Matt’s CNC Computer Cart Build | ToolsToday

Today we are making a computer cart for our new shop! We used Amana Tool® CNC Router Bits, Saw Blades and the STEPCRAFT® Q.408 63” x 108” CNC machine available on our website.

This is a really fun project that looks absolutely incredible fully finished and would fit right in even outside of a workshop setting!

Get the plans for just $10 here, ToolsToday provided product.

Feed, Speed, Chip Load & Step Down CNC Running Parameters

CNC Insert Solid Carbide V-Groove 140° Amana Tool no. RC-1111
RPM: 18,000
Feed Rate: 80 IPM
Chip Load: 0.003”
Ramp Down: 40 IPM

1/8” Dia Solid Carbide Spiral 2-Flute Up-Cut Spektra™ Coated Amana Tool no. 46100-K
RPM: 18,000
Feed Rate: 150 IPM
Chip Load: 0.003”
Ramp Down: 75 IPM

1/4” Dia Solid Carbide Compression Spiral 3-Flute Spektra™ Coated Amana Tool no. 46370-K
RPM: 18,000
Feed Rate: 120 IPM
Chip Load: 0.003”
Ramp Down: 60 IPM

1/4” Dia Solid Carbide Spiral 2-Flute Up-Cut Spektra™ Coated Amana Tool no. 46315-K
RPM: 18,000
Feed Rate: 150 IPM
Chip Load: 0.003”
Ramp Down: 75 IPM

1/2" Dia Insert Solid Carbide Flush Trim with Lower Ball Bearing Amana Tool no. RC-47104

3/32” Radius Mini Corner Rounding Carbide Tipped with 3/16” Dia Mini Ball Bearing Amana Tool no. MR0110

No-Mar Carbide Tipped Adjustable Depth Countersink Amana Tool no. 55227

10” Dia General Purpose Electro-Blu™ Coated Saw Blade Amana Tool no. PR1040C

1/4” Dia Solid Carbide Spiral 2-Flute Down-Cut Spektra™ Coated Amana Tool no. 46202-k
RPM: 18,000
Feed Rate: 180 IPM
Chip Load: 0.005”
Ramp Down: 90 IPM

1/8” Dia Solid Carbide Spiral 2-Flute Down-Cut Spektra™ Coated Amana Tool no. 46200-k
RPM: 18,000
Feed Rate: 150 IPM
Chip Load: 0.004”
Ramp Down: 75 IPM

VIDEO TRANSCRIPTION:

Matt: Today I'm going to be showing you how I made this awesome computer cart. I'm definitely really excited about this project and super happy with how it turned out. So definitely stick around to see how we made it. The plans to make this cart for yourself are available on our website. So, you can definitely check that out with the link in the description. I put down a full sheet of ½" Birch plywood, and you can see that it has some really nice grain. Put that down on the Stepcraft Q.408 4x8 CNC machine. We do sell that on our website. So, you can definitely check that out there as well.

Turning on the vacuum table and getting everything nice and sucked down. I went ahead and sanded everything before actually cutting. That way I didn't have to sand individual pieces. Using the Auto Tool Changer, I picked up the RC-1111 140-degree V Bit. This is going to leave a nice clean cut through this Oramask. We're just applying that where the logos will actually be zeroing off and then getting started cutting. So, this bit does a nice job with this ½" plywood, leaving a really good clean cut on all of the finer details and then not plunging very deep at all to get the entire logo design in there. The wide angle definitely makes sure that it doesn't have to plunge deep to get the same level of detail. I carved out both logos using the same bit and as you can see here, it leaves a really nice clean cut through that Oramask and through the wood.

With the logos all carved, we're going to drop off the 140-degree V Bit and then go pick up the 46100-K 1/8" Upcut bit. So, this is going to go through and mark out a bunch of hole locations here. These are where we're going to add screws later to secure all the panels together. And it's doing that in a single pass. Basically, I set a spiral ramp down at a full depth of cut. And then I'm going to cut out here the fan grill where we're going to add some fans for the computer a little bit later. If you love this type of content, be sure to subscribe to our channel, and go ahead and hit that bell so that you'll be notified on all of the new videos when they're released.

