lid stays open all the time with minimal weight required to close the lid and a simple latch or hasp (which I have plenty in stock) to keep the lid closed so the default is open and close when needed.

[Larry]

The raccoons at my house would have that figured out in about 2 minutes. In fact, I think they would use it as a teeter totter ....but Arkansas coons are exceptionally smart.

[Ljohnsaw]

Use CL to find free weights, the disk kind. Simply add them to Doc's bar until you have what you need.

[WV Sawmiller]

  I am envisioning a couple of 2X4s like Doc's drawing with maybe a box kind of like a window box planter built between them and start adding small rocks (which are plentiful in WV) until the top raises on the existing hinges. When it becomes completely vertical the 2X4 end will contact the bin and act as a stop. I will see if I need to add a rope and pulley to pull the lid back down. The rope could even be used in a convenient notch with a knot in it to serve as a latch (If we don't have any Arkansas racoons come by and figure it out).

  The box  can be loosely bolted to the 2X4s so it will rotate/pivot as the lid raises and lowers.

    I could see where a bucket with a lid and water added as the counterweight would be an easy and very precise way to adjust the weight.

[doc henderson]

the torque arm of the lid and weight should each reduce as it is lifted.  I think you will be able to close it.      only enough weight to make it easier to lift.  still will want some down force or a latch.

[WV Sawmiller]

   Yeah. A single 2X4 with a bucket hung on it would probably do the trick. Instead of a bucket a couple of gallon jugs full of liquid or sand might even be easier.

[doc henderson]

I kind of like the bucket as it will pivot and remain vertical, and the weight can be added or subtracted, with a lid so the rain does not open the cover and get your trash wet!

[WV Sawmiller]

  Okay, we had a little snow and ice so things started out a little sloppy but the sun sneaked out for a few minutes so I went out to work on my trash box project. I found an appropriate sized short 2X4 and nailed it to the trash box cover using stock 2X2 strips on each side. I like the 2X2s because I can nail through them with a 16d nail from both sides - into the cover and into the pivot beam.

    I checked and when opened the cover stays up with the new pivot beam keeping it from opening back and putting more stress on the hinges. I hung a cinder block on the end. It was not enough to open the cover but made it very easy to open so I had an estimate of the weight required.

    Next I grabbed a scrap 2X10 ash board out of my stock pile and sawed a scrap 1X10 poplar board and cut it making 2- 1" X 10" X 12" and nailed them to the ash making a big U shape. I cut some scrap 1X4 and nailed them on for sides making an open top box.

  I was looking for some wire to hang the box and spotted a broken 1/4" tow cable with a couple of cable clamps on it. I cut the end off, bored a 1/2" hole through one end of the box, bored another hole a few inches from the end of the pivot beam, ran the cable through it and a hole in the other side of the box then added the second cable clamp on the outside to keep the cable from sliding through. I pulled the slack out of the cable, tightened the clamp and cut the excess cable off with a cordless grinder. The box is hung and pivots nicely with good clearance all that is needed is to add small stones until I have the desired weight. I'll have to decide if I want to add enough to simply make it easier to open or to keep it open all the time.

  The only cost was a handful of 16D and 12d nails so while the desired result is in place the prime goal of the design committee was not met in this case - spending other members money.

  Thanks Doc, et. al.

   I've always heard the expression that somebody was as dumb as a box of rocks but this will be the first box of rocks I ever used.

[Hilltop366]

The bucket is quite close to the ground, how is that going to work when you have three feet of snow?

[WV Sawmiller]

  Its nearly 6" above ground and I figure I'll set it up on 8" cinder blocks and even with the 2x4 frame recessed 4" that should give me 8-10 inches of clearance. Its been a long time since we had 3' of snow and I'm not looking for it any time soon. I guess instead of putting it on cinder blocks I could put it on styrofoam and it could be like a floating dock on a lake. (Maybe snow doesn't work like that?)

[Crusarius]

make sure to put a cover on that box or it will get filled with everything else.

[WV Sawmiller]

  I figure by the time I get the rocks in it there will not be a lot of space left. Besides, what else would want to be in it? Most of the time it will be hanging 3' above ground. I guess if I balance it properly an Arkansas coon could climb up in it and open the cover.  If they do I guess I'll have to install a latch after all.

[DWyatt]

Almost time for more chicks. Made a brooder out of a baby swimming pool yesterday.

