Small Scrap Lumber Cart

I just finished building this small cart to hold my ever-growing collection of scrap lumber. It’s a modified version of a Fine Woodworking design. It also incorporates some ideas (pocket hole joinery instead of dadoes and blunt divider ends instead of bevels) fellow LJer YesHaveSome presented in his Scrap Wood Storage Cart project and video.

My version has a slot on one side for storing a few sheet good cutoffs (up to about 24” by 48”) and two small cubbies for holding very small scraps in plastic bins. It’s approximately 32” wide, 24” deep, and 38” high. Casters and 1/2” thick mounting pads add another 4” or so to the height.

The vertical cutoff cavities have openings of 11 3/4” by 7”, with varying heights. The cubbies at the bottom stop short of the rearmost cavities, so those cavities are as tall as the cart and can store long pieces. The sheet goods slot is 5 1/2” wide.

The cart is made of 3/4” luan plywood from Home Depot (five 24” by 48” sheets, equal to one and a quarter full-sized sheets). I didn’t use any glue for assembly—only many pocket hole screws.

For mobility, I used Everbilt 3” locking casters from Home Depot. They’re new to me, but I’m impressed with them. They’re very heavy duty, and the lock stops both the wheel rotation and swivel. They have wide mounting holes, so I used hex-head lag screws to mount them.

I’ve been intending to build a cart like this for years. I’m glad I finally got around to doing it. For now at least, my shop’s horizontal surfaces are much cleaner.

One last note: the dimensions in the drawing above are theoretical. They don’t account for the kerf losses, actual plywood thickness, mistakes, and the like. That’s why my cavities aren’t the full 12” wide, etc.

-- Ron Stewart