Carting Around

Learn how to make a braai cart a great accessory for the outdoors.

- By Robin Lewis

This is a simple braai cart that makes use of dados and rabbets in its construction. This is a basic woodworking join where just enough wood is removed so that the joining piece of wood can slot into the gap. For this project I used mostly 19mm x 42mm pine so it was very inexpensive. The top is made from hardwood decking (it's a timber called merbau).

Step-by-step guide

Step 1: The first step is to cut the pieces to length. I wanted my cart roughly the same height as the braai and about twice as wide. Next I marked out for the dados and rabbets. I used one of the boards to mark the size of the cutouts at the ends and in the centre (this'll make more sense in the next step).

I also used one of the boards to mark the depth of the cut. This gave me a mark to line my circular saw blade up with.

To speed up the process, and give me more surface area to balance the saw on, I clamped as many boards together as I could before making the cut.

Then, using the circular saw and a speed square (to ensure I kept a straight edge) I cut out all the material. The circular saw got rid of the majority of the material, but I came back afterwards with a chisel and cleaned up the cuts.

Step 2: Next, I glued all the parts together using a generous amount of wood glue. Make sure to coat all the surfaces and check the join for square before clamping.