Introduction: DIY Vintage Bakery Display Cart

DIY Vintage Display Cart for a Bakery

I had the opportunity to build this fun display cart recently for one of my customers. She wanted to display pastries and other items for her bakery as well as use it for a service area and to take for catering or other special events. It needed to be portable, sturdy, have a vintage look to match her décor, and above all be inexpensive.

Materials needed:

1/4 plywood

Several 1 x 2s

1 x 3s

(2) 18 inch round wood table top blanks

(2) metal decorative elements ( Hobby Lobby)

(4) small wheels

screws

Nails

glue

Tools needed:

Miter Saw

Nail gun

Drill

Driver

Sander

Jig Saw etc.

Safety First! Always wear goggles, dust mask and hearing protectors.

Step 1: Step 1 the Cart Base

The first sketch is my original doodle. I tried to keep the cart narrow enough to fit through a commercial doorway. The second sketch is more to scale though the cart did change slightly as the build progressed. I designed it to be made using a series of light weight shelves. The shelves are made from a simple frame of 1” x 2”s with a 1/4" plywood top nailed on. They are approximately 24” wide by 60” long.

Step 2: Step 2 Cart Base

The shelves are spaced approximately 12” apart. I used 1" x 3"s to make the cart frame work and screwed each shelf equal distance from the last. I left approx 12" legs under the last shelf. I then went back and double the 1” x 3”s between and beneath each shelf to sturdy it up. One aesthetic design change I made was to bring in the back leg forward so that the wheel would not hang out past the frame as in the original sketch. At the base of each leg was attached a small wheel to allow the cart to roll. The back two wheels are fixed, the front two swivel.

Step 3: Step 3 Cart Handles

The cart handles are made from doubled 1" x 3"s extending from the front. I used a jig saw to rough out a handle shape and went over it with the sander to round it down further. I then added a couple of inexpensive wood decorative brackets under the arms at the back to give it a more vintage look. The last image is with the table tops set in place that will be used for the wheels.

Step 4: Step 4 the Cart Top

The top half of the cart was built separately. The top half of the cart can be removed to use as a separate service area. The two upper shelves are held in place with removable bolts. The baker wanted to be able to vary the items displayed such as cupcakes to wedding cakes depending on her needs. The roof was fabricated from 1”x 2”s like the shelves. A simple triangle frame was created and then covered with 1/4” plywood.

Step 5: Step 5 Painting the Cart

The whole contraption was painted antique white. At Hobby Lobby they had these great round metal decorative items that I thought would help define the wheel and save me a lot of work in the process. Matching AW spray paint was used on the round decorative elements. I then mounted the decorative elements to each wheel to give it a floral vintage spoke look. I then mounted the painted round table top blanks on each side at the back legs 1" from the floor. This would give it the “cart look” and leave clearance for the small wheels to roll.

Step 6: All Finished!

All finished! As the photo shows, the shelves can be removed for different sized items. I hope this Instructable was helpful. Please "like" it if you found this Instructable useful. As always let me know if you have any questions or comments!