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Butcher block island
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Increase kitchen workspace with this tasteful maple cart
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By Rick Campbell, photos by Yvonne Duivenvoorden, illustration by Len Churchill
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Solid maple construction, crisp details, traditional joinery and on-board storage make this project a built-for-life kitchen addition.
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I get a lot of satisfaction building practical projects that are strong enough to stand up to the rigours of everyday living. With this in mind, I designed and built a butcher block kitchen island that includes a 2"-thick laminated top with a matching knife storage block, a 29"-wide utensil drawer and a removable wine rack that holds four bottles of my favourite vintage. This island is built to last and portable. The entire unit roles quietly and easily on heavy-duty rubber casters.
I built the block using hard maple. It's the traditional choice for butcher blocks because of its tight grain and food-safe surface. Birch is a good substitute and may be easier to find in some areas of Canada.
A Beefy Top
There's more to the laminated top than first meets the eye. Steel rods hidden inside prevent the top strips of wood from cupping and separating. The first step involves slicing your strips from planks planed to 2" thick. The width of each top strip isn't important so long as the top totals 20" wide. Make sure the front and back edge strips are at least 1 1/2" wide so there's room to bore pockets for the washers and nuts that secure the ends of the threaded rods. I used a combination of 2"-, 1 1/2"-, and 1"-wide strips, assembled in random order. Rough-cut the strips 1" longer than the materials list specifies so you can trim the top square after gluing.
Drill 1"-deep pockets into the outside strips with a 1"-dia. Forstner or spade bit. Then switch to a 1/2"-dia. bit to bore oversized holes through all the top strips for the steel rods. Ensure consistent alignment by using the first one as a template, and drill the remaining strips one at a time.
The top of the block will get wet so use a water-resistant glue, such as Type II PVA or a polyurethane adhesive, when assembling the top. Install the threaded rods while the glue cures overnight. Tighten all the joints with bar clamps.
Remove excess glue around the joints with a scraper and smooth the top and bottom faces with a belt sander. Run across the grain, constantly moving the sander. Trim the top with a circular saw along a straightedge.
Next come the tongue-and-groove joints connecting the end caps to the top. These caps hide the end grain and prevent the top from cupping. Mill the 1/2"-long x 1"-thick tongues with a straightedge and a handheld router spinning a 1/2" straight bit. Make end caps to fit.
Don't use glue to fasten the end caps to the top because the joint's cross-grain stops the top from moving laterally as it expands and contracts. Instead, use four #8 x 1 1/2" screws to attach each end piece. Countersink the screws into 3/8"-dia. pockets for tapered wooden plugs. Create an oval hole for the screw by rocking the drill bit from side to side as you bore. The oval hole allows for some tabletop movement.
Cut 1" dia. x 1"-long maple dowel plugs to cover the threaded rods, but don't glue yet. By relying on a friction fit for the first few months, you can still remove the dowel plugs and tighten the nuts if the top eventually shrinks.
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