Woodshop Mike

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Lathe Cart

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Here is the tool cart I built for all things wood turning.  

You know the scene…  Tool pandemonium.  You set out to use your lathe, but first you have to round up all the necessary equipment.  Let me get my face shield, my dust mask, earplugs, tool wrap, chuck, faceplate, and the list goes on.  Next I need to clear off a work bench or cart to put all of these items on. After the time you’ve spent just getting ready to mount your piece on the lathe, it’s lunch time, or you get a call and you have to stop what you’re doing. A lone tear drips from your eye…  To add to the insanity, since all of your tools are strewn across a bench top, it’s real work to find what you need.
 
Lathe Tool Cart, wood turning, lathe, tools
 
 
I got tired of this in a hurry and set out to design and build a rolling cart that would fill the need.  I started by identifying what exactly I wanted out of such an assistant.  Well, first and foremost, it needed to hold tools.  Also, of utmost importance, is a surface large enough to hold a bench grinder.  The only thing better than having someone sharpen your tools for you is having the grinder close by while you are working.  I also wanted space to store essentials like chucks, extra jaws & associated hardware, faceplates, sand paper, air tools, project supplies and other miscellaneous items.
 
The top surface that my grinder is mounted to is about 44″ from the floor. The case dimensions are 30″ wide and 20.5″ deep.  I have casters on this cart also, so that I can position it for either lathe that I’m working at.
 
Lathe Tool Cart, wood turning, lathe, toolsLathe Tool Cart, wood turning, lathe, toolsLathe Tool Cart, wood turning, lathe, tools


I built the case and drawer boxes from 3/4″ cabinet grade plywood with 1/4″ luan for the drawer bottoms and the case’s back.  I used pocket drilling to assemble the majority of the case and drawer boxes.  No, I didn’t buy the Kreg jig…I made one.  Maybe I’ll explain that in a future post.  

I bought 18″ full extension drawer slides off Ebay.  I also bought in bulk since I’m planning to add some drawers to my workbench.  The handles and casters I picked up at local hardware stores.  

Helpful Hint:  While doing projects like this, don’t forget to check out the clearance and bargain bins. I was lucky and found just enough handles on clearance for this project.  

You can probably recreate the dimensions for this project without too much trouble.  However, if you’d like, I do have CAD models available for a small fee to take out the dimensional guesswork.  Just send a message if I don’t have the CAD uploaded yet.  Just to let you know, this model is intended to be a guide and is not a fully detailed.  If you require such drawings let me know and I’ll accommodate your request.

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