My shop was drowning in wood. There were so many wood pieces (and other clutter) I couldn't move around well and it was becoming overwhelming to work. I've looked off & on for ideas on a storage solution for the last year but nothing sparked my interest. Until I came across Tamar's design from 3x3 Custom.
It was perfect. It spoke to me. I had to have it.
I went straight out to take inventory of what I had so I could buy what I needed - and quickly.
I did have some plywood and 1x4's that would work. Really, these pictures show you PART of how bad my wood piles got. Ack!
Alright, so a trip to the store got me some 2x4's, a sheet of plywood and caster wheels.
A few days later I had the cart of my dreams.
I went from this...
...to this in about 20 minutes and my shop was SO much cleaner! I can't tell you what a difference it makes to have everything in one place AND organized. This is the second best build I've done for my shop (#1 being my miter stand & rolling carts).
I made my cart bigger in all directions from what '3x3 Custom' has. After all, it'll have a serious load!
I wanted it to fit a full sheet of plywood without any problems...
...I wanted large dividing bins that I wouldn't outgrow.
See, there's still a little room left in each one! *wink*
I also wanted to put full-length 8-footers on the middle shelves.
Here are the dimensions I used for my cart.
The build is really fun, easy and goes quickly! I used ropes to make handles and attached metal handles on the front side for pulling around the shop.
Something else I did differently was glue+nail a strip of wood on the base of the cart where the angled boards can butt up against. This makes it really easy to attach the angled boards but more importantly makes them more sturdy. I angled 2" screws through the angled boards & strip to land through the plywood bottom. I also did a small lip on the frontside to keep the plywood from slipping off.
Here's the face that the plywood lays against. I really liked the idea for the shelves to be open so you don't loose anything.
The cart is 6-feet long and less than 2-feet wide so it doesn't take up much space at all considering what it holds.
Maximizing vertical space is key when your shop is a one-car garage! ;)
I can't say enough good things about what has transpired since building this cart and getting my stash under control. I've been cleaning non-stop since then and my shop has never been more clean and functional. Thank you Tamar!
Labels: DIY, woodshop, woodworking
