SLANT-FRONT

TOOL CART

© 2010 August Home Publishing Co.

 Feature
Project

Slant-Front Tool Cart

Store all sorts of tools and hardware items right where you need them
with this roll-around tool cart.

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Construction Details
Overall Dimensions: 191⁄4" D x 271⁄2" W x 477⁄8" H

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 a.
1

b.

c.

d.

Plywood Case Construction

I started building the tool cart by to trim the edges perfectly straight edges won’t be seen, you only need
working on the main case. As you and square. If you plan on building to add edging to the front and top of
can see in the drawing above, it’s the upper tool chest or shelf, now’s each side (Figure 2).
nothing more than a large ply- a good time to drill a pair of shelf pin It can be tricky to securely clamp
wood box that consists of a top and holes near the top of each side, as the edging along the slant. For an
bottom, a pair of sides, and a back. illustrated in Figure 2. easy way to do this, check out the
Hardwood rails added to the top Add Some Edging. To protect the clamping block on page 11. Then to
and bottom of the cart hide the ply- plywood, I added some thick, hard- trim the edging flush, take a look at
wood edges and help prevent the wood edging. Since a couple of the the box on page 4.
cart from racking.

START WITH THE SIDES
2
To help keep everything aligned,
the top and bottom fit into dadoes
cut into the sides of the case, as
illustrated in Figure 2. Take some
time here to ensure the good face of
each plywood side faces out before
cutting the dadoes.
Once the dadoes are cut, you can
trim the front corner of each side to
create the slant front. I did this by
making a rough cut with my jig saw
to remove most of the waste. Then
to clean up the edge, I clamped a
straightedge in place and used a
hand-held router and straight bit

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Add the Top & Bottom 3
Next, you can turn your attention
to the top and bottom of the cart.
They’re cut to length to fit between
the sides of the cart. But before cut-
ting them to width, you’ll need to
account for a couple of things.
Tongue & Groove Joinery. First, the
top and bottom have a tongue cut
along the front and back edges.
These tongues fit into grooves cut
into rails at the top and bottom of the
cart. You can see how all this works two top rails (Figure 1c). This forms
in Figures 1c and 1d. a lip to prevent any tools resting on
The rails serve two purposes. For top from rolling off during use. The a.
starters, they cover up the plywood groove in the bottom rail is located
edges. But more importantly, they so the top of the rail is flush with the
help prevent the cart from racking upper face of the cart bottom.
as it’s rolled around the shop. Sizing the Back. Before you can washers (Figures 1a and
At the back of the cart, the rail is assemble the cart, you’ll need to cut 1b). Then to help rein-
flush with the sides, but the rail at the back to size. To do this, I cut the force the upper corners
the front is recessed 1⁄4". Be sure to back to width so it fit between the of the case, I added a
account for this when you cut the top sides of the case. couple of support blocks
and bottom to width. Then you can Before cutting the back to length, (Figures 1 and 1a).
cut the tongues along each edge. I cut a groove along the bottom edge They’re simply glued in place.
At this point, I dry assembled the of the back rail and then cut a tongue
cart using screws and finish washers on the top edge of the back to fit. To MAKING IT MOBILE
(Figures 1a and 1b). This makes it complete the back, I cut a narrow To make the cart mobile, I added
easier to accurately cut the front and dado near the bottom edge, like you some heavy-duty casters. To provide
back rails to final length. see in Figure 1d. This dado is sized a solid mounting point, I added a pair
The next step is to cut a narrow to fit the tongue cut earlier along the of hardwood support blocks under
groove in each rail. The only thing back edge of the bottom the bottom of the cart (Figures 3 and
to keep in mind here is that the At this point, you can assemble 3a). After gluing the blocks in place,
groove is located a bit lower in the the cart with glue, screws, and finish attach the casters with screws.

TRIMMING EDGING flush

Plywood is a great material to use You can see how this works in the
any time you build a large project drawing below.
for the shop. But to make it look its After routing down one side and
best, I like to add hardwood strips to back up the other, just repeat the
cover up the plywood edges. process for the other edges. You’ll
Gluing on a strip of edging isn’t need to flip the sides and clamp them
all that difficult. But making sure it’s back together to trim the edging
perfectly flush with both sides can flush on the other two faces.
be a challenge. So instead, I like to
glue extra-wide edging in place and
then trim it flush with each face of
the plywood. A hand-held router and
flush-trim bit make quick work of
the task, as shown in the photo.
The problem is keeping the router
steady as you work. A handy way
to form a solid support surface for
the router is to clamp the two sides
together with a spacer in between.

