Building a compact utility table

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Step 1 - Go Shopping Old School

And I put the accent on old! Why? Because you are hunting for one or two walkers. Yes! I said walkers! The kind OL:D people use. Specifically the fold-up kind without wheels. My favorite hunting ground is the local thrift store like Salvation Army and the like. I got mine for 5 bucks each. They are sturdy and fold up compactly. And most have adjustable legs with push buttons. Another nice feature.

Step 2 - Pick your top

Everyone has their own needs and resources so you can pick whatever material suits your project. In my case, I had a pair of sturdy stainless cooking trays hanging around so that was my choice. Sturdy enough to hold what I need and easy to clean and if I use it for cooking not flammable. Nice!

Step 3 - Putting it all together

This is about as simple as it gets. All I did was drill two vertical holes in the walker. One centered in each of the two upper arms of the walker [where the hand grips would be]. Then I inverted the walker, marked the hole locations on the bottom of the tray / table top, and drilled the two holes at the corresponding locations on the aluminum tray. Thats it!

Once that was done the only decision left to make is the attaching hardware. My choice was to make the assembly / disassembly as easy and quick as possible was to use some nice low rounded button head bolts dropped through the top and fastened with wing nuts on the bottom. You can use whatever fits your needs . This is just my version.

Done - Quick, Easy, Sturdy and stores compact!

The whole scenario is pull it out. Unfold it. Grab the top. And fasten it down. Ta Da! Table!

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But Wait! We are not done yet!

It gets better! Here are a couple of options to make it even better.

Want to add a shelf?

In my case the walker had a pair of lower support rails on the left and right. Prime territory for an additional utility shelf. After some dimensioning I found a similar dimensioned cooking sheet at the local Dollar Store. And to make it quick and easy to setup and use I fabricated a pair of supports with semi-round hooks on each end that simply rested on the side support rails. A no-tools utility shelf.

Need a table?

Simply get (2)two walkers and place the longer top of choice on them! No explaination needed really.