Patio
serving Cart
© 2012 August Home Publishing Co.
Outdoor Project
versatile
Patio Serving Cart
This easy-to-build cart features fold-out leaves, a recessed tray, and
customized inserts. Perfect for your next cookout!
When cooking out, there never seems
to be enough space for all the “stuff”
that goes along with grilling. I need
a spot for all those cooking utensils,
platters, and sauces. Then there’s the
issue of what to do with all the food.
So when I first saw the design for this
patio cart, I knew I had to build one.
With its fold-out leaves, recessed
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WS16520
storage area, and an adjustable shelf,
there’s more than enough space for
all the grilling gear and food. The
large, heavy-duty casters make it
easy to roll wherever I need it and
then lock it in place for stability.
The construction is straightforward with simple joinery. A special
jig helps you assemble the shelves,
top, and leaves. All of the slats are
identical, so it’s easy to make a lot of
parts with one setup.
Knock-down connectors and
dowels hold the frame together and
make it easy to tighten up the joints
if necessary. Finally, I used durable
hardwood with a tough exterior
finish for long-lasting service.
©2012 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.
0
OVERALL DIMENSIONS:
593/4"W x 24"D x 351/2"H
(with leaves open)
{ This handy serving tray is sized to fit snugly in the recessed
area in the top of the patio cart. You’ll find all the details
for building it on page 10.
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©2012 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.
a.
b.
making the
Base
c.
#/8"-dia.
dowel
If you look at the drawing above and
on the following page, you’ll see that
the base is made up of four posts (the
legs) and some rails. The nice thing
about assembling the base is that you
don’t need to use glue. Dowels align
the end rails. Open mortises in the
legs house the cross rails. Connector
bolts hold everything in place for a
strong assembly.
Laminated legs. You’ll start by
making the legs. They’re really
three pieces laminated together. It’s
the middle piece that will form the
open mortises at the top and bottom
of the leg (detail ‘a’).
When you rip the pieces for the
legs, leave them a little wide so that
you can trim the leg assembly to
final width after glueup. And you
can leave the two outer pieces long
for trimming later. But cut the middle spacer to final length. This piece
determines the correct size for the
two open mortises.
After the glue dries, trim the
legs to width. Then, cut the ends to
length. But to make sure the mortises
Shop Tip: Dowel Holes
First, clamp >
the jig to your drill
press table. Then
clamp the rail to
the fence of the
jig. Now you can
accurately drill
into the ends of
the rails.
3
A few plywood scraps make a
simple jig for drilling the dowel
holes in the rail ends.
WoodsmithPlans.com
#/8"-dia. x %/8"-deep
hole
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C
!/2
1
NOTE:
Dowels
centered on
thickness
of rail
are the correct depth, measure from
the bottom of the mortise, as shown
above in detail ‘a.’
The middle end rails are connected to the legs with dowels. So
now would be a good time to locate
and drill the holes in the legs for the
dowels and connector bolts (lower
margin drawing at left). And you can
drill the holes for the adjustable shelf
pins (upper margin drawing).
Now after rounding over the
edges, you can set the legs aside and
get to work on the end rails.
end rails. All of the end rails (and
the two handles shown on the next
page) are cut to the same length.
The handles and the middle rails
need dowel holes (detail ‘c’). I used
the jig shown on the left to make
drilling them easier.
The top and bottom end rails need
a hole for the barrel nut that will be
used with the connector bolt.
©2012 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.
a.
b.
c.
I also drilled a counterbored hole
at each end of the top rails. These
holes will be used to attach the top
(detail ‘b,’ previous page).
After chamfering the edges of
the rails, you can assemble the end
frames. Then you can turn your
attention to the top and bottom side
rails. These will tie the end assemblies together to create the base.
Stretchers. As you can see in detail
‘c’ above, the ends of the bottom
side stretchers are notched. The
notched section fits into the leg’s
bottom mortise. The top stretchers
extend past the legs to
hold the handles. You can
use the drawing below to
cut them to shape and drill the
dowel holes that hold the handles
in place. Like the bottom stretchers, the notch sits in the mortise at
the top of the legs (drawing above).
