Did you know that there are Ikea hacks for many different purposes. However, we repurposed two basic Ikea Kallax shelf units and made them into my ultimate cutting table.

Getting Organized: Ikea Kallax Cutting Table Hack

A quilting cutting table with a purple cutting mat on top.

For most of my quilting career I struggled to cut fabric using a table that wasn’t high enough. I had to bend over and ended up with a sore back in short measure.

Let me preface this article by saying that this Ikea Cutting Table Hack was not my idea, but how we created the cutting table was a little different.

Ikea Kallax Cutting Table Components

Before I tell you how we constructed my cutting table, I want to let you know that we made this prior to Covid, likely around 2018. As a result, the Ikea units may have changed size as we all know Ikea changes the size of their products. I have used current Ikea catalogue sizes in this article for clarity. In addition, my unit is made from Ash colour Kallax units which they no longer carry. The closest you can get now is White Stained Oak Effect.

Kallax Cutting Table Requirements

(2) Kallax shelf units (77 cm x 147 cm / 30 ⅛” x 57 ⅝”)
(16) Boxes for the shelves. The plastic boxes from my unit have been discontinued. Please think about the weight that the boxes will need to carry when choosing your boxes. The Dronjons storage boxes are a great choice because they are metal and sturdy for holding heavy fabric. They are 33cm x 37cm x 33 cm / 13” x 14½” x 13”.
(1) 2’ x 4’ piece of wood to make the rectangular frame that goes underneath.
(4) 2” heavy duty locking castors to place on the corners of the rectangular frame.

How We Made the Cutting Table

The two Kallax units were turned on their sides and screwed together. The wood frame was constructed from the 2’ x 4’. The four castors were screwed onto each corner. The frame was then screwed into the bottom of the unit. Please note that your cutting table will be quite heavy, so take caution flipping it upright.

The Cutting Table Top

Since the table was constructed from two Kallax units and there is an edge between them, we placed a large piece of 8mm plywood on top which is secured with a frame underneath, so it doesn’t move (see picture above). We could glue it to the top of the cutting table, but then it would be much harder to move the table in the future. This way, the unit can be disassembled easily.

I use the Extra Large Cutting Mat by Martelli Notions on my cutting table. It takes up the majority of the table top space since it is 30” x 60”.

My Final Thoughts

I hope you found value in Getting Organized: Ikea Kallax Cutting Table Hack. My cutting table has proven well worth the investment in the components to make it. I no longer have a back ache from cutting fabric because it is the right height, and my fabric is all stored neatly beneath it. Fabric is easy to pull out and the table is fully mobile due to the castors on the bottom.

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