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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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Laminated Knife Block
Make the knife block from several layers of wood laminated together. Cut a 5" x 8" blank for each layer, then taper the top and front edges of each. Cut knife slots parallel to the front edges with a dado blade set 1/8"-deep. Glue the block together with clamps and waterproof adhesive. Sand the knife block after the glue dries.
Fasten the knife block to the island, using knockdown hardware so it can be easily removed for cleaning or repair. Knockdown hardware consists of bolts with wide, flat heads and metal inserts with threads cut on both the inside and outside faces. The exterior threads sink into the wood during installation, anchoring the insert solidly. The internal threads accept bolts.
Clamp the block to the island and drill small pilot holes for the bolts. Remove the knife block and widen the island holes with a 1/4"-dia. bit. Expand the holes with a 1 1/32"-dia. bit for the threaded inserts. Install the nuts and attach the knife block.
Removable Wine Rack
First cut the sides, front and back pieces. Then, using a compass, mark the curved edges for wine bottles. Cut the openings and sand the edges. Roundover the parts with a 3/8"-rad. bit in a table-mounted router.
Next, rabbet the corner joints and cut notches for the bottom slats. Cut the slats 1/16" longer than the dimensions for sanding. Glue and clamp the rack together and set it aside to dry. Later, install the wine rack between the two rack stretchers with glue and counterbored #8 x 1 1/4" screws.
Finishing Up
Remove the top, knife block, drawer and wine rack before finishing. Apply three coats of polyurethane to the base and two coats of 100 per cent pure tung oil on the top. Make sure the finish is safe for contact with food. Some tung oils have dangerous polymers and other additives. Pure tung oil is food safe.
Leaving the top unfinished is an option, too. According to a University of Wisconsin-Madison study, bare wood surfaces killed 99.9% of typical food-borne bacteria placed on it within three minutes, even without washing. Plastic or fully-sealed wood surfaces were shown to harbour bacteria for much longer. Even a thorough washing in hot, soapy water failed to kill all harmful bacteria.
Reassemble the island and add heavy-duty casters to the legs. Make sure the casters can support at least 50 lbs. each.
Before installing the drawer, rub some candle wax onto the runners to prevent binding. Reapply periodically to keep the drawer sliding smoothly. Add a cleat underneath the top to stop the drawer from pulling out too far.
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