Next, you can rout a chamfer on the
edges of all four stretchers.
base assembly. Now, you can complete the base. You might need
some help clamping everything in
place. Then you can drill through
the legs and stretchers for the
connector bolts, as shown in detail
‘a.’ The Shop Tip below will help
with drilling these holes.
Shop Tip: Drill Guide
Drilling the hole into
the top and bottom
end rails for the connector bolt is easier
after assembly. The
predrilled holes in
the legs act as a
guide. Drill beyond
the hole where the
barrel nut connects.
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©2012 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.
c.
a.
J
NOTE: !/16" chamfer
on ends of slats
!/2
I
#/4
b.
3
#/8"
radius
G
!/4
SIDE VIEW
2!/8
!/2
adding the
Top Assembly
This shop-made >
jig (page 11)
will help you
assemble the
shelves and top.
It maintains an
even spacing
between the slat
during glueup.
WoodsmithPlans.com
!/2
#/8
With the base complete, you can start
to work on the top. In the drawings
above and on the next page, you’ll
see that the top is made up of three
main assemblies. First, there’s an
open-top frame that’s fastened to the
base. Below it sits a recessed storage
tray. This frame also provides a convenient home for the cutting board
and serving tray shown on page 9.
Attached to each end of this top
frame is a hinged leaf. When the
leaves are closed, they form a solid
top for the patio cart. When open,
5
TOP VIEW
I
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!/2"
radius
d.
they expose the recessed tray below.
The top frame and leaves have
grooved rails to hold the slats. You’ll
start by making these rails.
FRAME PIECES. The rails for the leaves
and top frame assembly are the same
width. But when you cut them to
length, it’s best to cut the rails a little
long (1⁄2" or so). It’s easier to trim
them to the right length after the
leaves and top frame are assembled.
Now you’ll need to cut a groove
centered in one edge of each rail to
hold the slats. Before you make the
slats, rout a chamfer on the inside
edges of the rails.
MAKING THE SLATS. If you take the time
to count them, you’ll find out that
there are 46 slats used for the patio
cart. But the nice thing is, they’re all
the same size. So it makes sense to
cut them all to size at this point and
use them as needed.
You’ll start by ripping the stock for
the slats to width. Since each slat will
have a 1⁄2"-long tenon on each end,
you need to take that into account
before cutting them to length. Next,
you can make the 1⁄4"-thick stub
tenon centered on each end (detail
‘a’ above). These tenons should fit
snugly in the grooves of the rails for
the top frame assembly and leaves,
as you can see in detail ‘a.’
With a V-groove bit and fence
mounted on your router table, rout
a chamfer on all of the edges, including the ends, as shown in details ‘a’
and ‘c’ above.
Now, you can start to work on the
assembly jig to help with spacing the
slats during glueup.
ASSEMBLY JIG. With all these slats to
glue in place, I knew it was going
to be tricky to get everything positioned just right. The goal is to get a
©2012 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.
b.
consistent, 1⁄4" spacing between the
slats. So I made a simple assembly jig
to help out (photo, page 5).
top frame & LEAVES. The top frame is
made up of four slats (two on each
end) and the two rails. You can use
the assembly jig to space and position the slats. A filler strip is glued
into the rail grooves after assembly
(detail ‘c,’ previous page).
After removing the clamps, you
can trim the ends of the rails flush
with the slats and add the hand
recesses on the two rails (detail ‘b,’
page 5). Then round the corners and
chamfer the outside edges.
The leaves are assembled just
like the top, except that you’ll use
six slats. Here again, trim the rails,
round off the corners, and add the
chamfer before you move on to
attaching the hinges.
!/2" lip is formed
when tray is attached
Table top
fastener
!/8" x #/8"
groove for
table top fastener
a.
FRONT
SECTION
VIEW
&/16
L
2!/4
!/4
G
#/4
2!/4
HINGES . There’s a simple trick to
installing the hinges on the leaves
and top frame. The box below shows
you what you need to know.
recessed STORAGE . Below the top
frame sits the recessed storage tray.
