Gardening is fun, but I don’t like spending all day on my knees. Although some kneeling is necessary, I’d rather work at a bench whenever possible. That’s why I designed a portable workstation and cart that goes wherever I need to work.
To give the design maximum appeal, I sought input from several gardeners. The bin features a front-lift gate and is sized to fit a 2 x 3ft. utility mixing tub (available at most hardware stores and home centers). These tubs are great for mixing soil and are easy to clean. Hand tools, gloves, seed packets and a water bottle will fit in a divided tool tray, and a side-mounted bracket holds long-handle tools. The space under the tabletop can be left open for large pots and plants or divided with shelves to hold trays of seedlings.
I used cedar to make the frame, but any exterior-grade lumber will work. Use 1/2in. exterior AC plywood for the panels, and fasten the parts with exterior-rated glue and exterior-grade screws (stainless steel, galvanized or coated). A circular saw and drill/driver are the only power tools you need. If you have a cordless saw and drill combo kit, you’re all set.
Assembling the frame
The frame is primarily built from 2x4s that are joined with half-lap joints. Use the drawing (p. 14) to lay out the locations of the half-lap joints on the bottom rails, front and back table legs and handles. Remove the bulk of the waste with a circular saw, and clean up the cuts with a chisel (photos 1 and 2).
Assemble the frame with exterior-rated glue and exterior-grade screws, starting with the bottom rails and bottom crosspieces to form the foundation of the cart. Next, attach the front and back table legs and the table crosspieces. The handle is a 1in.dia. dowel that is held in place by the handle arms. Drill a 1in.dia. x 1in.deep hole in the inside face of each handle. Attach one handle arm and then attach the second arm with the rod positioned in the holes (photo 3). Finish the frame by attaching the diagonal handle braces.
To help preserve the color of the cedar, apply UV protective exterior sealer to the assembled frame, bin side rails and shelf supports.
Gardening is fun, but I don’t like spending all day on my knees. Although some kneeling is necessary, I’d rather work at a bench whenever possible. That’s why I designed a portable workstation and cart that goes wherever I need to work.
To give the design maximum appeal, I sought input from several gardeners. The bin features a front-lift gate and is sized to fit a 2 x 3ft. utility mixing tub (available at most hardware stores and home centers). These tubs are great for mixing soil and are easy to clean. Hand tools, gloves, seed packets and a water bottle will fit in a divided tool tray, and a side-mounted bracket holds long-handle tools. The space under the tabletop can be left open for large pots and plants or divided with shelves to hold trays of seedlings.
I used cedar to make the frame, but any exterior-grade lumber will work. Use 1/2in. exterior AC plywood for the panels, and fasten the parts with exterior-rated glue and exterior-grade screws (stainless steel, galvanized or coated). A circular saw and drill/driver are the only power tools you need. If you have a cordless saw and drill combo kit, you’re all set.
Sides, top and shelves
All of the 1/2in. plywood parts are rectangles except for the bin front. Use a circular saw and straightedge to cut each panel to size.
The U-shape bin front requires a few inside cuts. You can make the cuts with a jigsaw or small handsaw, but I used a circular saw. Secure the workpiece and reset the saw to its deepest cutting depth. This creates a more vertical cut at the front edge of the blade. First, plunge cut the bottom cut line between the two side cut lines. To accomplish this, position the saw far enough in front of a side cut line so that the back of the blade will not cut through that line. With the saw resting on only the toe of the footplate, retract the blade guard, start the saw and slowly lower the blade through the panel (photo 4).
Once the blade has cut into the panel and the footplate is flat, push the saw forward to within 1/4 in. of the opposite side line. Next, cut the side lines, working from the outside of the piece in to meet the bottom cut line. Finish cutting to the intersections of the lines with a handsaw.
Painting the panels will help prolong their life. (Only the glue used to make exterior plywood is waterresistant — the wood is not.) Sand the plywood parts smooth and apply one coat of primer and two coats of exterior latex enamel (gloss or semigloss).
Attach the bin side rails to the bin sides and then attach the panels to the frame with 11/4in. screws. Install the panels in the following order: table sides, table bottom, bin bottom, bin sides and bin front. Then attach the bin gate rail to the bin gate.
Tool trays and tabletop
A tote box with a few dividers is designed to handle small items such as hand tools, seed packets, gloves and a water bottle. It mounts on the back of the table. Longhandle tools ride on the side of the cart, secured by manufactured tool brackets. These brackets are usually used to hang tools on garage walls, and they’re available in different forms at most hardware stores. A small cedar tray is mounted to the base of the table to support the ends of the long handles and to keep the tools from sliding down.
Construct both trays from 1x cedar. Fasten the tray parts with exterior-rated glue and 11/2in. exterior finish nails (photo 5). Mount the brackets on the upper tool support and attach it to the side of the table.
To attach the tabletop, drive four 11/4in. screws through it, one at each corner. Then seal the screw heads with the same paint used on the plywood.
Mounting the wheels
The final step is to add the wheels. I purchased 16in.dia. wheels. If your cart will cross rough terrain, I recommend upgrading to 20in. wheels (available from the same source). In this case you will need to add 2 in. to the back leg length to keep the cart level.
Drill 1/2in.dia. holes through the base rails for the axle bolts. Slide 1/2in.dia. x 41/2in. exterior-grade bolts through the wheels, place a 1/2in.dia. washer on each bolt and then insert the bolt through the hole in the base rail. Place another washer on the other side of the base rail, and secure the bolt with a 1/2in. locknut (photo 6).
Your cart is now ready for the garden. Remember, it can get wet, but it isn’t designed to stay wet. Store it in a location that permits it to dry, and it will make your gardening chores easier for years to come.