The Purchased Parts
Up to this point, the only real “purchased” items have been the butcher block top and counter and the large plugs. If the thought of taking on all the upcoming leg work and frame and panel work gives you pause, relax (if you can do that while simultaneously pulling out your wallet). The legs (pieces 16 and 17) and the panels, which are just raised panel doors mounted to the carcass (pieces 18 and 19), are “storebought.” The panels arrived fully assembled, ready for finishing. The legs did require a little work. That’s an extra-long fence on the table saw, which helps to keep the legs square during these cuts. Without it, the legs would want to work their way away from the fence (as the square portion at each end is disengaged or encounters the fence). With the longer auxiliary fence, that’s not a problem.
The legs require some machining, using an extra long rip fence to cut them to fit, leave a place to glue into the bottom leg rabbets to support the island.
Notice in the Drawings that the rip cuts in the back legs and front legs, while the same on one plane, are different on the other. This accommodates the width of the doors, which have yet to be added to the mix. It will also affect the dimension of the leg fillers (pieces 17), which end up supporting the entire weight of the piece. Since there are two kerfs involved in creating these long rabbets, it was impossible to simply use the cutoff. Make sure your filler piece is correctly oriented for grain match and get as close as possible with your color. Clamp and glue these pieces to the legs and sand them smooth.
Test fit your legs before moving on, keeping in mind that the rabbets on the back legs are slightly different in size.
With the legs ready for assembly, turn your attention to the panels. I suggest starting on one side, toward the front, and attaching the side panels (pieces 19) from the inside, with screws. Use a couple of washers to keep the panels about 1/8″ apart (creating a reveal) and don’t worry if they’re short on the backside — the legs will cover that. On the back, I placed the middle panel first and then the two outer panels (pieces 18), not worrying about a larger gap at the ends because, again, the legs will cover it.
Once you have the framing and filler pieces in position, attach them to the rest of the island’s carcass.
Now you’re ready to install the legs. As mentioned earlier, the two back legs have different dimension rabbets than the two front legs, so make sure you have everything well marked.
Doors, Drawers and Pullout Shelves
To complete the island, attach your drawers and drawer, slides and doors with hinges, these pieces are all store bought for this project
As was the case with the legs and panels, the doors and drawer faces (pieces 20 and 21) for this project are “storebought.” I did end up making the drawers and the pullout shelves myself, because they were really easy and, aside from the grooves for the bottoms, involved very little machining. Follow the Material List and cut all the parts to size for these subassemblies. Start with the drawers (pieces 22, 23 and 24), first cutting the pieces to size and then forming the 1/4″ groove for the bottom. The dimensions are such that you simply capture the bottom as you glue up the surrounding pieces. The pullout shelves are much the same story, just larger. Again, cut the front and back, sides and bottoms (pieces 25, 26 and 27) to size, mill the grooves for the bottom and glue the pieces together.
You’re going to need slide supports (pieces 28) on each side, so the shelves can clear the doors and the drawer faces can extend to the full width of the doors. I installed three on each side. With the supports installed, you’re ready to attach the full-extension slides to the supports, the drawer divider and the pullout shelves and drawers. Follow the directions on the package and, when everything is moving well, attach the drawer fronts and doors. The hinges for the doors (pieces 30) were positioned strategically to miss the pullout shelves, and the drawer fronts are screwed in position from the inside of the drawer in slightly oversized holes, which allows for adjustment.
Finishing Up
The paneling and top finished with Nordic Oil, giving them an attractive golden brown tone and designed with parts and shadow lines to hide most of the joinery.
Install your pulls and knobs (pieces 31 and 32), and you are ready to move on to the finish. I used Butcher Block oil for the top and counter because it’s food safe and then I turned to Nordic Oil for the base pieces. Cherry really looks great with an oil finish, and the patina will get richer as the years march by.