It has vertical ends, narrow side
rails, and eight slats, as shown in
the main drawing above.
When you make the ends, cut a
rabbet on the inside bottom edge.
This rabbet will fit over the end slat.
Next, you can make the groove that
will hold the table top fasteners, as
shown in detail ‘b.’
To assemble the tray, I glued the
slats into the side rails first (detail
‘a’). After that, you can glue each end
rail to the end slat.
Now you need to fasten the
recessed tray to the bottom side of
the top frame. Then you can use
screws through the top rails to mount
the whole assembly to the base.
How-To: Hinge Mortises
Marking the Mortise. Use the hinge as a template to mark the mortise. Center the hinge
knuckle on the gap between the leaf and top.
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Drilling the Mortise. Use a 11/4"-dia.
Forstner bit to drill out the hinge mortise.
Check the depth on a scrap piece first.
WS16520
Pare Away the Waste. Lastly,
carefully remove the waste with
a sharp chisel. Aim for a flush fit.
©2012 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.
a.
b.
c.
d.
making the
Two Shelves
{ Notches cut in
the bottom of the
middle shelf fit
over these shelf
supports to keep it
from slipping off.
7
The last two pieces you’ll need to
make for the cart are the bottom shelf
and the middle, adjustable shelf.
Since you’ve already cut all the slats,
you just need to make the rails to
hold the slats in place. And once
again, the assembly jig comes in
handy to help out during glueup.
The bottom shelf forms a base for
the cart, so it comes next.
BOTTOM SHELF . The construction
of the bottom shelf is a lot like the
leaves. It’s made from a couple of
rails and twelve slats like you see in
the drawing above.
Like before, you want to leave the
rails a little long and trim them flush
with the end slats after assembly.
Then you can round off the corners
and rout the chamfer on the edges.
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WS16520
Now, you can drill the screw holes
that are used to mount the shelf to
the bottom of the base. Then it’s just a
matter of drilling pilot holes and fastening the shelf in place, as shown in
detail ‘c’ above. Next, you can move
on to making the middle shelf.
MIDDLE SHELF. You’ll make the middle shelf the same way as the bottom
shelf. But here, you’re only using 10
slats. And once the shelf is glued-up,
I trimmed the ends to fit the inside of
the cart frame (detail ‘a’). After that,
I rounded the corners and routed
a chamfer on all the outside edges.
SHELF CLIP MORTISES. To keep the middle shelf from sliding off the shelf
supports, there are mortises for the
shelf supports. These mortises are
shown in detail ‘d’ above. To locate
the mortises, I installed the shelf
clips in the legs, placed the shelf on
them, then traced around the shelf
clips with a pencil. The dimensions
shown in detail ‘d’ will give you
some guidelines.
To create the mortises, I used the
drill press and a Forstner bit to drill
a 1⁄8"-deep recess. Then clean up the
mortises with a chisel like you did
with the hinge mortises on the two
leaves and top frame.
Once the shelves are complete, you
can move on to adding the casters
and applying the finish.
©2012 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.
the final
Details
A couple of simple tasks are all that’s
left to complete the cart.
CASTERS . Part of the enjoyment in
using this patio cart is its mobility. I
chose large casters to make it easier
to move over rough surfaces. And to
keep the cart steady once I have it in
place, the casters have brakes (detail
‘a’). I turned the cart upside down
on a padded surface and used lag
screws to fasten them.
DURABLE FINISH . To finish the cart, I
used a spray gun to apply several
coats of spar varnish thinned with
mineral spirits. I let each coat dry thoroughly, then lightly sanded between
coats for a smooth, durable finish.
If you don’t have a spray gun, you
can use a brush-on or wipe-on oil
a.
finish that’s made for outdoor use.
Turn to page 12 for some ideas.
To keep your patio cart looking
new, it’s best to wipe it down with
a mild cleaning solution and a damp
rag occasionally. And I try to wipe
up any spills right away. After all,
you’ll be using it for food preparation and serving, so it’s important
to keep it clean.
With a little care, your patio cart
will be around for a long time.
