This Instructable covers how to design a studio cart for rack mount gear and the things to consider when designing one. The build process is covered at a high level, but the nice thing about a simple build like this is it can be done in an apartment with only a few tools if you can find a lumber yard that will cut plywood to finish dimensions.

Lowes and Home Depot will do this, but employees usually don't have the skill required to cut to finish dimensions.

Step 1: Plan Your Build

Time to plan your build. The front panels of rackmount gear are 19", the standard interior dimension is 19 1/8". A rack unit is 1 3/4" high. The extra 1/8" makes it easier to fit equipment into the rack. Rack mount equipment also leaves a bit of room for adjustment.

Design Considerations

How many units tall does your cart need to be?

Does the cart need to fit under a table, and will gear be stored on top of it?

How far inset are the rack modules going to be? I did not have much room under my table for a deep box, so my rack units are only inset 1/8".

How deep does the cart need to be? If you're adding a rack-mount power strip, leave some extra space for coiled up cords and DC power adapters.

Height Calculation and Estimation

Using a spreadsheet like Google Sheets or Libre Office Calc makes this simple, because you can try out a number of different combinations and configurations

To calculate your cart height, use the following formula:

(3 * Plywood Thickness) + RackUnit Height + Caster Height + 1/8"

Be sure to use the actual plywood thickness and not the nominal dimensions. 3/4" plywood is not 3/4" thick!

Step 2: Order Materials

Most of the materials I was able to source locally. Sometimes music stores will carry rack rails, my local shop did not have the size I wanted (10U) so I ordered them online. My rails came with enough screws to mount everything to the rack.

Plywood

You can get your plywood from a box store, but even their best quality plywood is often warped. After building an entire set of kitchen cabinets, the main thing I learned was to pay the extra 20% to purchase plywood from a vendor that supplies cabinet makers. You can often find it pre-finished which saves time and money on paint in the end. I have a few vendors in my area where I can buy quality sheet goods, and all of them will cut it to finish dimensions for a small fee (usually $2-$4 a cut).

Paint/Stain

One thing I learned on this project is that paint stores can match stain very closely. I brought in a sample chip I obtained from my desk manufacturer and they were able to match a stain for the top that looks nearly identical.

Step 3: Execute Build

Now that you've obtained all your materials, it's time to execute the build.

Cut your sheet goods to the final dimensions
Drill your pocket holes on the top and bottom of the rack (they wont be visible on the bottom and they will be covered by the table top.
Assemble the carcass
Paint the carcass. I did not pain the entire interior of mine to so I didn't need as much paint.
Apply edge banding to the table top, apply stain and sealer (I used polyurethane)
Screw top in from the underside. I used wood screws and countersunk them.
Attach your wheels or casters if you planned for them.