Creative ideas to re-purpose this cart?

[kxxr]

This big Carter Hoffman food tray cart has been taking up space in the basement where I work for a few years now and is tagged for the scrappers if no one claims it.
I don't need a food cart and it takes a lot of space, but... if I could find a creative way to make good use of it, I'd sure save it from the crusher. It's stainless steel and looks well built. The 3 compartments are 14 and 1/2 inches wide and almost 2 feet deep. The 'shelf' inserts are removable and are meant to hold food trays, spaced about 4 inches apart vertically, as you can see. The whole thing is about 4 1/2 feet tall and almost as wide.
Anybody ever re-purpose one of these things? Anybody have any cool ideas to give the old monster new life?

 

[omr]

if you could find some bins that could slide on the lips of the cabinet it would be pretty useful for storage as well as a bench area ..

 

[shannonw]

seems like you could maybe remove it from the base and make it a wall cabinet?

 

[ratdoggy]

You might try a retaurant supply to find sheet pans and trays to fit.

 

[Weps]

get that. you won't regret it. carter hoffman makes good stuff. that thing was likely a few thousand dollars new. if you haven't noticed, food service stuff is very well built. high quality casters. high grade stainless.

i would look for hotel pans or trays to use in there. they are available in stainless, plastic, aluminum. and keep it pretty much as it is - a rolling shelf/storage rack and cabinet with a stainless top that can be used as a work surface. you could probably put a nice hardwood top on it as well.

much of my stuff is surplus medical and i would love to have something like that.

 

[kxxr]

get that. you won't regret it. carter hoffman makes good stuff. that thing was likely a few thousand dollars new. if you haven't noticed, food service stuff is very well built. high quality casters. high grade stainless.

i would look for hotel pans or trays to use in there. they are available in stainless, plastic, aluminum. and keep it pretty much as it is - a rolling shelf/storage rack and cabinet with a stainless top that can be used as a work surface. you could probably put a nice hardwood top on it as well.

much of my stuff is surplus medical and i would love to have something like that.

I was thinking along the same lines. It's a little tall for a work surface, but it would definitely roll around with ease, even on my cracked garage floor. It just rubs me wrong to think of it going to the scrap recyclers. All that stainless is kinda purdy. I did look on the C-H website and know that it was a few thousand new. It has seen very little use. I'm starting to feel a little better about dragging it home. My wife will give me that look though.
Speaking of surplus medical, I recently missed out on a Mayfield Skull Clamp with lots of accessories. I have no idea what I would have used it for but that was one beautiful piece. I would have found some use for it. Discount garage brain surgery anyone?

 

[jlckmj]

I would set it on a heavy duty steel fire pit and use it for a smoker.

Jim

 

[kxxr]

I would set it on a heavy duty steel fire pit and use it for a smoker.

Jim

Front yard or back?

 

[Weps]

Speaking of surplus medical, I recently missed out on a Mayfield Skull Clamp with lots of accessories. I have no idea what I would have used it for but that was one beautiful piece. I would have found some use for it. Discount garage brain surgery anyone?

lol. that would have been something. precision soldering/clamping station was my first thought. would that have been free too? i have access to some pretty good stuff, but it sounds like you might be sitting on a gold mine.

btw, the last thing i missed was a high end zeiss surgical microscope stand. it was slick. maybe it's best we didn't get them though.

as far as the tray cart, i have an endoscopy cart that is a similar height. it's turned out to be really comfortable for quick jobs or anytime i just want to stand. and especially for things i want to get a good look at. cleaning and assembly work mainly.

 

[six-T-seven]

make some metal shelves and use it to store flammables.

 

[larry_g]

You could also make shelves out of plywood. Remove the wheels as said and hang on a wall or sit on a stand. Use the wheels and throw the rest away. Cut the upper off and have a rolling platform. Remove the doors and lay it on its back and use it for a flower or veggie garden. Use it out back to store garden or yard chemicals. It might make a great smoker.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[5lima30]

+1 on making shelves out of plywood then use it for portable power tool storage. One shelf could be designated for various saw blades and one could be sandpaper/ emery cloth etc. YMMV.

 

[Cryptic1911]

mobile powder coating oven

 

[bazzateer]

You can get that for free? YOU ****!

 

[carhunter]

get it, sell it, and buy what you really want. That's got to be worth some coin.

 

[steviec]

+1 on the smoker. I'm thinking Stumps Clone conversion.

 

[darkk]

I'd sure find a use for it. Can never have too much storage... And I live to far away to come get it...

 

[kxxr]

Thanks to all for the ideas! I am seriously thinking about bringing it home, but ... the damn thing is huge! I am about 6 ft tall and that thing is not quite chin high, but a little higher than chest high, lets say 5 feet anyway, and a little over 4 feet wide and probably 28 inches deep.
I like the idea of making some kind of shelves for it, and if I did that I could probably store enough stuff inside to make space for it.
I didn't grab it fast because I knew it wasn't going anywhere and I know I tend to go a little overboard with dragging stuff home to 're-purpose'. But you all just about have me convinced that it would be an ok move.
I'll post some pictures of that thing in the back of my truck. I would take some shots of me unloading it, but I'm pretty sure I'll be the only one there.