Storage Basket on Wheels

I like wheels – wheels on furniture to make a piece go zoom…zoom.  No really, I like the mobility wheels give a piece making it easy to move where you want it, when you want it.  Wheels also add a bit of the unexpected and character.

You have seen proof of just how much I like to add them…My Craft Cart, Rolling Game Table, Studioffice Doors, and the IKEA hack dresser I turned into a desk for the BHG March Madness Challenge.

I also like or should say love baskets, especially big ones like this one I picked up last year at the thrift store to make a Christmas tree skirt. It seems my local thrift store knows this and always has good ones waiting for me every time I go in for a quick browse.

How can I not scoop them up with price tags under $6. When I saw this big one I knew exactly what I was going to do with it.

Ever since I ate at Eataly in NYC where I quickly snapped this photo of these baker’s baskets on wheels, I have wanted a big basket on wheels like these to use in my home.  I had no idea how I was going to use such a basket in my home, but I just love them and knew I would figure out a way.

I did come up with a purpose for my thrift store find…a place to hold my fitness equipment. I want to keep my new fitness room simple and don’t want to add furniture. The basket holds all that I need in one place, plus with the addition of 2 sets of wheels my storage is also mobile.

My Yoga mat, DynaBand, DVD’s and a towel all fit nicely inside for easy clutter-free access.

How to Attach Wheels to a Basket

supplies needed:

• 4 swivel caster style wheels
• 16 machine screws that are long enough to go through wheels, two pieces of plywood, and bottom of basket
• 16 wing nuts that fit screws
• 8 thin pieces of plywood cut into 2″ x 3″ size pieces
• Miter box and saw
• Pencil
• Drill and drill bit large enough for screws to go through
• Hammer

*My Home Depot and Lowes did not have small white casters. I found them at True Value Hardware. I also saw them at Ace Hardware.

1. Center caster on cut 2″ x 3″ piece of thin plywood. Use a pencil to mark the screw holes.  Remove caster and drill 4 holes.  Repeat on the other 7 pieces of plywood. if necessary, use sandpaper to smooth the area around the drilled holes.

This photo will give you an idea of how the casters will be attached to the bottom of the basket.  The bottom of the basket will be in between the two pieces of plywood.  Wing nuts will hold each screw in place.

2. Place the screws through the caster holes and then through one a piece of the drilled plywood.  I placed each caster right at the corner and used a hammer to tap the screws down through the wicker. This was fairly easy, but I did have one corner where I could not get all the screws through the weave of the wicker and had to break a small piece of the wicker off to get it through.

Once you have the screws through the bottom, turn the basket over and place the second piece of drilled plywood over the screws on the inside basket bottom. It takes some jiggling of the screws to get them lined up with the holes in the plywood, but I got them all through with a bit of persistence. If you have trouble, drill the holes slightly bigger.

3. Tighten a wing nut on each screw to secure each caster.

Now I have a basket on wheels to add to my rolling furniture collection.   What do you go in search of when you are out thrifting?

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