DIY Build a Simple Rustic Table with Shelves
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The front door of our house has been visited by more delivery drivers this year than I care to admit. We primarily use the back patio doors when we come and go, so, I don’t often think about the decor or functionality of the front stoop. For the past few years, we’ve had a simple TV Tray sitting next to the door for drivers to leave food and pick up their tip, and the poor tray has taken a beating. After many massive carryout orders and the weathering the elements, it was time to say goodbye to the TV Tray and Hello to a new Table with Shelves.
To build this shelf you’ll need a saw or precut lumber, a Brad Shooter, drill or hammer and nails and the Oh So Wonderful miter corner clamps that I use for nearly every project.
I used some reclaimed bits-and-pieces of lumber from around the shop; but, if I were purchasing from a store, my cut sheet would include:
- Eight 1″ x 4″ x 30″
- Six 1″ x 4″ x 10.5″
- Nine 2″ x 4″ x 16″
The fastest way to assemble this table is with a Brad Shooter, but if you don’t have one handy, No Worries!! You can easily build this with a drill, or even a hammer and nails.
These table legs were built using the same method as the Pallet Wood Table I built last month! These “L” Shaped legs are simple and sturdy. I especially like using this style of leg when I’m going to be adding shelves to a piece.
To build these legs, take two of the 1″ x 4″ x 30″ pieces and create an “L”. Use two Corner Clamps to hold the boards together on both ends.
Once you get the boards clamped, you can secure them. I used my brad shooter with 2″ brads, but you could pre-drill and use screws or nails to secure them together.
Once you have repeated this process four times using up all 8 of your 30″ boards, you’re ready to measure and mark where your shelves will go. Take two of your Legs and lay them next to one another. You want the side with the “Seam” between your two pieces of wood to be flat on the ground.
Tip: Both pieces of wood for each leg will be touching the ground.
To mark out the braces for your shelves, first start by measuring down 3/4″ so your top shelf is flush with the legs. For the other two pieces, you can move the 1″ x 4″ x 10.5″ pieces around to figure out your spacing. Just remember, the shelves will lay on TOP of these “rungs.”
Once you have measured out where you want these support pieces to be on your first two legs, replicate the marks on the second set of legs, and then secure your “Rungs.” For this, I again used my Brad Shooter, but shortened the length of the brads to 1.5″. You could use screws or nails for this step, as well.
One you have the two sides of your table, which look like mini ladders, you should be able to stand them up facing one another and place your 9 remaining boards across each rung!
Once you’re sure that all your pieces fit in well together, you’re ready to secure your shelves to the side ladder pieces. I recommend starting on the bottom shelf so you have room to work. You’ll be securing each board from the top down into the “rung” it rests upon. I used 2″ brads for this, but, you could also use screws or nails.
Once all your 2″x4″ pieces are secured into your side brackets/rungs, you are ready to sand and stain!
I couldn’t be happier with the way this build came together! It’s exactly what we need for packages and food deliveries, it’s going to be so much fun to decorate, and it took nearly no time or money to whip up.
I decorated with some cute and affordable finds from Target and Dollar Tree, the new Corn Leaf Wreath I made last week, and now I’m feeling like the whole front of the house is ready for a refresh! I can’t wait to see some of you build a cute Shelf Table of your own.