Problem: A long and rickety wood table in the kitchen. A freebie from somewhere this table is 77 inches long and about 15 inches wide; long and thin. And tall. So tall that large bins, totes, and bags of charcoal can fit underneath. The problem became not what’s below but too many appliances crowded up top on the one shelf. There’s the toaster, can opener, air fryer, assorted breads, fruits, and platters looking for a home. What this tall table needed was a second shelf to catch the excess stuff.

The wood for the shelf came from 8 foot shelving that I keep around for projects such as this. The tall table has six legs with three in front. I cut knotches in the shelf for these three legs. This adds a few more inches to the shelf because I with the notches I can butt the shelf forward. However, that left three inches short on the back side so I ripped two 38.5 inch boards and laid them along the back. The shelf is now 14+ inches wide. Underneath I cut three cross members supported by six small supports that hold that shelving and cross members up. It’s sturdy. Finally I put several coats of white paint with primer.