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 CALLOUT

NOTE: XXXXXXX
a. NOTE: SEE BOX b.
XXXXXXXXXXX
ON PAGE 6 FOR 4
INSTALLING
SIDES

Making the Drawers

With the main case complete and As you can see in the photo and two parts. One part is screwed to
resting on the casters, you can roll drawing above, the cart has five the side of the cart. And the other
it up to your workbench and start drawers. And each one slides on is attached to the drawer. But more
working on building and installing full-extension metal drawer slides. about that later.
the drawers and false fronts. The type of slide I used comes in For now, let’s concentrate on
the drawers. Each drawer is just a
Making a tongue & dado JOINT shallow box with a false front. The
only difference among the drawers
is the height. All the information
a. Drawers take a lot of abuse you’ll need to complete each drawer
with all the opening and is detailed above. Just be sure to
closing that goes on. So you account for the thickness of the
want to be sure the joinery drawer slides as you size the parts.
you use will stand up. (As in Figure 4b, I had to account for
The drawer joint I like to a total of 1" — 1⁄2" for each slide.)
use is a tongue and dado joint Solid Joinery. The drawers are built
(photo at right). The joint is with tongue and dado joinery. You
strong, sturdy, and simple to can read more about this in the box
b. make. The first step is to cut at left. Once you’ve completed the
a dado in the drawer sides, as made by cutting a rabbet at joinery, you can cut a groove on the
shown in detail ‘a’ at left. Just the end of the workpiece, as inside face of all of the parts to hold
be sure the inside edge of the you can see in detail ‘b.’ To a 1⁄4" hardboard bottom and then
dado matches the thickness of ensure a good fit, I find it’s assemble the drawers.
the drawer front and back. best to sneak up on the cut Install the Drawers. At this point,
The tongue that makes up until the tongue slips snugly you’re ready to install the drawers.
the other half of the joint is into the dado. And that means installing the two-
part drawer slides.

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 For the drawers to slide smoothly,
the slides need to be installed per- 5
fectly level and both slides in a set
need to be installed at the same
height. But instead of trying to mea- a.
sure and lay out the location of each
slide, I used a simple technique
shown in the box below to accu-
rately install each slide with ease.

ADD THE FALSE FRONTS
Once you’ve installed the drawer
slides, you’re ready to complete the
cart by adding a set of false fronts,
like you see in Figure 5.
Sizing the False Fronts. To provide
a clean look, you’ll want to allow for
a consistent gap around each false
front. For the size of the drawers in
this cart, an 1⁄8" gap provides just the worked out to
right look (Figure 5a). false fronts that
The next step is to size each false varied in incre-
front. Determining the length is a ments of 1",
snap. Just measure the width of your starting with
cabinet opening and subtract 1⁄4" to 3" at the top and
allow for the gaps. ending with 7".
Next, you’ll need to determine To make it easy to install the
the height of each false front. To false fronts, I started at the bottom
do that, start by measuring the of the cart. First, slide the bottom Installing the other drawers is just
opening between the upper and drawer in place. Then to account a matter of repeating the process as
lower front rails and then subtract for the 1⁄8" gap, you can stack a pair you work your way up. Note: For
3⁄ " to account for the six “gaps.” of pennies under each end of the the last false front, I had to slide the
4
The measurement that results is bottom false front. After clamping top two drawers out a bit so I could
what you have to “divide” up between the false front to the drawer, you get the clamps in place. Finally, I
the false fronts. For my cart, this can screw it in place. screwed pulls to each drawer.

installing drawer slides

When it came time to install the drawers in the tool cart,

I turned to a handy little technique to ensure that each
slide was perfectly level and at the right height — and all
it takes is a scrap piece of plywood (photo at right).
Top Down. Working from the top of the cart, cut a piece
of plywood so it matches the height you need to install
the first drawer slide (Figure 4a). With the scrap against
the side of the cart, set the drawer slide on top. After
positioning the slide 1" back from the front edge, screw
the slide in place. To install the slide on the opposite
side, move the scrap over and repeat the process.
To complete the installation of the other slides, just
trim the height (width) of the plywood to match the posi-
tion for the next set. Then simply repeat this process. { Installing Slides. A scrap of
Once the slides in the case are in place, you can install plywood makes it easy to level a
the other half of each set on the drawers. This is just drawer slide in the case. Center
a matter of centering each slide on a drawer side and the other half of the slide on the
screwing it in place, as in the drawing at right. drawer side (right).