Materials List, Supplies, & Cutting Diagram
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
Outer Leg Facings (8)
Leg Spacers (4)
End Rails (8)
Lower Stretchers (2)
Upper Stretchers (2)
Handle Rails (2)
Slats (46)
Groove Filler Strips (2)
Top Rails (2)
Leaf Rails (4)
Tray Rails (2)
Tray Ends (2)
Bottom Shelf Rails (2)
Middle Shelf Rails (2)
#/4 x 2!/4 - 27*
#/4 x 2!/4 - 23
#/4 x 2!/4 - 18!/2
#/4 x 2!/4 - 28#/4
#/4 x 2!/4 - 40#/4
#/4 x 2!/4 - 20
#/4 x 2!/4 - 18!/2
!/4 x !/2 - 20!/4
#/4 x 3!/4 - 29#/4*
#/4 x 3!/4 - 14#/4*
#/4 x 1!/4 - 19#/4
#/4 x 2!/4 - 20
#/4 x 3!/4 - 29#/4*
#/4 x 3!/4 - 24!/8*
* - Cut parts to rough length. Dimensions
shown are final dimensions
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
8
(8) !/4"-20 x 3!/2" Connector Bolts
(8) 10mm-dia. x 16mm Barrel Nuts
(2 pr.) Single-Pin Hinges & Screws
(4) 5"-dia. Locking Swivel Casters
(4) Tabletop Fasteners & Screws
(20) #8 x 1!/4" Rh Woodscrews
(16) %/16" x #/4" Lag Screws
(16) %/16" Washers
(24) #/8"-dia. x 1” Dowels
(4) Shelf Supports
WoodsmithPlans.com
¾" x 5½" - 84" White Oak (3.2 Bd. Ft.)
¾" x 5½" - 96" White Oak (3.7 Bd. Ft.)
¾" x 5½" - 96" White Oak (3.7 Bd. Ft.)
¾" x 5½" - 96" White Oak (3.7 Bd. Ft.)
¾" x 5½" - 96" White Oak (Five boards @ 3.7 Bd. Ft. each)
¾" x 7¼"- 96"White Oak (3.6 Bd. Ft.)
¾" x 7¼"- 48" White Oak (2.4 Bd. Ft.)
WS16520
©2012 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.
Weekend Projects
outdoor grilling
Accessories
This serving tray and cutting board
are easy to build and can be used
alone or with the patio cart.
I enjoy cooking out, so anything that makes it easier is
always welcome. And that’s why I like this serving tray
and cutting board. Besides being easy to build, they’re
designed to fit into the recessed storage area on the top
of the patio cart as shown above.
The serving tray uses simple joinery. The bottom is
made from 1⁄4"-thick slats with a tongue on each end.
These slats fit into grooves cut into the sides of the tray.
The end pieces form the tray handles and are fastened
with the same knock-down connectors as the patio cart.
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WS16520
For the cutting board, I edge-glued some maple boards
using waterproof glue. The juice groove in the top is easy
to make using a core box bit and a template.
The handy thing about these projects is that they make
the patio cart a complete grilling station. But they also
look and work great all by themselves.
©2012 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.
Serving Tray
To make the tray, you’ll start with the
ends. The pattern that’s at the bottom
of the previous page will help you
lay out the shape.
After the end pieces are cut to
shape, sand the edges smooth. I
wanted to soften the look of the
serving tray, so I created a bullnose
on the top edge and on the ends. To
do this, I used a 3⁄8"-radius roundover bit on the router table, as you
can see in detail ‘a’ at right. You can
use the same setup to form a bullnose on the inside of the handles.
Now you can move on to the sides.
First, an 1⁄8" groove on the inside bottom edge houses the tongue on the
ends of the slats (detail ‘b’). And, like
the end pieces, I routed a bullnose
on the top of the side rails.
Next, you can make the eight 1⁄4"thick slats. They get a 1⁄ 8"-thick
tongue on each end, as shown in
detail ‘b’ at right. You’re aiming for
a snug fit in the grooves.
