NotchLoading plan…
Loading plan…
Build the cart so its top sits exactly 1/8" *below* your table saw's table. Then it's not just a cart — it's an outfeed table, and you stop wrestling long boards off the back of the saw alone.
That one measurement is the entire design constraint. Everything else is a plywood box on wheels.
Locking casters, all four. Three locking and one not is how a cart pivots away from you at the worst moment.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| Birch or shop-grade plywood, 3/4", 4x8Shop-grade is fine here. Nobody is inspecting your cart's veneer. | 2 sheet |
| Locking swivel casters, 3"ALL FOUR must lock. Rated for 200+ lbs each — this cart will end up holding far more than you think. | 4 each |
| Pocket hole screws, 1-1/4" | 80 each |
| Wood glue | 8 oz |
| Clear interior finish (hardwax oil or wipe-on poly)Optional, but a sealed top wipes clean and lets work slide instead of catching. | 8 oz |
Overall cost: $$$. Lumber prices vary by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure we would only be pretending to know.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L |
|---|---|---|
| SidesPlywoodHeight depends on YOUR saw. See step 1 — do not use this number blindly. | 2 | 3/4" × 24" × 30" |
| TopPlywood | 1 | 3/4" × 24" × 48" |
| Bottom shelfPlywood | 1 | 3/4" × 24" × 46 1/2" |
| Middle shelfPlywood | 1 | 3/4" × 24" × 46 1/2" |
| BackPlywoodFull plywood back. This is what stops the cart racking as it rolls over a cord. | 1 | 3/4" × 30" × 46 1/2" |
| DividerPlywoodOptional. Splits the shelves so things don't slide around. | 1 | 3/4" × 23" × 22" |
Buy 5 boards at 8 ft.
1 board
3 boards
1 board
Assumes 8 ft stock, a 1/8" saw kerf, and buying each part at its own width. Change the board size or kerf on the full board plan →
Measure from the floor to the top of your table saw's table.
Cart height = saw height − plywood top thickness (3/4") − caster height − 1/8".
That 1/8" is deliberate: the cart top sits just *below* the saw table, so a board sliding off the saw glides onto the cart instead of catching on its edge. A cart even 1/16" too tall will snag every single board and you'll hate it.
Adjust the side height in the cut list to whatever your arithmetic gives you.
Circular saw and straight-edge to rough size, then trim to final on the table saw.
Don't try to muscle full 4x8 sheets over the table saw solo — that's how sheets get away from you.
Pocket-hole the shelves to the sides, then add the back. Glue and screw everything.
The back is structural — it's what keeps the cart from folding into a parallelogram when you shove it across a shop floor. Don't skip it or substitute thin ply.
Screw the top down from underneath through the shelves, or pocket-hole from the inside. Countersink anything that comes through the top surface.
Nothing may sit proud of the top. A screw head 1/32" proud will gouge the underside of every board you slide across it.
Four locking swivel casters, one at each corner, bolted (not just screwed) through the bottom shelf.
All four lock. Two locking casters means the cart still pivots — usually right when you're pushing a heavy board through the saw.
Roll it up behind the saw. Lay a straight-edge from the saw table across the cart top.
The cart should be a hair low. If it's high, you have a problem — take it apart or shim the saw. If it's low by more than 1/4", shim the casters.
Then seal the top, load the shelves, and enjoy never chasing a falling board off the back of the saw again.
No reviews yet
Sign in to review this plan or share your build.
No reviews yet. Be the first to build this.