How to Build a Utility Cart

In this video, This Old House general contractor Tom Silva transforms one sheet of plywood into a hold-all, easy-roll cart.

For a durable, low-maintenance finish on your utility cart, consider a resin-based product with a catalyst hardener. As discussed on This Old House, this type of finish is similar to polyurethane but creates a harder surface, dries in about two hours, is non-yellowing, and requires no waxing — ideal for a cart that will see heavy everyday use.

One-Sheet Wonder: In a This Old House project episode, Tommy explained the efficient material strategy behind this build: “It’s gonna be a utility cart” with “a bottom and the top and the handle with the four casters.” The best part? Other than the 1-inch hardwood dowel handle, the entire cart is built from a single sheet of ¾-inch AC-grade plywood — good on one side, utility-grade on the other — making it an incredibly budget-friendly shop project.

Steps:

1. Use circular saw to cut plywood parts to size. Employ a straightedge guide to ensure perfectly straight cuts.

2. Crosscut the legs to length on the miter saw. You need two pieces of plywood for each of the four leg assemblies.

3. Drill pocket-screw holes into the legs using a cordless drill and pocket-hole jig.

4. Apply glue to the leg assemblies, then tack them together with a cordless finishing nailer and 1½-inch nails.

5. Screw together each leg assembly using pocket screws.

6. Drill pocket-screw holes into the underside of the top and bottom shelves. Space the holes about 4 inches apart.

7. Attach the legs to the bottom shelf using glue and the finishing nailer.

8. Glue and nail the sides to the bottom shelf.

9. Secure the bottom shelf to the legs and sides with pocket screws.

10. Glue and nail a ¾-inch-square reinforcement strip of plywood to the inside corner of each leg assembly.

11. Screw the back rail to the cart frame, then screw on the top shelf.

12. Drive nail into upper side piece to represent the handle center.

13. Install a ½-inch-diameter straight-cutting bit in a router. Pivot the router against the nail to cut a rounded shape into the end of the upper side piece.

14. Bore a ¼-inch-deep handle hole into each upper side piece using a drill and 1-inch-diameter spade bit. Repeat to round and drill the opposite side piece.

15. Cut the handle to length from a 1-inch-diameter hardwood dowel. Set the handle between the upper side pieces and into the ¼-inch-deep holes.

16. Fasten the upper side pieces to the cart first with the finishing nailer, and then with pocket screws.

17. To attach each caster, bore four ⅜-inch-diameter holes through the bottom shelf to accept 5/16-inch-diameter x 1 ½-inch-long carriage bolts.

18. Bolt on the casters, placing two swiveling casters in the front and two fixed casters in the rear of the cart.

Why the Nail Pivot Works: In the This Old House episode, Tommy demonstrated a clever technique for rounding the handle cutout: “Where this nail is, is I wanna drill a hole for a handle, but before I do that, I wanna round off the end. So we don’t have any sharp edges. And to do that, I’m actually gonna pivot my router around that nail, hold the router tight against the nail.” By using the nail as a fixed center point and keeping the router pressed against it, the bit naturally cuts a smooth, consistent arc — no template needed.

Pro Tip: When bolting on the casters, placing the two swiveling casters at the front and the two fixed casters at the rear ensures the cart tracks straight when you push it by the handle, while still allowing you to steer easily. This is the same caster configuration recommended across multiple This Old House workshop cart projects — it gives you maneuverability without the wobble you’d get from four swivel casters.