Building a flightcase

I've been wanting to build a flightcase for a while. Until recently, I decided to go for it.

From Wikipedia: Originally, flightcases have been used by rock and roll touring bands to transport sound equipment, lighting equipment and musical instruments.

"rock and/or roll" ;-)



I made some drawings and ordered the parts at flightcase-brico.be. This case would be used for transporting a bass amplifier. Since the amp is quite heavy, the locks had to be close to the bottom and the case would need solid wheels (that could be locked).



Fortunately, there is an excellent guide on the shop's website. I first cut the 6 wooden sides of the case, then glued and nailed them together.



I used genuine 1cm thick flightcase wood. Which makes for a very solid (but heavy ...) case.
After I had a closed box, I cut it in 2 and placed the lid locations.



Then it was time to place the corners and angles (by using pop-rivets).




It seems to be common practice to first place the lid locations and then cut a hole to place the locks. I placed the 4 locks, which slightly move outward (they have a spring) when they are opened to make sure the lid can be easily removed (they are upside down), and then placed the handles.

The wheels shouldn't be attached to the case directly. Most of the time, multiplex is placed in between to distribute the weight.



Now, we just need some padding and we can start rolling. The wheels are perfect, they roll very smoothly and can take a lot of though bumps.



The amp can remain on the bottom plate while playing, which is convenient.



The total weight that needs to be transported has increased, but the general comfort of the one moving it has increased also. Now, one person is enough most of the time (except when lifting), and you can put other things on top of the rolling case. The gear is also protected against scratches, light rain and not-too-heavy impacts.