end-grain top attachment (expansion/contraction)?

[Zach England]

I am building a kitchen island that will have an end-grain top. The top is 22x25 and 2 inches thick made of oak (ran out of maple) and the island itself is made of alder with M/T construction.

My question is, how do I attach the top so there will not be problems with expansion/contraction? I'd like to have it attached permanently and not "float" in any way, but I am afraid any rigid fastener like screws will cause cracking either in the top or the frame. Some sort of dowel or wooden peg attachment, maybe?

Can anyone please advise?

Thanks.

[Gary Clark33]

I built a similar island and had the same concern. I only had figure 8 table top fasteners available and wasn't sure if they would allow for enough movement in both directions. So I "temporarily" placed the top on the frame with no fasteners and found that it doesn't move at all (although I'm not exactly using it like a true butcher block and wailing on it with a meat cleaver).

End grain blocks can move quite a bit. I made the mistake of routing the pockets for the grab bar handle before I oiled the block. The block expanded enough that the bar would not fit and I had to plug and re-route one of the pockets.

If I do permanently mount the top, I plan on routing a groove on the inside of the apron and using L shaped blocks to attach.