Cat Scratch Wheel

Despite having a couple of different scratching posts our cat decided that's not enough and wanted another one. This time I decided to make the scratching post a little different and added a wheel for her to play with.

• A piece of PVC Pipe
• Rope (Jute, Sisel or Hemp preferred)
• Plywood
• Doweling
• Screws
• Small Nails
• Sandpaper
• Ball Bearings
• Small Pipe
• Threaded Rod or a long bolt
• Wood Glue
• Jigsaw
• Handsaw
• Drill

Measure off and cut the length of PVC Pipe, then either sand or scrap off the edge so it's smooth. I used some old PVC pipe I got from a recycling centre, so I gave it a good wash in soapy water and then wiped it down with methylated spirits.

Using a compass scribe out the end caps and then cut them out with a jigsaw. Drill a hole through each of the caps and then use a bolt to hold them in the drill. While spinning them in the drill use a wood rasp or file to take the two smaller caps down to a snug fit inside the PVC pipe. The larger end caps need to be larger than the PVC pipe to stop the rope from sliding off.

Drill out the centre of the small caps to about 11mm in diameter. The larger caps should be drilled out for a tight fit for the bearings, when drilling these holes only drill them as deep as needed. Then using a mallet tap the bearings into the larger caps.

Now glue and clamp each small cap to a large cap as shown.

Once the glue is dry, drill a clearance hole on the edge of each small cap, this is for the rope in the next step

Make four small holes on one end of the PVC Pipe, you can either drill these or use The Birdcage Awl to make the holes. Next, use a round file to make a hole for the rope.

Tie a knot in one end of the rope and place it through the hole in the PVC pipe, now align the clearance hole on the end cap with the knot and push the cap into place. I used four small tacks to hold the endcap in place.

Now you need to wrap the rope around the pipe carefully to keep everything tight, when you get to the end cut the rope to length and tie another knot. Once again use the round file to make a hole for the rope in the correct location, push the second end cap into place.

Now you just need to make four small holes in the PVC and tack the cap into place. You will need to use a nail punch to fully insert the tack as the rope will likely be in the way.

Now mark out the sides on the plywood using a ruler and pencil, for the rounded corners I just used a larger washer to trace around.

I cut the bulk out with a hand saw and then used the jigsaw for the corners. I cut off two lengths of doweling, the only reason I used two different sizes of dowel was because that's all I had on hand.

Lastly, just give everything a quick sand to smooth off any rough edges.

Now drill a small in the ends of the dowel to prevent them from splitting, and a small hole for the screws in the sides. You can also counter-sink the holes in the sides to allow the screws to sit flush.

Now drill the larger holes in each side for the threaded rod.

Before assembling the pieces you just need to make a couple of pieces, first I used a small plumber's pipe cutter to cut off two small lengths of pipe, I used some copper pipe because that's what I had, it doesn't matter what you use it just needs to be a snug fit on the threaded rod. The purpose of these little pieces of pipe is to act as spacers to position the wheel away from the sides to allow it to spin freely.

Now you can test fit everything together and measure how long the platform needs to be, you need to have enough clearance that it doesn't obstruct the wheel. Cut the platform out from a piece of plywood and sand the edges.

When you attach the platform remember to recess it enough so that when wrapped in rope everything is flush. Now use a few small nails to hold the platform in place.

Now wrap the rope around the platform similar to how we made the wheel, I used a staple gun to hold each end of the rope in place, just be sure to hide the ends on the bottom of the platform. You may find it easier to disassemble most of the parts while you wrap the platform.

Now screw everything back together and apply some lock-tight on the threaded rod to stop the nuts from loosening. If you don't have lock-tight you can use a small drop of glue or nail polish.

You now have a cool little cat scratcher that can be either stood up or laid flat.