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 Benchtop Tool Chest
To complement the tool cart, I The design of the upper tool chest While you’re at it, it’s a good idea to
decided to build the tool chest is similar to the cart — it’s basically cut a matching center divider. Why?
shown above. You can install it on a plywood box with strips of hard- When you’re ready to cut the dadoes
the top of the tool cart by resting wood edging. The four drawers pro- for the hardwood guides that sup-
it on the shelf pins installed in the vide handy storage for tools and sup- port the drawers, it ensures they’re
sides. Or you can even use it as a plies. You can see how the tool chest all aligned identically.
stand-alone tool chest right at your goes together in Figure 1. Once you have the sides and
workbench to keep all your smaller Make the Sides. The first step is to divider cut to size, you’re ready to
hand tools close by. cut the sides of the case to size. cut a few dadoes.

1
a.

b.
c. NOTE:
NOTCHES
ONLY REQUIRED
IF CHEST IS TO BE
USED ON TOOL CART

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 NOTE: CENTER AND CUT #/4"-WIDE,
!/4"-DEEP NOTCH IN UPPER
As you can see in Figure 1, all the 2 AND LOWER BACK RAILS
dadoes are the same size (1⁄4" x 1⁄4"),
so once you have your dado blade
set up in your table saw, this work
goes quick. While you’re at it, cut a
rabbet along the back edge of each
side and a couple of notches in the
bottom of each side. The rabbet will
accept the back of the chest and the
notches “lock” the chest in place
when you set it on the shelf pins.
The Top & Bottom. At this point,
you can turn your attention to the
top and bottom of the chest. As
you can see in Figure 1, the top
and bottom are identical. Simply
cut them to size (they’re narrower way to do this safely is shown in the
than the sides of the case), and box below. Finally, glue the runners
then cut tongues on each end to fit in place flush with the back edge of
the dadoes in the case sides. the sides and divider.
To complete the top and bottom, Assemble the Chest. Now you’re
cut a centered dado in each part to ready to assemble the chest. Be
match the thickness of the divider. sure the top and bottom are 1⁄2" back
After dry assembling the top, from the front edge of the sides and
bottom, and sides, you can do the that the divider is flush with the top
final sizing of the center divider. and bottom at the front of the case.
Trim the Divider. The key is to trim Add the Hardwood Edging. You’re on
just enough off the divider so that the home stretch at this point. The
it fits between the top and bottom, next thing to do is add some hard-
while keeping the dadoes for the wood edging to the front and top
shelf guides aligned with each other. edges of the sides (Figure 1).
a.
For the final length, cut the divider With that complete, you can
so it’s flush at the front and sticks attach the hardwood rails and stile
out a 1⁄2" at the back end. that cover the plywood edges of the and it’s rabbeted to accept the back
Add the Runners. Once you’ve com- top, bottom, and divider, fitting them of the chest. The lower back rail is
pleted the divider, you can cut the as shown in Figure 2. thinner, so you only need to cut a
drawer runners to size (they’re the The upper back rail has a notch center notch. After gluing the rails
same length as the divider). A good cut in it to fit around the divider, in place, you can attach the back.

ripping narrow strips

When ripping the narrow in the opening. And a hard-

strips for the drawer runners board splitter glued into place
on the tool chest, I used a just behind the blade helps
simple jig that slid against the prevent kickback.
rip fence on the table saw, as Using the Jig. To set up the
in the drawing at right. jig, start by positioning the
SPLITTER
The jig consists of a single rip fence so the outside edge (!/8" HARDBOARD)
part — a plywood base with of the notch aligns with the
a notch in it that matches the inside of the saw blade (detail
desired width of the strip. drawing). Fit the workpiece in
Since the strips are narrow, the notch, and then push the
it’s best to replace the stan- jig past the saw blade to rip
ZERO-
dard insert plate with a the first runner. Repeat the CLEARANCE
INSERT
zero-clearance version. This process until you have all the
prevents strips from jamming runners you need.

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 a.
3 OPTIONAL
TOOL MAT
(SEE PAGE 10)

ATTACH ALL
FALSE FRONTS
TO CREATE !/16" GAP

b. c.