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So, we got that all added and we got it all cleaned up and it did a nice job there. We're going to drop off the 1/8" bit and pick up the 46370 1/4" diameter, 3 Flute Nesting Compression bit. So, this bit is going to go through this 1/2" plywood and a single pass. We're doing the pockets first. These are the dog bones for where the shells will go. And then we're going to do the handles for where the doors are going to be eventually. So, we'll cut all the pockets first and then go through and do all of our profile cuts. So, as you can see here, like I was saying before, it's going through and doing a full depth of cut with one pass. This is going at over 100 inches per minute. And we're doing that with a compression bit which has a upcut portion and a down cut portion, leaving a nice clean top and bottom surface.

So, these are all of the doors and drawer fronts. And as you can see here, I left tabs that bridge the two pieces. This is to make sure that they all stay in the exact spot. I wanted to make sure that the kerf was as small as possible. That way we get a nice grain match. So, we're going through cutting out all of the remaining pieces. We'll turn the vacuum off and get the skeleton all pulled up. So, you can see all the pieces it left there. So now, we can get the logos all painted. For that, I'm using some General Finishes Milk Paint. This is a mix of Sunglow and Holiday Red to get this color. We do sell the milk paint on our website, it's a great paint for any sort of sign work like this. It goes on a lot thicker and it doesn't bleed like a lot of paint does. I applied some spray lacquer over the top just to seal that paint so that the finish doesn't soak in when we apply it later. Pulling the mask off to reveal a nice clean kerf.

It's always satisfying to see that all coming off. So, we got that all done and then did the Tools Today logo as well and got that all pulled up. I'm using a hook weeding tool here just to help remove that mask. Again, we do sell that on our website too. But as you can see, they came out nice and clean. So, getting the second sheet put down on the CNC and then I'll get that sucked down to the table as well after a bit of sanding, and we're ready to start cutting all of the drawer parts. So again, we're going to use the 1/8" Upcut bit to cut all of the hole locations. And then we'll switch out after cutting all of those to the 3-Flue Nesting Compression bit. So, the auto tool change is definitely a really nice feature to have, and definitely speeds up this process a ton.

So, we cut all of that out using the dust collector this time since we had all the filming done for everything else. We'll get the vacuum turned off and then get the skeleton on that one pulled up as well. So, we got those all done, all the drawer parts are now ready to go. And we can begin installing the drawer slides on the side panel. So, I made this little T-square looking thing here. Got it all clamped down and this is going to allow me to install these drawer slides accurately on both panels and make sure that we get it in the same location. So, using the Self-Centering Bit here, we're going to install all of the screws and then you can see the soft-close action on those. So, you can see I used the same jig on the other side and then I took it over to the table saw and cut it down after both of those were done.

Now we have the next location for the next drawer. Did the same thing for all three drawers and they matched up perfectly. So, using the 46315-K 1/4" Upcut bit with a 1" cut height, we’ll cut out all of the door and drawer handles. So, this is two sheets of 1/2" Baltic birch plywood glued together. And I'm using that to create the handles. These are the caster plates where we will give some meat to attach the casters. So, you can see everything cut out nicely there. And then we'll take everything over to the router table and use the RC-47104 Insert Carbide Flush Trim Bit to flush trim all of those tabs.

I'll switch out for the Mini Round Over. This is the MR0110 to just give a little profile to those handles to make them easier to grip. So, with that done, all of the drawer parts are ready to be assembled. So, I’ll clamp that to the workbench and then use the 55227 Nomar Countersink to give a countersink where all of those hole locations are. This will drive those below the surface and leave a nice clean pocket and get those attached securely. So, I did the same thing for all of the drawers using these dog bones. It's really nice because it's a tight fit. And everything is basically self-squaring, so I don't have to do a whole lot making sure that everything's squared up.

So that part is done. All of the screws are driven in and these are the drawer fronts with those drawer handles. And you can see how those all fit in there with the dog bones there. The extra part of the handle all covers that up so that you can't see that from the front at all. Looks really nice and super happy with the way that those look. So, we'll get the panel all flipped over. And the one part that couldn't be cut on the CNC is this angled piece here. So, the top is angled, I'm marking out a location there. And I'm going to extend that. I'll then install the other panel and then mark a location on there where that line met up with it so that I know where to cut. So, this needs to be 22.2 degrees. And I'm marking that front panel as well.

