Drag an orange dot to resize; a dashed line shows when it snaps to a common size. Click a dot, then use the arrow keys to nudge 1/8″ (hold Shift for 1″). Every size can also be typed in the panel.
Checks
- The shelf passes the sag check.
- The top passes the sag check.
- A cart rolls, so it can’t be anchored to a wall. It stays steady by being low and wide: lock all four casters when you work at it, and keep heavy things on the bottom shelf.
Shopping list
| Qty | Item | Est. |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1×2 pine board, 6′ (board) | $4.20 |
| 2 | 1×4 pine board, 6′ (board) | $13.20 |
| 1 | Butcher block countertop, 1 1/2″ × 25″, 4′ (board) | $128.00 |
| 1 | 1″ hardwood dowel, 3′ (board) | $4.80 |
| 1 | 3/4″ birch plywood, 4×8 sheet (sheet) | $68.00 |
| 2 | 1 5/8″ wood screws (box of 100) | $18.00 |
| 1 | 5/8″ pan-head screws (slides, hinges) (box of 100) | $6.00 |
| 4 | 3″ locking swivel plate caster, 100+ lb rating, with screws (each) | $36.00 |
| 6 | 2″ L-bracket with screws (each) | $12.00 |
| 1 | Wood glue (bottle) | $5.00 |
| 1 | 3/4″ iron-on birch edge banding (25 ft roll) | $9.00 |
| 1 | Food-grade mineral oil, 12 oz (bottle) | $8.00 |
| 1 | Board cream (mineral oil and beeswax) (tin) | $10.00 |
About $322 · rough estimates, check the store
Parts
| Part | Qty | Length | Width | Material | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | End Edge-band the front edge. | 2 | 30 1/2″ | 18″ | 3/4″ birch plywood |
| B | Shelf | 2 | 28 5/8″ | 17 1/4″ | 3/4″ birch plywood |
| C | Shelf lip Glued to the shelf front, standing on edge. | 2 | 28 5/8″ | 1 1/2″ | 1×2 pine board |
| D | Back rail | 2 | 28 5/8″ | 3 1/2″ | 1×4 pine board |
| E | Top stretcher | 2 | 28 5/8″ | 3 1/2″ | 1×4 pine board |
| F | Top Rip to 20″ wide, then cut to length. Sold oversized. | 1 | 32″ | 20″ | Butcher block countertop, 1 1/2″ × 25″ |
| G | Towel bar block | 2 | 3″ | 3 1/2″ | 1×4 pine board |
| H | Towel bar | 1 | 15 1/2″ | 1″ | 1″ hardwood dowel |
Cut list
3/4″ birch plywood, sheet 1 of 1
1×2 pine board, 72″ → C 28 5/8″ · C 28 5/8″
1×4 pine board, 72″ → D 28 5/8″ · D 28 5/8″ · G 3″ · G 3″
1×4 pine board, 72″ → E 28 5/8″ · E 28 5/8″
Butcher block countertop, 1 1/2″ × 25″, 48″ → F 32″
1″ hardwood dowel, 36″ → H 15 1/2″
Kerf 1/8″ included. Every cut runs edge to edge.
Have the store cut it
Most home centers rip sheets on their panel saw. Show them this; do the short crosscuts at home.
- 3/4″ birch plywood: rip into strips 18″, 17 1/4″, keep the rest.
Steps
- Tape measure
- Speed square
- Pencil
- Drill/driver
- Clamps
- Safety glasses
- Hearing protection
- Dust mask
- Circular saw and a straight edge (or have the store cut the sheets)
- Table saw or track saw for ripping
- 1″ Forstner or spade bit
- Sander, 120 and 180 grit
1Before you start
Read every step once, start to finish, before you buy or cut anything. Each step names the parts it uses by letter; the parts list gives their sizes.
Set up somewhere flat with good light. A pair of sawhorses with a sheet of plywood on top makes a fine work table.
Wear safety glasses whenever a tool is running, hearing protection for saws, and a dust mask for sanding and for cutting treated wood or sheet goods. Tie back long hair and loose sleeves. Keep children and pets out of the work area.
- Tip At the store, pick straight boards: hold each one up to your eye and look down its length. Skip boards that bow, twist or have big knots near the ends.
- Tip Measure twice, cut once. Most mistakes are a misread tape, not a bad cut.
2Cut and label the parts
Cut every part on the cut list. Cut the longest parts first: if one goes wrong, it can still become a shorter part.
To mark a cut, hook your tape on the end of the board, make a small V with its point exactly at the measurement, and draw a square line through the point with a speed square. Put an X on the waste side.
Cut on the waste side of the line, so the blade's kerf (about 1/8″) comes out of the scrap, not your part. Cut sheets with the good face down when using a circular saw: the blade splinters the top face.
Write each part's letter in pencil on a face that won't show, and stack the parts by letter.
Sand the faces before assembly while they're flat and easy to reach: 120 grit, then 180.