The assembly jig (page 11) comes
in handy for aligning and spacing the
slats. You need to trim the width of
the two outside slats to fit the side
rails. After you glue the slats in place,
you can attach the ends with glue
and connector bolts.
a.
b.
c.
Cutting Board
The cutting board is made by edgegluing stock to form a wide panel.
You’ll want to make the panel oversize and trim it later. I cut and
arranged the boards for the best
appearance and used waterproof
glue for assembly.
After the glue is dry, you can trim
the cutting board to size and sand
both faces smooth.
To form the handles, first drill a
1"-dia. hole at each end (detail ‘a’).
Then you can use your jig saw to cut
out the waste between the holes.
Next, cut a 1⁄2" radius on the four
corners. After sanding the edges
smooth, I routed a bullnose profile
on the edges and inside the handles
(detail ‘b’ at right).
The last thing to do is create the
juice groove on top. Shop Notebook
(page 11) shows you how.
10
a.
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b.
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©2012 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.
tips from our shop
Assembly Jig for
Patio Cart
When I was assembling the top and
shelves for the patio cart, it was
tough to keep all the slats aligned
and spaced just right. So I built this
jig to help during the assembly and
glueup process (photo above). It
separates the slats with hardwood
spacers to keep a consistent gap
between the slats.
I used a piece of 3⁄4"-thick melamine
about 2' wide and 4' long. It keeps the
glue from sticking during glueup.
You can use a 1⁄4" dado blade to
make the grooves for the spacers.
To properly space the grooves, I used
a 1⁄4" spacer and a piece of stock the
same width as the slats to adjust
the location of my rip fence for each
cut (Figure 2). The dado blade acts
like an index key to locate the fence
1
for the next cut. You’ll need to make
at least 12 grooves.
The spacers create a 1 ⁄4 " gap
between the slats during assembly. I
planed them for a tight fit in the slots,
so you don’t need glue.
2
3
F
Routing A Juice Groove
Whether you use the cutting board
(page 11) for cutting vegetables or
meat, it’s handy to have a “juice
groove” to keep liquids from spilling
off the edge (see photo at right).
The juice groove is easy to make
with a 1⁄2"-dia. core box bit in your
router and a 1⁄4"-thick template, as
you can see in the drawing below.
And to guide the router around the
template, I used a bushing in my
router’s baseplate (see detail below).
MAKING THE TEMPLATE . The template
is a rectangular piece of hardboard
with a 1/2" radius on the corners. I
mounted the template to the cutting
board using carpet tape. You’ll want
to make sure the template is centered
on the cutting board.
ROUTING THE GROOVE . To rout the
groove, install the bushing and core
box bit in your router. I set the depth
of the bit to cut a groove that’s 3/16"
deep. Then it’s just a matter of routing in a counterclockwise direction
around the template. If you’re not
using a plunge router, you’ll need to
tip the router to start the cut.
a.
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©2012 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.
finishing room
easy-to-apply
Outdoor Finish
Keep your outdoor projects looking great year after year
with an all-in-one, water-repellent finish.
{ A thin oil finish
soaks in easily
for the best
protection.
12
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WS16520
It never fails. Every time I build an
outdoor project, one of the first questions friends ask is “What finish did
you use?” The truth is, there’s no perfect outdoor finish. All of them will
break down over time and need to be
renewed. But there are several good
options to choose from.
Paint. The first is to use paint. Paint
protects wood with a thick barrier
that blocks out light and water. It’s
just that after going through a lot
of work to build a project with nice
wood, it’s a shame to cover it up.
Varnish . Another option is to use
spar varnish. This finish forms a
tough film over the wood. The
downside is that the varnish flakes
and peels as it ages. And refinishing
it can be a long, tedious job.
Oil. There’s one choice that I turn to
when I want protection from sun and
rain without a lot of fuss. And that’s
a penetrating oil finish.
This finish was made to protect
decks and wood siding. It works by
penetrating into the wood, without
leaving a film. This makes it easy to
apply multiple coats. The end result
is a water-repellent, fade-proof finish.