Like you said, I need to do a 22.2 degree cut here. At one side, I’ll cut down accurately and then move to the fence over, made sure everything was lined up and then did the other side as well. We can get everything installed again just to make sure it all lines up correctly. And as you can see here, we have a nice tight fit on the edge and then also on the front side as well. So, we'll get it all removed again. And then like I said that little off cut piece, we're going to install right here to give a little lip so that nothing falls off that angled area.

So just using some titebond 2 wood glue, we'll get it all glued down and then use a straw just to remove that excess glue in the corner. So, after that's all dry, we can get the clamps removed. And then you can see we have a nice little lip there. So, we'll move on to installing the rest of the pieces for the cabinet. Again, using the 55227 Nomar Countersink to get all of those driven home. So, all of the joints are really nice tight fit and the screws basically just make sure that it's not going to come apart or anything like that. These are just 1-inch screws throughout the entire project. And it went together really pretty easily.

So, I need to install some fans since we're going to be adding a computer to this cart. So, I removed all of the extra stuff that I didn't need and then just used some screws to hold that in place. And you can see it turning on there. So, we'll get that other panel installed now that the fan is ready to go, and then we'll get the other side done now that the other side is done. So, we'll get it all pushed down into place. And then as you can see here, we're just going to do the same thing with installing all of the screws as we did on the other panel.

We'll get that flipped over to the back panel. And here you need to make sure that you install the extension cord running up to the computer cabinet before installing this back panel as the area is not big enough to run a full plug through there, but this hole will allow you to run the plug straight out the back of the cabinet. So, the plug is all there. We have power to the computer area and I'll get the top lip installed as well. With that part done, we can now get the other fan installed and there's going to be a intake and an outtake fan to make sure that there's always cool air in there. I installed a filter to make sure that the dust doesn't make it into the cabinet.

We'll install the caster blocks so that the casters have some extra meat to grab onto. And then I'll finish off the cabinet. I'm using some Odie’s Oil here. This is my go-to finish for projects like these. Definitely makes the wood look absolutely incredible, brings out the grain really nicely in this wood and you can definitely see all of the curl in there. So, you can see I'm being careful not to get the finish into the areas that are already painted. If I do, it's really easy with the lacquered pieces to be able to wipe that off. So, after about 40 minutes, I was able to buff that finish off and you can see just how spectacular that looks here. The curl on this piece is absolutely incredible. I am not sure I've seen another piece of plywood like it.

So now I need to get the hinge holes drilled into the cabinet doors. So, I'm using the 46202-K 1/4" down cut bit to do that. Basically, I used the area there as a reference to get everything all nice and lined up. The hinges fit great. So, I'll remove this door and put down the other one so that we can get those hinge pockets cut. Before I actually install the hinges, I'm going to install the handles. So those are going to get a little bit of glue in there. We'll just brush it on there and then install the handle. These are a very tight fit. So clamping is definitely not necessary. And you can see there on the backside, they are nice and flush. We'll get the hinges installed using the Self-Centering Drill Bit again, and those are ready to go.

We'll install that on the cabinet itself. I'll mark out a couple holes and drill a pilot hole there just to make sure that I get the screw in the exact right location. Both doors are installed and the Soft Close Hinges are really nice. I love the way that those work. So, we can get the drawers installed now. So, I'm using a couple runners here to set the drawers on so that I can have a nice reference area so that we can get these installed perfectly square. So, using the Self Centering Bit again, we'll get that all drilled out, and then pushing down on the drawer to make sure it's in contact with those runners, I can get the next screw put in. And that way it's perfectly square going all the way back. So, I’ll do the same thing for the other drawers just setting it now on top of the drawer instead of on the shelf.

So, we did the exact same thing going back and forth, installing those screws to make sure that it was all perfectly square. And as you can see it worked great. So now we can get those drawers removed after installing and I’ll install the drawer fronts. So, I'm using some cards here with some double-sided tape. Those cards give me the offset of everything and the double-sided tape holds it in temporarily while I drive in some screws from the backside. So those cards we’ll use on the next drawer as well to make sure that we got the exact same spacing and get that installed again driving in some screws from the backside to hold it in place permanently. And it's ready to go.

