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A carry-anywhere buffet caddy sized to hold three standard aluminum trays in a row — a 1x3 frame with dividers, thin plywood floor, handles, and stub feet.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L | Material | ✓ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frame sides | 2 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 30 1/4" | 1x3 | ☐ |
| Frame ends and dividers Two ends, two dividers — divider spacing set by YOUR trays. | 4 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 12 5/8" | 1x3 | ☐ |
| Feet Cut from the end of a long scrap, clamped — never freehand tiny blocks. | 4 | 1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 2" | 2x2 | ☐ |
| Bottom | 1 | 1/8" × 14" × 30" | 1/8" plywood | ☐ |
| Item | Qty | ✓ |
|---|---|---|
| 1x3, 10 ft The whole frame and dividers. | 1 each | ☐ |
| 2x2 scrap, 8" The four stub feet — a genuine scrap-bin part. | 1 each | ☐ |
| Plywood, 1/8", 30" x 14" The floor. Underlayment or a project-panel offcut. | 1 each | ☐ |
| Cabinet handles Real hardware — this gets carried loaded. | 2 each | ☐ |
| Aluminum steam trays, half-size Buy FIRST — the bays are sized to your brand's rims. | 3 each | ☐ |
| Brad nails, 1-1/4" | 40 each | ☐ |
| Wood screws, 1-1/4" Feet. | 8 each | ☐ |
| Wood glue | 2 oz | ☐ |
| Water-based polyurethane Washable finish for a food-adjacent piece. | 8 oz | ☐ |
Overall cost: $. Lumber varies by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure.
Tools: Brad Nailer, Speed Square, Tape Measure. Materials: 1x3, 10 ft, Aluminum steam trays, half-size, Brad nails, 1-1/4", Wood glue
Arrange the sides, ends, and two dividers on the bench and set your three actual trays in the bays. Adjust the dividers until every tray's rim catches the frame all around and the tray bodies hang free. THEN glue and brad-nail the frame together, two brads per joint.
Trays vary brand to brand; ten seconds of dry-fit beats an eighth-inch of wrong forever.
Tools: Brad Nailer, Circular Saw. Materials: Plywood, 1/8", 30" x 14", Brad nails, 1-1/4", Wood glue
Glue and brad the 1/8" plywood bottom to the underside of the frame, nailing into the sides, ends, AND both dividers — the floor is what turns four sticks and two dividers into one rigid tray-carrier.
Tools: Drill / Driver, Random Orbit Sander. Materials: 2x2 scrap, 8", Cabinet handles, Wood screws, 1-1/4", Water-based polyurethane
Screw the four 2x2 feet to the bottom corners — screws, not brads: feet get pried sideways every time the stand slides across a tablecloth, and that's the exact load that walks brads out of end grain. Mount a handle on each end.
Sand everything (hands and serving spoons live here), seal with washable poly, and drop the trays in. Three mains, one trip, no tray-tipping incidents at the potluck.