Thank you for the responses, and I appreciate the idea Andrew but I believe the nuts would become loosened easily over time, unless you think we could use loctite to keep them on. What type of tool exactly would we use to thread the ends of the shafts?
Also, I found these on McMaster-Carr, could I use this part or some other part similar to its purpose?
http://www.mcmaster.com/#plastic-axle-caps/=fhga65