Kitchen Islands

These are several Kitchen Islands that I made for a clients new house. The Islands mimic the post and beam structure of the house. The Islands are 3' wide by 6" long with a 2" solid hard maple top and cherry and maple bottom. All three Islands are on 3" caster so that they can be moved to different spots in the house.

The top was edge glued using biscuits then cut to length and width. Using a plunge router with a 3/4" planer bit, and the jig in the picture I was able to "dish" the top out leaving a 1" rim a 1/4" high all around the top. The bottom frame was constructed of 8/4 cherry using mortice and tenon joinery.







The following picture shows the clamping and glueing of the base for the Islands.

To keep the base rigid the corner braces are morticed into the frame. All mortice and tenon joints are glued and pegged as well. The last part of the Island is a shelf on the bottom I made from maple and laid out in a grid work using half - lap joinery.

The top was finished using a "salad bowl" finish so its safe for food contact, and the base of the unit was finished using oil/varnish mixture and then an oil/wax mixture.