Unique Air Compressor Tool Cart

If you search online using the keyword “air compressor cart,” you’ll find quite some ideas showcasing how people build air compressor carts for two primary purposes: storing an air compressor and organizing air hoses.

Some designs add extra features, such as storage compartments and wheels for easy mobility.

I’ve taken the time to design an air compressor cart that combines all these functions and enhances them further.

1. Hose Organization: I made a handmade reel attached to the cart for easiest air hose storage
2. Maximum Tool Storage: I included 2 drawers and multiple storage spaces on the back of the cart for storing tools
3. Mobility: I added 2 large wheels to the cart with a stopper in the front for most mobility in all kinds of terrain conditions.
4. More Tool Storage: I added miscellaneous tool storage such as nail gun holder, tool holders, and extension cord holders.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through the design and the build process for this unique custom air compressor tool cart.

Introduction

Several years ago, I built a simple cart to store my air compressor and hose so they wouldn’t just lie on the ground.

The cart did its job—it stored the compressor and the hoses and had an extra drawer for tools. However, it came with a few issues:

1. Poor Craftsmanship: I quickly threw it together with scrap lumber, using a few 2x4s to create a basic table shape with no real design. Honestly, it lacked any woodworking skill and was almost laughable.
2. Non-ideal Hose Storage: Like many air compressor carts, I made the hose organizer as a simple handle, which meant I had to manually wrap the hose around it. While it was functional, it wasn’t ideal. To resolve this issue, most of the ideas on the internet use off-the-shelf reel systems (for example, this Instructable or this one), and put it in the center of the cart, taking up a lot of space. My new design incorporates custom side-mounted reels, which free up the space for the drawers.
3. Limited Mobility: Although I did add wheels, they were all swiveling casters which are meant for smooth, indoor surfaces. Moving the cart over grass, such as when I was building my shed, was difficult. Also, with four casters, the cart had a tendency to roll away on the driveway. I redesigned it with two large wheels at the back and a stopper at the front to improve stability and make it easier to move on uneven terrain.

Below let me guide you through how I built this cart in detail.

[Tools]:

• Table saw

• Miter saw (optional)

• Jig saw

• Drill/impact driver

• Clamps

• Forstner Bit Set

• Angle grinder

• Router (optional)

• Straight Router Bit (1/4”, optional)

• Plunge Router (optional)

[Materials]:

• Washer ( 5/8” inner diameter)

• Washer (3/4” inner diameter)

• Wood glue

• Screws (#4 1” or 3/4”)

• Screws ( #8 2”)

• Axle Shaft (5/8”)

• Set Screw Shaft Collars (5/8”)

• Wheels

• Air Hose (1/4”, 10 ft)

• Pneumatic tool coupler (1/4”)

• Female fitting (1/4”)

• Male fitting (1/4”)

• Swivel Air Hose Connector (1/4”)

• Teflon tape

• Drawer Slides ( 14”, 1 pair)

• Drawer Slides ( 12”, 1 pair)

The first step is to build the main body of the cart, which includes two side panels, a bottom and top panel, a back panel, and dividers for the drawers. 

The body is designed with a tapered shape, wider at the bottom and narrower at the top, to enhance stability and prevent tipping while in motion.

I used ¾” plywood for this project. After cutting the pieces to size, I joined them with wood glue and screws. One important tip: install the drawer slides at this stage—it’s much easier to do now than later.

The second step is to build the drawers. Each drawer is made up of two side panels, a bottom panel, a back panel, and a front panel.

Pay close attention to the drawer's width and height. I made them slightly smaller than the available space to account for the thickness of the drawer slides and any inaccuracies in my cuts.

The reel was the most challenging part of this build, for which I spent several iterations. I'll start by describing the reel’s components and assembly, then go over the difficulties I encountered and how I resolved them.

The body of the reel consists of two discs connected by five dowels,

a crossbar to secure it to the cart,

a handle to rotate the reel,

and various hardware, such as the coupling and fittings, for connecting the compressor to the air hose.

I began by cutting the circular discs and preparing the dowels to connect them. I used a circle-cutting jig for precise cuts—check out my previous Instructable, on how I built it. Alternatively, you can use a jigsaw to complete this step.

With the discs ready, I drilled five evenly spaced holes at 72-degree intervals (360°/5) for the dowels.

I then made my own dowels using a router with a rounding bit—check out my previous Instructables (this and this) on DIY dowel-making! Alternatively, you can buy dowels at your local hardware store. Once the dowels were ready, I test-fitted them by inserting them into the holes on both discs. Once I was sure they fit well, I then secured the dowels to the discs with glue and screws.

The crossbar and fixers secure the reel to the side of the cart, effectively making them part of the cart’s rigid structure. When the handle rotates the reel, only the reel and handle move; the crossbar and fixers remain stationary. The handle and reel are connected by a rod, forming a rigid body so that when the reel rotates, the handle rotates along with it. See the video at the top of this guide for better visualization.

This was probably the most challenging part and I spent quite some time to get it right. Remember earlier I said one disc is connected to the handle by a dowel and supported by the crossbar.

The other disc is supported by the connectors that pass through both the side panel of the cart and the disc.

I had to figure out what hardware to use, how many connectors or fittings to connect to get the best length, and what angle to connect the hoses without interfering with other parts of the reel or the cart.

The picture below is what the resulting connection looks like.

To put them together, I first drilled holes on the panel of one side of the main body. There are 3 holes to be drilled: one for passing through the air hose connectors and two for passing through the fixers for connecting the crossbar.

I then installed the central dowel on one disc,

put on the crossbar,

and then assembled the handle.

Lastly, I then installed the parts to the side panel with the fixers, and the air hose connectors.

Notice the order of assembly is important here, and you want to test fit before the final assembly.

The two wheels and the axle shaft were purchased off-the-shelf from Amazon. To install the wheels on the cart, I made shaft holders from scrap wood, passed the shaft through the holes in these holders, attached the wheels, and mounted the holders to the back of the cart. 

I used an angle grinder to cut off the excess length of the shaft and added set screw shaft collars to keep the wheels securely in place.

I added a couple of storage compartments on the back of the cart, along with a tool holder on the side and a dedicated nail gun holder. The nail gun holder is especially worth mentioning—I traced the shape of the nail guns onto plywood and cut it out. It turned out great, making the nail guns much easier to access.

And that's all. Congratulations, you've made a very unique compressor tool cart! This is by far the most complicated tool cart I've designed and I hope you like it too. I'll see you in the next one!