Workshop Carts

I bought a couple of cheap saws for doing remodeling at the beach house. They work OK, but they aren't very functional if I just set them on the nearest flat surface. The biggest problem is lack of support for larger boards and plywood, especially on the table saw.

I decided they needed to be mounted to work carts, and those carts needed to be mobile - including rolling them out on to the gravel driveway. Casters and gravel don't mix, so I decided to make them "push cart" style with bigger wheels and handles.

Here is the table saw:

I added a fold-up wing on the right for plywood and to hold stock while I'm working.

I made these out of extra wood I had sitting around the shop, which kind of dictated the design.  I made the frames from a stack of 1x6 Doug Fir that was just one step above fire wood. I ripped these into 2.5" strips - both sturdy and light weight. I added 1/2" plywood tops.

The second cart is for the miter saw. I added a fold-up wing on this one for longer boards. When I put the carts next to each other, the table saw out-feed supports the other end of the boards. This makes a fairly effective work center.

I had space on the back side of the miter fence, so I attached a grinder, battery charger and power strip. Also, the storage shelf behind the table saw is where I keep the skill saw.

This was the first weekend I used them, and I'm really happy with the results. It took me less than 5 minutes to roll them out of the garage and set everything up - and the same amount of time to take it down and put it away.

I'm still thinking about an assembly table. I will just use sawhorses and plywood for the time being, but I may end up making a third cart.

Cart Cost: $24
- $20 for four 7" wheels at Harbor Freight
- $4 for lag bolts to hold the wheels
- Everything else was cut-offs and scrap.