So, this part is all done. We can get those casters installed on the actual cabinet and we can move it up to the workshop. So, my dad was able to come over and help me move the cart up to the workshop. It's a little bit heavy for one person to be carrying at this point. So, we got that all wheeled in there and I installed the computer door. So, this was my first attempt at this and I really didn't like how this turned out. I don't like how the door sticks out. So, I'm going to fix that here a little bit later. But this is one option in the plans that you'll be able to use for a door. So, using the Nesting Compression Bit again, I can get all of the monitor mount pieces all cut out. So, this again is Baltic birch plywood going through in a single pass cutting out all of these different pieces for the monitor mount.

So, with that part all done, we can get all of those pieces removed from the sheet and switch out the bit for the 46202-K 1/4" down cut bit. I'll use some brad nails into the waste board to install a piece of walnut laminate flooring to make the knobs for the monitor mount. So, this will go through and do several different operations here creating a little lip there so that we have a standoff to attach everything to. So, with both of those done, we can get them removed from the CNC. We'll cut those tabs free and then take everything over to the router table where we'll use the MR0110 Mini Round Over bit just to add a nice profile to all of these pieces.

The nice thing about this is, it has a 3/16" diameter ball bearing so it fits into those tight spaces really easily. So, we'll attach the monitor mount and use some glue. And I'll use a little spacer here to make sure that while I'm clamping everything up, it doesn't bend or flex or anything like that. So, with everything all glued up, I put a bolt in there to make sure that everything was lined up correctly. We'll remove that extra piece after the glue is dry and then using a 1/2" drill bit, we’ll drill a hole for the 1/2" bolt that will go into the top of the cabinet. So, we can drill that same hole onto the cabinet itself. And I used a little block behind it to make sure that it didn't blow out too bad. And you can see here how that fits.

So, I'm going to mark out the back of that area. I need to drill a 1¼” hole here with a Forstner bit where the cords are going to come through. So, I used a larger Forstner bit here to install that. And you can see here, we still do have a range of motion there so that the mount can basically swivel and tilt as well. We're installing everything else. I am marking out the dead center here. That way we can attach the actual VESA mount to the rest of the monitor mount. I'll use the same 55227 Nomar countersink to do that, and then we'll just drill those into place and then I’ll attach the mount to the actual monitor itself. With that all done, we can attach the rest of the monitor arm to where it mounts to the cabinet itself.

Everything's able to tilt and adjust to really whatever area you want. It's a perfect height for the touchscreen monitor on the CNC and can swivel, if necessary, as well. So now we can move on to fixing that door for the computer cabinet. Like I said, I really didn't like how that turned out. So, I'm using a piece of 1/8" Baltic birch to fix that. Both of the door styles are in the plan so you can pick and choose which one you want. But this is one that I definitely like a lot better. So, using the 46200-K 1/8" down cut bit, we’ll get a pocket cut for some magnets and then using a piece of ½" Baltic birch, we’ll cut out the mating pockets that we’ll install into the cabinet itself.

So that is done. We can get those removed and then using some Starbond Adhesive Thin Super Glue, we do sell this on our website, I'm going to glue in those magnets here. So basically, I'm using a little bit of accelerator on the magnet and that will dry super quickly. So, I’ll install all of those pieces there. And then I need to make sure that the polarity is correct on the strips that I'm going to install those on. So, I test that and make sure that I get it installed the correct direction. And then we'll do that for all of the remaining pieces and they work. I’ll mount those strips to the cabinet using the 55227 Nomar Countersink just making sure everything's nice and flush here using the door as a guide to make sure that it's all flush.

So that installs really nice and easy. We can do the bottom side and then we'll do the same with the top. You can see it's a nice fit on the bottom. And then like I said, do the same thing on the top, getting everything screwed into place. So, with that done, I used some Super Glue again to install the little handle on the door and then use some Odie’s oil to finish this piece off. This is the computer that I'll use for everything. Basically it's meant to be a home theater PC but it works great for running a CNC machine. I'll get everything nice and organized in there and then install the door after checking to make sure that everything works correctly. Everything powers on and this door is a really good fit and I love that little pop there.

So, it's got a nice spot for a mouse and keyboard as well although it will be mostly used as a touchscreen monitor since that's what it was intended for. So anyways, that's going to do it for this project. I'm super happy with how this turned out. Hopefully you guys enjoyed seeing this as much as I enjoyed making it. Be sure to check out those plans on our website if you're interested in making it for yourself. But hopefully you guys enjoyed it. Have a great day everybody.