[Old Greenhorn]

Nice idea and nice job on the brooder!
---------------------------------
I just finished off a sewing machine leg table. This one is ERC. I took the legs all apart and wire brushed and sanded all the parts before repainting and re-assembling. That part seems to take more time than finishing the top.

Not a valid attachment ID.

Lots of knots in that ERC but I filled pretty much only small cracks. A few still slipped through, but I am satisfied with it.

Not a valid attachment ID.

 I have another I am working on the legs for now, gotta get more paint and I also need some bronze paint to bring the letting back to original. Also, this next set has all the treadle parts with it. I haven't even pulled wood for the top yet. Thinking Sycamore.

[Larry]

Do you have a powder coating place in your area? I take the machines to my local powder coating place. He sandblasts, and paints cheaper than what I can do it myself plus the powder coat is a superior finish. Same price no matter how many parts on the machine.

My friend came up with the idea of adding a small shelf under the top on them. We found folks were buying them to put bookshelf speakers on than they would put the wifi amp on the shelf below out of sight. Adds a few more dollars to the project.

[WV Sawmiller]

   I went out this afternoon and was pleased to find my little tractor and FEL would lift the trash box so that made moving it  I went out and placed 4 - 8" square cinder blocks basically where I wanted to put the bin. I put the bin down and had the blocks sitting directly on the recessed bottom. What I discovered was the bin was too heavy and pulled the 2" nails out of the soft poplar.  I lifted the bin and put the blocks under the corners and grabbed a hammer from the shed nearby and nailed the bottom boards back in place.

   I picked up a few rocks that were in the way anyway till I had enough to counter-balance the cover. I may have to remove a few later as the green lumber dries and gets lighter in weight. Right now you still have to lift but not a lot so my wife can easily do it.

   I decided the top was going to be too easy to lift and went back and grabbed a $1 flea market hasp and nail and installed it to keep the lid closed and left an old bent pin in it as a lock. 

   The two more things I will do it go back and nail 2 1X4 into the sides to reinforce and ensure the bottom boards can't come loose again if the bin shift at one corner. The last is I'll tie a string to the bent pin so it doesn't get lost when someone undoes the latch. My trash collectors are not real diligent about such things.

[21incher]

Looks like you have built a perfect bear and coon trap now to wait and see if it works.  Be sure the hasp auto locks on the way down.  :rocking_in_chair_with_shotgun nice job 

[beenthere]

So Howard, you put trash in trash bags then in the box? And the trash man then lifts the bags up and out of the box? Or is the trash in some other type of container?
Trying to visualize this working at my trash pickup spot.
Out township is apparently being "forced" to move to the plastic 95-gal trash tote containers that a trash truck with a pickup arm lifts the containers and dumps the contents into the truck. "Forced" meaning the trash company claims their insurance will no longer allow hiring employees to be on the highway/roads in "harms way" while picking up trash.

[Ron Scott]

That's the way our city trash is picked up here. We need to rent a plastic container monthly from the Trash Company which is picked up an emptied with the truck driver not even getting out of the truck.

Where there use to be the truck driver and two assistants' picking up the trash, now there is only the truck driver that does it all.

[WV Sawmiller]

21" - it doesn't intentionally self-lock right now but it would not be hard to make it lock when it closes.

BT - our trash is picked up by  local contractor and they just require it to be bagged. I have lived in places where we had to use a big "Wheelie Bin" as the Bits used to call them. We'd have to put them by the road on trash day and they had to be facing the correct way and be within a designated distance from the road so the driver could come by and pick them up without ever leaving his truck. Ours is a 2 man operation - those were 1 man operations. As I remember if the driver knocked over a bin he just left it even if it was his fault. Our contractor is pretty much the same and if the helper tears a bag he leaves it where it lays. Out contract specifies they will pick up something like 1-2 old tires per month and maybe one furniture or appliance item like an old sofa, stove or such but we pretty much have to call them ahead of time for the furniture or appliance pick up.

  This one is way bigger than it needs to be but is a good prototype and, while I built it for my own use, it gives me one to show a customer if they want one built. I usually compute the BF of lumber used and multiply that by some factor to get a price and maybe add in a special hardware fee.

  I see the hinges cost me $6 for the pair, the hasp was $1, They came from a hardware vendor at our local flea market. I used 8 - 2" lag screws and all the rest was 16d, 12d and 10d nails I think. If I were making one for a customer I'd likely use carriage bolts to hold the hinges on for a more professional/neater look/fit. The box for the counterweight was made from short scrap boards. The cable holding it was a broken scrap piece. Other than the lumber I don't have over $20 in hardware and fasteners in it.