CUT AND
CENTER ALL
GROOVES FOR
RUNNERS
(SEE FIGURE 3a)

A Matched Set of Drawers

After completing the tool chest case, the drawers won’t bind as you slide for the drawers. Here again, I used
all that’s left to do is add a set of four them in and out. A total of 1⁄8" clear- a tongue and dado to join the front
drawers and hardware, as you see in ance side to side, as well as above, and back to the sides. And a groove
the drawing above. below, and between each drawer in the bottom of all the parts accepts
Sizing the Drawers. There are a should keep the drawers sliding the hardboard drawer bottom
couple of things to keep in mind as smoothly in the tool chest. And to (Figures 3, 3a, and 3b).
you size the drawers. First, since the ensure the drawers stop against the There’s one more thing you’ll
drawers don’t ride on full-extension false fronts that are added later, the need to do to complete the drawer
slides, you don’t have to account for drawer sides are 1⁄2" shorter than the sides. And that’s to cut a groove on
any slide thickness when sizing the length of the runners (121⁄4"). the outside face of each drawer side
drawer fronts and backs. But you After cutting all the parts to size, to support the drawer on the run-
do need to allow a little clearance so the next step is to cut the joinery ners inside the tool chest.

grain-matching drawer fronts

grain-matching drawer fronts

Making the drawers

for the tool chest is the
perfect opportunity to
try your hand at grain-
matching a set of false
fronts, like you see in the
drawing at right.
It’s a small detail that
sets apart any project.
And all it takes is a work-
piece wide and long
enough to cut all the
false fronts from while
allowing for a bit of waste
and final trimming.

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 These grooves are centered on the side of each finishing touch — tool mats
finishing touch — tool mats
drawer. And they’re cut just a hair wider than the
thickness of the drawer runners. This way, with a
Extra-thick mats
little coating of wax, you can be sure the drawers Like most flat surfaces in my shop, the made from recycled
will slide in and out smoothly. top of the tool cart and tool chest are sure tires protects
With all the joinery complete, you can cut to become resting spots for all kinds of tools and cart from
bumps and dings
the 1⁄4" hardboard drawer bottoms to size and things. To protect the top of the tool cart
assemble each drawer. (and tool chest), I added some protective
Make the False Fronts. Like the drawers in the tool mats, as you see in the photos.
lower tool cart, the drawers in the tool chest have The mats are available at most home
false fronts to hide the exposed runners. Plus, the centers and hardware stores — in a variety
false fronts act as stops for the drawers as they of types and styles. Besides different tex-
contact the runners. tures, some of the tool mats are designed
Although you can make the false fronts indi- to be non-slip, which keeps tools and other
vidually, I took some time to match the grain on items stored in the drawers from sliding
all the drawer fronts by cutting them from a single around. I used non-slip mats in the drawers
board (box on the previous page). and the “beefier” diamond pattern for the
No matter how you make the false fronts, you’ll tops of both the tool cart and tool chest. Thin, non-
need to allow for consistent gaps around the tool The mats come rolled up or in a flat slip, cush-
ioned mats
chest. Instead of the 1⁄8" gap on the drawers in the package like a set of placemats. With protect tools
tool cart, I tightened it up to 1⁄16". either type, you’ll probably have to use a and keep them
Just like the cart, the false fronts are screwed in utility knife to cut them to size. from shifting
place from the inside of the drawer and then the
pulls are screwed in place from the front. To make
it easy to lift the tool chest off the cart and carry it
around, I added a matching pull to each side of the
tool chest to act as a handle (Figures 3 and 3a).
Protecting Your Stuff. Finally, to provide a fin-
ishing touch to both the tool cart and chest, I
added a little “protection” to the inside and out-
side — tool mats. You can read more about the Non-slip, pre-sized
tool mats in the box at right. mats come as a set
After applying a finish and letting it dry, you to fit metal tool cart
drawers, but can be
can roll your tool cart around the shop, collect all sized as required for
your hand tools and supplies, and then get them other uses
organized — once and for all.

