This started as a cheap steel workshop tool cart from Amazon. The goal wasn't just to build another desk, it was to create a compact all-in-one battlestation that could be wheeled anywhere around my home while blending modern gaming, retro gaming and hi-fi audio into one unit.
The top was replaced with a solid scaffold board (44cm wide/68cm long), professionally finished in a light walnut stain and fixed using black CT1 adhesive, spax countersunk screws and additional steel support straps to cope with the weight of the monitor arm. I also added 18mm OSB boards to the bottom of the shelves and covered them in neoprene sheets, there's an internal hole cut in the corner of the middle shelf to pass power cables and USB sockets through.
Current hardware includes:
MSI Claw 8AI+ handheld PC.
iVANKY 14 in 1 docking station.
27" 1440p 165Hz AOC monitor on a monitor arm.
Corsair K65 Pro Mini keyboard.
Logitech G203 LightSync mouse.
AIYIMA T9 hybrid amplifier (Connected to the monitor's audio jack).
Q Acoustics 2010i (2012) bookshelf speakers.
Monitor light bar (Baseus).
Ugreen 3 in 1 out HDMI switcher.
5 socket side-mounted extension lead with multi USB power.
The lower shelf is inspired by old hi-fi separates. The AIYIMA amp (£50/$65 AliExpress) sits on top of an old carved wooden box, giving it a raised display while the illuminated VU meter and old skool vacuum tubes become the visual focal point, inside the box is an Infinity USB 120mm fan that keeps the amp cool from below.
The middle shelf is reserved for gaming hardware. At the moment it's home to the MSI Claw 8AI+, but it's been designed so an Xbox Series S (Carbon Black) or Series X and Amiga 500 Mini and Nvidia Shield TV/Chromecast can be connected through a UGREEN 3 in 1 out HDMI switch while keeping cable clutter to a minimum.
One feature I particularly wanted was the drawer. Instead of storing tools, it hides an Amiga 500 Mini, giving the cart a built-in retro gaming compartment. Amiga was my goto gaming system back in the day.
Most of the effort went into planning cable management on the left pegboard, power distribution and making the whole system easy to expand rather than simply filling every shelf. A 35mm (middle shelf corner) and 60mm (left pegboard) HSS hole saw was used to drill holes to run cables across and through the steel cart (work in progress).
Future additions include:
MSI Claw 8 EX AI+.
Xbox Series S (Black Carbon) or Xbox Series X.
Amiga 500 Mini permanently wired into the drawer (35mm HSS hole drilled at the back for 5v and HDMI cable).
Chromecast 4K.
Warm white COB LED shelf lighting on the underside of the monitor overhang.
The entire build has been a gradual DIY project, changing and improving as ideas developed rather than following a fixed plan.
I called it Project Blacksmith because it felt more like fabricating and adapting something unique than simply assembling PC parts.
It's a heavy bit of kit but the project worked out well costing around £200/$265 excluding the tech.