✓ Lay the parts out and count them against the parts list. Measure a few: if one is off by more than 1/16″, recut it now.
STOP. Let the saw reach full speed before it touches the wood, keep both hands clear of the blade's path, and never reach under a board you're cutting. Support long boards on both sides of the cut so the blade doesn't pinch.3Mark the shelf lines
Lay both ends (A) side by side, inside faces up and bottom edges even. They are mirror images: mark "front" on the front edge of each.
Square a line across each end for the underside of every shelf, measured from the bottom: 0″, 13 1/2″. The bottom shelf sits flush with the bottom edge.
Mark the top stretchers too: their top edges are flush with the top of each end, 3 1/2″ tall.
- Tip Mark which side of the line the shelf goes with an X, so you don't screw a shelf on the wrong side of its line.
✓ Hold the two ends together, edges even: every line on one meets its partner on the other.
4Glue the lips onto the shelves
Glue a lip (C) to the front edge of each shelf (B), standing on its edge, bottom flush with the underside of the shelf. It stands 13/16″ above the shelf so jars don't roll off.
Clamp every 8″. Wipe the squeeze-out on the top side with a damp rag right away; it is hard to sand out of the corner later.
- Tip The lip also stiffens the shelf a lot. Let the glue dry an hour before you build on it.
✓ The lip is flush with the underside and with both ends of the shelf.
5Build the frame
Glue the end of each shelf and drive 3 screws, 1 5/8″, through the end panel into it: 2″ from the front, 2″ from the back, and one in the middle.
Fit the top stretchers (E) on edge between the ends, one at the front and one at the back, tops flush with the ends. Glue and drive 2 screws, 1 5/8″, through each end into each stretcher.
✓ Measure both diagonals of the front: they match within 1/16″. Push it square before the glue sets.
STOP. Predrill every screw near the end of a pine stretcher; pine splits easily near the end.6Add the back rails
Stand a back rail (D) on edge on the back of each shelf, flush with the back edge. Glue it, screw through the ends into its ends (2 screws each), and drive 1 5/8″ screws up through the shelf into it every 8″.
The rails keep things from sliding off the back and, more importantly, stop the cart leaning sideways when you push it.
✓ Push sideways on the top of the frame: it doesn't lean.
7Mount the casters
Turn the frame upside down on a blanket.
Set a caster in each corner of the bottom shelf, 1/4″ in from the end panel and from the front and back edges. Mark the four holes, drill 1/8″ pilot holes 1/2″ deep, and drive 4 pan-head screws, 5/8″, per caster.
✓ Turn it over: all four wheels touch the floor, and each locks with its lever.
STOP. Use the 5/8″ screws, not longer ones: anything longer pokes up through the 3/4″ shelf.8Add the towel bar
Drill a 1″ hole, 1/2″ deep, in the face of each towel bar block (G), centred 1 1/4″ from one end. Use a Forstner or spade bit with tape on it as a depth mark.
Hold the blocks flat against the outside of one end, 6 1/2″ below the top of the frame, one 1″ in from the front and one 1″ in from the back, holes facing each other. Fit the towel bar (H) into the holes to space them.
Glue and drive 2 screws, 1 5/8″, from inside the cart through the end into each block.
✓ The bar spins a little but can't slide out.
9Cut and oil the top
Butcher block is sold oversized. Clamp a straight board on as a saw guide and rip it to 20″ wide, then cut it to 32″ long, with a fine-tooth blade.
Sand the cut edges with 120 then 180 grit and break the sharp corners.
Oil every face, underside included: flood on mineral oil, wait 20 minutes, wipe off what is left. Repeat daily for three days, then rub in board cream.
- Tip Cut with the good face down when using a circular saw: the blade cuts upward and splinters the top face.
✓ The underside is oiled as well as the top, so the top takes on moisture evenly and stays flat.
10Attach the top
Lay the top good face down on a blanket and set the frame upside down on it, 1″ in from every edge.
Screw 6 L-brackets to the inside of the top stretchers, 3 on each, then screw them into the top with the short screws in the pack. Use the slot in each bracket for the screw into the top, so the wood can move.
✓ The top overhangs 1″ all round and doesn't shift when you push it.
STOP. Check the bracket screws are shorter than the top is thick, or they will come through the work surface.11Finish
Ease every sharp edge and corner with 120-grit sandpaper so nobody gets a splinter.
Sand all over with 180 grit, always along the grain (the direction the wood fibres run). Scratches across the grain show through stain.
Wipe off the dust with a barely damp rag and let it dry.
Paint, stain or a clear coat (water-based polyurethane is the easiest). Apply thin coats with the grain, let each dry fully, and sand lightly with 220 grit between coats.
Let it dry for the time on the can before using it.
- Tip Try your finish on a scrap of the same wood first: stain looks different on every board.
Conceptual layout, material estimate and assembly guide from the sizes you entered. Not engineering, not a building plan, not stamped or approved. Confirm measurements on site; follow local codes and product instructions; anchor tall pieces before use. Using this plan means you accept the Terms of Use.