The problem here is that air compressors are heavy.  I have a small DeWalt, but it’s no exception.  It’s heavy, and it’s a pain to lug out and move around the shop.  So before I get busy on nailing up a ceiling in the garage, I wanted to make sure I had an air compressor cart to easily wheel around the shop.

The design here is simple.  It’s a rectangle box, just a couple inches bigger than the air compressor.  We add some rectangle tall side walls to it.  Add a box shelf between those walls for stability and for storage to hold a nailer and some nails.  Then we add a 1 1/4″ dowel at the top as a handle to easy mobility.  And I extended the handle 6″ outside the cart, and then added a square knob on the end, as this feature allows me to wrap the power chord or the air hose around that extra dowel length.

I decided to make this project with only scrap wood I had on hand.  And only using my circular saw to make all of my cuts.  I did this for a couple reasons.  One, to show that you can be resourceful with the junk you have laying around and make something functional that can assist you in your shop.  And two, to show that you don’t have to use a ton of different saws if you don’t want to, or don’t have them.  A circular saw can get a lot done.

One thing I’d suggest making for any circular saw project is an offset block.  Just measure the distance from the edge of the blade to the edge of the metal saw plate. Mine was 4″.  So cut yourself a 4″ by 4″ square.  Then when you draw your cut lines on your pieces to be cut, simply set your block against your cut line, then set a 1/2″ straight edge down and clamp.  Clamp the other end once you’re lined it up with the block and the cut line.  Then just run your saw down the straight edge.  Simple and straight.

In the end, I ended up with an ugly but functional shop cart, which was just what I expected.  Since I didn’t end up even bothering to sand it, I named it Splinter.  And as you can see from the YouTube video, the cart also doubles as a nice Mariokart for the boys.  Bonus. 

Tools and supplies used:

DeWalt Circular Saw

Brad nailer and air compressor  (assuming you’ll have these if you want to make an air compressor cart)

Drill and driver drill

Caster wheels from Lowes ($5 for 2)