To handle extreme weather, the
finish is made up of a combination
of ingredients. It all starts with a
light oil base. The thin consistency
allows it to penetrate deeply. And
it’s what stops rain and snow from
©2012 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.
soaking in and leading to rot. The
main photo on the previous page
shows how this works.
The most common oil used for the
base is tung oil. But some brands
use other oils. Penofin, for one, uses
Brazilian rosewood oil as the base.
Another finish, Cabot’s Australian
Timber Oil contains a combination
of tung oil, linseed oil, and longoil alkyds meant for projects made
from tropical hardwoods. The
Sources list on page 14 can show
you where to find these.
Mildew. Drenching rains aren’t the
only problems outdoor projects face.
Damp conditions can breed mildew
which can spoil a project quickly.
So, semi-transparent stains include
a mildew inhibitor to keep it from
getting a foothold.
UV Blockers. To stand up to the sun,
the stains contains an ultraviolet
light (UV) blocker. This light is what
breaks down and bleaches the wood
fibers to a silvery gray.
It’s a Stain, Too . There’s one final
ingredient. These finishes often
include stain pigments. These colors even out variations in materials
and tint sun-bleached wood without
concealing the grain. (Some examples of these are show in the photo
at right.) Because of this feature,
they are sometimes called “semitransparent stains.”
Applying the Finish
Like I said before, one of the biggest
advantages to penetrating oils is just
how easy they are to apply — all you
need is a brush. But things can get a
little messy. So I like to do my finishing outside. A large, plastic tarp will
protect surfaces from drips.
A heavy first coat. I find that a brush
works well for most projects. But you
can spray on the finish (box below).
The goal here is to apply a good,
wet coat to all parts of the project.
Then, after letting it soak in for 20-30
minutes, wipe off the excess.
You’ll notice that endgrain will
suck up the oil like a sponge. So I
check back every few minutes to
brush on additional finish.
Depending on the finish, you may
need to apply a second coat. The second coat goes on like the first. Then I
let the project dry at least overnight
before using it.
Refinishing. No finish will last forever outside. So, chances are, you’ll
need to reapply the finish every year
or two. The nice thing about a penetrating oil is that renewing it is a
pretty simple process.
To do this, I like to clean the project
first and sand out any scratches or
dings. Then, just lay down a new
coat like the original application.
After letting it dry overnight, it’s
back in business.
Unfinished Cedar
Cedar with
“Transparent
Cedar” finish
Unfinished
White Oak
Oak with
“Transparent
Natural” finish
How-To: Save Time Spraying
You can make applying a penetrating oil finish go a lot quicker if you
spray it on. But that doesn’t mean
you need to invest in expensive
spray equipment.
Garden Sprayer. In fact, I’ve found
that an ordinary garden sprayer
works perfectly for the job. You
can find one at any hardware store
or home center.
Spraying it on. An outdoor oil
finish is light enough that you
don’t even need to thin it before
13
filling the sprayer and applying
it. You’ll notice that the sprayer
will lay down a pretty heavy coat,
as shown in the photo at right.
But that will guarantee that you
get good penetration of the stain
before wiping off the excess.
When you’re done, pour leftover
stain back in the can. Then clean out
the sprayer with paint thinner. This
way, you won’t gum up the nozzle.
I label my sprayer so it won’t get
used in the garden.
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©2012 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.
MAIL
ORDER
SOURCES
Woodsmith Store
800-444-7527
Rockler
800-279-4441
rockler.com
Cabot
800-877-8246
cabotstain.com
Penofin
800-736-6346
penofin.com
14
Project Sources
To get the cart ready for barbecue season, you’ll need some hardware. I
ordered the 5"-dia. total-lock casters
(37138), table top fasteners (34215), and
1⁄ " shelf supports (33894), from Rock4
ler. They also carry 31⁄2" connector bolts
(31864), 11⁄8" connector bolts (31831),
barrel nuts (31823), and hinges (29157).
And if you walk into just about any
home center or hardware store, you’ll
probably find a full line of outdoor finishes. But the finishes that I discussed
on pages 12-13 were Penofin and Cabot.
You can check both of their websites to
find a local dealer.
WoodsmithPlans.com
WS16520
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