How to Make a Yard Cart

Making a yard cart doesn't require a huge investment in materials and tools. You can build a simply designed homemade yard cart today and get started on your yard work tomorrow. Basic woodworking tools, an old bicycle, some scrap lumber and a few other inexpensive items are all you need to to build a yard cart that can carry more than 100 pounds of mulch, soil or debris with ease.

1-inch thick plywood

Table saw

2-1/2-inch wood screws

Electric or battery operated screwdriver

1-inch lumber

2-inch by 4-inch lumber

5-inch wood screws

Jig saw

3/4-inch drill bit

Drill

Old bicycle with 26-inch wheels

2 solid wood broom handles, 48 inches long

3-inch wood screws

Cut five 2-foot by 2-foot pieces of 1-inch thick plywood with a table saw. Use the table saw to cut one of those 2-foot by 2-foot pieces from the right bottom corner to the opposite top corner creating two equal sized triangles.

Place one of the pieces of plywood flat on a flat work surface.

Hold another of the plywood squares upright, flush edge to edge against the back of the first piece. Secure it in place with four equally spaced 2-1/2-inch wood screws along the joint.

Hold another piece flush against the base piece aligned to the left-hand edge of the back piece. Secure it to the base piece and the back piece with four equally spaced 2-1/2-inch wood screws along both joints.

Hold the last 2-foot by 2-foot piece flush against the base piece aligned to the right-hand edge of the back piece. Secure it to the base piece and the back piece with four equally spaced 2-1/2-inch wood screws along both joints.

Cut one 7-inch by 22-inch piece of 1-inch thick plywood with a table saw.

Cut four 6-inch long pieces of 1-inch by 1-inch board with a table saw.

Position two of the 6-inch long pieces on the left hand side piece, one inch apart, at an downwards 30-degree angle from the box opening. Attach them to the left-hand side wall of the three-sided yard cart box with three equally spaced 2-1/2-inch wood screws. Attach the other two 6-inch long pieces to the right-hand wall in the same manner.

Slide the 7-inch by 22-inch piece of 1-inch thick plywood into the 1-inch slot between the 1-inch thick by 1-inch wide pieces.

Cut four 3-inch long pieces of 2-inch by 4-inch lumber with a table saw.

Center one of the 3-inch long pieces of lumber on the top right-hand side wall with the four-inch face horizontal. Place one of the triangular wheel guards, that you cut previously, against it with the top point of the triangle pointing toward the rear of the cart. Position another of the 3-inch long pieces between the wheel guard and the back of the right hand wall. Secure the two 3-inch pieces and the triangular wheel guard in place with two equally spaced 5-inch wood screws. Attach the other 3-inch long pieces and the remaining wheel guard to the left hand side wall in the same manner. Trim the top and back points of the triangular pieces off with a jig saw.

Drill a hole through the center of the right-hand and left-hand side wall pieces with a 3/4-inch drill bit on your drill. An easy way to find the center is to draw one line from the right-hand side top corner to the left-hand side bottom corner and another line from the left-hand side top corner to the right-hand side bottom corner. The center is where the lines intersect.

Detach two 26-inch wheels from an old unused bicycle and keep the bicycle wheel hardware including the bolts, nuts and washers.

Secure the wheels to the outside of yard cart box within the wheel guards with the used hardware from the bicycle.

Cut two 48-inch long solid wood broom handles in half with a table saw so that you have four 24-inch long pieces.

Attach one of the 24-inch long pieces vertically to the back right-hand side corner of the yard cart box with four equally spaced 3-inch wood screws. Attach another piece to the left-hand side in the same manner. These back post pieces will support the weight of the yard cart load when you are not pushing it. Be sure to position them equal to the length of the wheel.

Screw one of the remaining 24-inch long pieces horizontally to the back of the right-hand side wall with four equally spaced 3-inch wood screws. Attach the remaining handle piece to the left-hand side wall in the same manner.

Painting your yard cart will seal the exposed plywood edges and make it last longer.

Pre-drilling your pilot holes through the cut broom handles will prevent splintering.

If you don't have 26-inch bicycle wheels handy, you can use another size. Simply adjust the wheel placement so that they are at least 6 inches from the yard cart base.

Additional strips of 1-inch thick wood can be added above and below the yard cart handles to secure them in place if you notice the handles bending as you lift the yard cart.

Wear safety glasses while operating power tools.