How to build a shop or garden cart...
I’m kinda bad at posting “tutorials.” There are SOOO many tutorials online for just about anything you want to do and my motto is to FIND THE ONE THAT MAKES THE MOST SENSE FOR YOU!!!!
That being said, I am going to TRY to post a tutorial for building a cart…for either your “shop” or maybe a deck or garden cart…or even a little portable kitchen island.
I shared here how I took an old shop cart I bought at an auction and cleaned it up for use as a kitchen island.
The function will dictate the materials you will want to use. If it is something that will be outdoors, you want to use pressure treated wood or even cedar. If it is something that will be in your garage or “shop” you can use plain ole’ pine…if you want something a little fancier, like maybe a kitchen island, you want to find some nicer wood that can be stained and oiled and used in food prep.
In this case, my daughter Katie, wanted something she could put her chop saw and tools on and roll in and out of the house. Kind of like my old shop cart….
…another auction find that I fixed up a tad to use in my garage. It holds my chop saw so when I need to use it I can just wheel it outside so sawdust doesn’t get all over the garage. And the bottom shelf holds many of my tools! Not pretty but super functional!
Since her cart won’t be stored outside, I decided to build the bulk of her cart out of pine 2 x 4s. The tops are 1 x 6 treated decking, but only because it is the perfect sizing…not because I necessarily needed the pressure treated wood.
So my shop cart is my “inspiration.”
The next thing I did was “make a plan.”
Again, whether you are building something simple, refinishing a dresser, or giving a room a makeover, you have to first find your inspiration, then make a plan.
In this case, “the plan” is a simple little drawing with dimensions and a material list.
Originally the plan was based on my cart dimensions…but Katie decided she wanted her’s a tad smaller, 20 x 30, so that altered the dimensions and materials just a tad. I ended up using only 1 of the 2x4x10s and 3 of the 1x6x8s.
Important reminder: a 2 x 4 is actually only 1 1/2 x 3 1/2…2x6 material is actually only 1 1/2 x 5 1/2….only the length is actual. This is important when designing any build so make sure you know what the actual dimensions are of any wood you buy. This chart can be super helpful….
I could have bought 4x4 material to make the “legs” but decided to just “stack” two 2x4s…personal preference. If you decided to use 4x4 material, skip this step and buy 2- 4x4x6 posts and cut them down to 31” each.
The legs will be 31” because I wanted the height of the finished cart to be around 35”. The wheels I used are 3” high and the top is 1” thick.
Again, I used 2 x4s to construct the legs….
I cut 8 pieces 31”, glued (SUPER important to glue ALL joints)….
….stacked, nailed with my new Mother’s Day gift (LOVE!)….
…then screwed them together with 2 1/2” screws.
I nailed them first just to hold them in place…then I added screws.
After each leg was built, I attached the wheels to one end of each using 2” screws!
Next I built the top and shelf “frames.” Since Katie wanted it to be 20” x 30”, I cut 4 boards 29” (the face) and four boards 16”….the 16” boards are the sides. (1 1/2” thickness of each of the face boards = 3”…basically a 19x29 frame allowing 1/2” for overhang on the top)
I used my kreg jig to construct the tops….
…if you don’t have a Kreg jig, get one! Or you can just glue and screw the top together.
Then it was time to attach the frames to the legs.
I used screws and glue to attach them and since I wanted the screw holes on the front to be a tad fancier, I used my little “hide the screw” trick.
In this case I used 3/8” wood plugs to cover each screw hole…first I drilled a hole with a 3/8” bit about 1/4” deep, then I used a 1/16” bit to finish drilling all the way through the board.
TIP: Predrilling holes will keep the wood from splitting when you use screws!
I attached the legs to the frames using 3” screws through the “predrilled” holes and glue (GLUE IS IMPORTANT! USE IT!)
On the sides, I just used screws…no fancy holes or plugs!
I added the little plugs…just a dab of glue in the little holds, then popped them in…super simple but a nice detail!
After the frame is constructed it is just a matter of adding the tops…again, I used 1 x 6 pressure treated decking boards. I cut them to fit, glued and nailed. Simple….
I added a little handle made from galvanized pipe and fittings….
You don’t have to add a handle or you can keep it simple by using a cabinet pull…I just like the “industrial” look of the galvanized material….
I also attached a power strip to the back…again, not something you have to do!
Super simple build! Seriously, this is not hard!
That being said, you do want a little chop saw and cordless drill to construct this project (nailer and kreg jig are option!).
But if you took my advice, you have these tools…and now you have a nifty place to store them!
