Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Kitchen Island Project Details

This is an update to this post - showing the finished piece that is chronicled below.

 Here are a few pictures of the completed island. I think it's interesting to watch the progression from blueprint to completion.... enjoy! 







Wanna see how it was made? Step into my office.....
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One thing is clear - I love building tables. Big bulky tables. Tables that will be around in 50 years. Sure, there are times when something delicate and refined is what people want, but - in my head - give me beefy timbers, solid pegged joints and renewable tops and I'm one happy builder. 

When this client approached me with a kitchen island design reminiscent of a weathered pier, my curiosity was piqued.  Originally - the top was to be vertical grain doug fir, but with the dimensions he wanted (60 inches square) - I was concerned about the wood movement. 

We eventually decided upon a granite top to be placed over a well reinforced baltic birch top. 



After the first couple of sketches, he decided to add a shelf underneath, to hold some storage baskets. Hence...  sketch #2.


The legs are solid laminations - three layers of 8/4 stock. 






I prefer to measure as I work, so once the legs were machined to size - I determined the length of the aprons and stretchers. 



The Festool Domino XL made connecting these components easy and very accurate. 





Sub-assemblies one night, 



and the final glue-up the next day. 


In keeping with the weathered pier theme,    



I decided the shelf below would mimic that decking.



Accurate spacing, via some plywood scraps.



We experimented with a couple of finishes, 


and ultimately decided on this two part finish made by Rubio.



And finally - the piece stained and awaiting pick up. I did a quick calculation - this piece (without the granite top) weighs about 235 pounds.  





I'll post a few finished photos once the granite is in place - based on the type of stone they're using, it should be amazing!  And heavy! This piece isn't going anywhere, once it is in its final location!




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