Well yes, i suppose you could leave the casters off during assembly. the bottom shelf is what gives the table stability and i believe the description indicated the weight this table would hold, but i do not recall what that is. the height from top of the table to the bottom of the leg (without the caster) is 27 2/16 inches. i use the table in an office for filing so i have not tested it's strength. good luck.
By AJ Heaps