My Granddads’ metal wheel cart
For whatever the reason I was attracted to a two wheel cart using old metal spoke wheels.
My summers were spent at my grandparent’s house where I often helped them out in the yard and garden. They were still active with a large garden and orchard.
I was just small enough to help bring in the potatoes and onions to store in the crawl space under the house. I never really did figure out how they got them out during the winter months when I was back at home and in school.
Granddad was an accomplish carpenter and he built this most amazing two wheel cart using old metal spoke cultivator wheels. It was there in the yard when I arrived one summer and I just fell in love with it.
It was built like an old time vendor cart. A wooden box perfectly balanced between two metal spoke cultivator wheels.
For whatever the reason I became immediately attached to it and spent most that summer trying to figure all the things to use it for, we hauled fresh grass clippings to the compost pile, and then loads of fresh vegetables from the garden.
In between I would find some excuse to take it out to the shed and his wood shop to haul boxes or whatever I come up with to play with their black and white English Shepherd we called socks. It was because he was pretty much all black except for his chest and his white feet that looked like he was wearing white socks.
Socks was getting up into age and he didn't care much with the idea of pulling the cart but he didn't seem to mind the dress up and being pampered as I pulled him in it around the place.
The cart has been part of my memories, that one was long gone after my grandparents aged and passed. It’s probably still around as a flower display or as a store display in an antique shop.
We have been looking for wheels to build one like it for our own yard display, but finding two matched metal spoke wheels is very hard to find, at any price. Those antique stores who might have a set know it and price them as gold.
It was with that difficulty that we decided to find a supplier that carried them new with perhaps a set of plans to build one.
You can purchase the wheels and plans at Cottage Craft Works .com You will find two types of vendor carts as well as the old time wooden wheelbarrow wheel and plans.