Materials & Hardware

Tool Cart Case Q Drawer Front/Back (2) 1/ x 63/ - 241/ I Upper Back Rail (1) 3/ x 1 - 241/
2 4 2 4 4
A Sides (2) 3/ ply. - 181/ x 35 R Drawer Sides (2) 1/ x 63/ - 17 J Lower Back Rail (1) 1/ x 13/ - 241/
4 2 2 4 2 8 4
B Edging 10 lnr. ft. - 3/4 x 3/4 S False Front (1) 3/ x 3 - 253/
4 4 K Back (1) 1/ hdbd. - 63/ x 243/
4 4 4
C Top/Bottom (2) 3/ ply. - 18 x 261/ T False Front (1) 3/ x 4 - 253/ Tool Chest Drawers
4 2 4 4
D Rails (3) 3/ x 21/ - 26 U False Front (1) 3/ x 5 - 253/ L Drawer Fronts/Backs (8) 1/2 x 21/4 - 111/8
4 4 4 4
E Back (1) 3/ ply. - 26 x 281/ V False Front (1) 3/ x 6 - 253/ M Drawer Sides (8) 1/ x 21/ - 121/
4 4 4 4 2 4 2
F Support Blocks (2) 3/ x 11/ - 171/ W False Front (1) 3/ x 7 - 253/ N Drawer Bottoms (4) 1/ hdbd. - 111/ x 12
4 4 2 4 4 4 8
G Caster Blocks (2) 11/2 x 31/2 - 171/2 X Optional Shelf (1) 3/ ply. - 13 x 257/
4 8 O False Fronts (4) 3/ x 211/ - 115/
4 32 8
Tool Cart Drawers & Shelf Y Optional Shelf Edging 3/ x 3/ - 257/ 1
(24) #8 x 1 /4" Fh Woodscrews
4 4 8
H Drawer Front/Back (2) 1/2 x 23/4 - 241/2 Tool Chest Case (24) #8 Finish Washers
I Drawer Sides (2) 1/ x 23/ - 17 A Sides (2) 3/ ply. - 131/ x 63/ (4) 5" Locking Swivel Casters
2 4 4 2 4
J Drawer Btms. (5) 1/ hdbd. - 161/ x 241/ B Divider (1) 3/ ply. - 123/ x 53/ (16) No. 14 x 3/4" Ph Sheet Metal Screws
4 2 2 4 4 8
K Drawer Front/Back (2) 1/2 x 33/4 - 241/2 C Top/Bottom (2) 3/ ply. - 121/ x 243/
4 4 4 (5 pr.) 16" Full-Extension Metal Drawer Slides
L Drawer Sides (2) 1/ x 33/ - 17 D Drawer Runners (8) 1/ x 1/ - 123/ w/Screws
2 4 2 4 4
M Drawer Front/Back (2) 1/2 x 43/4 - 241/2 E Edging 4 lnr. ft. - 1/2 x 3/4 (38) #8 x 1" Fh Woodscrews
N Drawer Sides (2) 1/ x 43/ - 17 F Upper Front Rail (1) 3/ x 1 - 241/ (16) 4" Sash Pulls w/Screws
2 4 4 4
O Drawer Front/Back (2) 1/2 x 53/4 - 241/2 G Lower Front Rail (1) 3/ x 13/ - 241/
4 8 4 (4) 1/4" Shelf Pins
P Drawer Sides (2) 1/ x 53/ - 17 H Center Stile (1) 3/ x 3/ - 47/ Tool Mats (Optional)
2 4 4 4 8

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 Angled Clamping Block
Attaching hardwood edging to a ply-
wood panel is always a little tricky.
The problem is keeping the edging
in place long enough for the glue to
dry — especially on angled parts
like the slant-front tool cart.
I’ve tried a variety of techniques
for holding the edging in place —
from masking tape to wedges and
C-clamps. The problem is they just
don’t provide enough pressure for a
tight, even joint line.
One Piece at a Time. So, I came up the tool cart, I needed a way to hold and stay firmly in place. After cutting
with a different technique. Instead the clamps square to the edging and assembling the block, I cut the
of trying to glue all the edging on at without slipping. To do this, I made notches on the band saw, keeping
once, I glue one piece on at a time a clamping block (drawing above). the notches square to the angled
with bar clamps. Although it takes The block is a sandwich made up edge of the plywood panel.
longer, you avoid a tangle of clamps of three layers of plywood. Angled Attaching the Block. To glue the
or having the edging slip out of place. notches in the top of the block hold edging on, start by slipping the
Then once the glue sets up, you can clamp heads at the correct angle clamping block over the opposite
move on to the next piece, cutting it (photo below). The middle layer is edge of the panel and clamping it
to fit and concentrating on getting a cut from a leftover from the sides in place (photo below). Then, after
tight joint line with the plywood. and is a bit narrower than the outer fitting and gluing the edging to the
Clamping Block. When attaching layers. This allows the block to slip face, slip the clamp heads in the
the edging to the angled corner of over the plywood panel like a saddle block and tighten them up.

{  Firm Pressure. The clamping block

allows the clamps to provide even
Angled Notches. The clamp heads fit in angled pressure to hold the edging firmly in
notches cut in the clamping block. The third place without gaps.
clamp keeps the block from slipping out of place.

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