You know how it goes. You buy a new piece of outdoor cooking gear, and suddenly there's this old grill cart just sitting there — rusting, taking up space, not really doing anything useful anymore. Most people would drag it to the curb. I looked at it and saw a project.

I had just picked up the Cuisinart 3-in-1 pizza oven, grill, and griddle, and right away I could tell it needed a proper home outside. It's a tabletop unit, which is great for portability, but you still need something sturdy to set it on — something at the right height, with room to work. I wasn't about to spend money on a new cart when I had an old grill base in the garage and a stack of leftover wood just waiting to be used.

So here's what I did, why it worked, and what you should know if you want to try something similar.

The Starting Point: A Grill That Had Seen Better Days

The old grill on top was done. Holes rusted through the cooking surface, the grates were beyond saving, and honestly the whole top half wasn't worth keeping. But the base — the cart frame, the wheels, the lower shelf — that was all still solid. Good metal. Sturdy legs. Wheels that still rolled smooth. Throwing that away would have been wasteful.

I unscrewed the old grill body right off the top of the cart frame. That part was straightforward — a few bolts and it came right off. What I was left with was basically a rolling metal stand at the perfect working height, with a flat top frame and a shelf underneath. All I needed to do was build a tabletop to sit across that frame, and I'd have exactly what I needed.

What I Used

🪵 Materials (all from the garage — cost: $0)

Leftover wood boards from previous projects
Wood screws
Drill / screwdriver
Saw (to cut boards to length)
Measuring tape
Sandpaper (to smooth edges)
The old grill cart base (with wheels)

That's the part I love most about this build — I spent nothing. If you've been doing projects around the house for any length of time, you probably have scraps of wood sitting in your garage or shed right now that are perfect for something like this. Don't overthink the material. You're building a work surface for outdoor cooking, not fine furniture.

💡 Tip: If you don't have leftover wood, check your local Facebook Marketplace or Buy Nothing group — people give away lumber scraps all the time. You can build this entire project for next to nothing.

How I Built It

Measure the cart frame top. I measured the width and depth of the open top frame on the old grill cart so I knew exactly what size tabletop I needed to build.
Cut boards to length. I cut my leftover boards to match the width of the frame, then laid them side by side to figure out how many I needed to cover the depth. No need for a perfect fit — a little breathing room is fine for an outdoor surface.
Screw boards together. I ran a couple of cross-boards underneath to tie everything together and keep the planks from spreading apart. This is what gives the tabletop its rigidity.
Sand the edges. Quick pass with sandpaper to knock down any rough edges or splinters. You're going to be working on this surface — no need to get jabbed every time you reach for something.
Set it on the cart frame. I laid the finished tabletop right across the cart frame. It sits snug and doesn't slide around during cooking. No permanent attachment needed — being able to lift it off is actually handy for cleaning.
Set the Cuisinart on top. The 3-in-1 sits perfectly on the wood surface. Sturdy, level, at a great working height, and the cart rolls wherever I need it on the patio.

Why This Setup Works So Well

The height is right. That's the thing most people don't think about until they're hunched over a tabletop unit sitting on a folding table that's two inches too short. This cart puts the Cuisinart at a comfortable cooking height — I'm not bending down, I'm standing and working the way you should be when you're grilling or flipping pizza.

The wheels matter more than you'd think. Being able to roll the whole setup to where the shade is, or reposition it away from a door before firing up the propane, or just roll it back against the wall when you're done — that convenience adds up over time. A fixed table or stand would drive me crazy by comparison.

The lower shelf on the old cart is now storage. Propane tank, pizza peel, tongs, a roll of paper towels — it all has a spot right there at the station. No running back inside for gear mid-cook.

The result: A fully mobile outdoor cooking station — built entirely from stuff I already had — that makes the Cuisinart 3-in-1 even more practical and enjoyable to use. Total build time was maybe 45 minutes. Total cost was zero dollars.

Could You Do This? Yes, Easily.

You don't need to be a carpenter. You don't need fancy tools. If you can measure, cut a straight line, and drive a screw, you can build this. The old grill base is doing all the structural heavy lifting — you're just putting a clean surface on top.

If your old grill base doesn't have wheels, check if you can add a set of locking casters from the hardware store. They're cheap and make a huge difference in how usable an outdoor cooking setup is day to day.

And if you're on the fence about whether to keep your old grill cart at all — I'd say hold onto it. That metal frame has a second life waiting on it. All it takes is a little bit of time and whatever wood you've already got laying around.

Watch it Work

Check out the video above or find me at @tyronebcookin on YouTube — and if you want to see the Cuisinart 3-in-1 actually cooking pizza on this new setup, check out my Cuisinart Pizza Trial post.

Now go check your garage. I bet you've got exactly what you need already sitting there.

— Tyrone

🔧 Built something similar? Drop a comment and let me know what you repurposed. And if you're looking for more outdoor kitchen gear worth your money, check out my Kitchen Best Buys page.

Convert old grill into roll-away tabletop for Cuisinart 3-in-1