Kitchen island construction

[joe milana]

How is the bottom shelf attached to the legs on this piece. I typically don't do pieces like this. Thanks!

[frank shic]

probably pocket screws after notching out for the legs

[Ben Hatcher]

I would put a rabbet on the inside top of the stretchers, drop the shelf into it, and attach it with some pocket screws.

[joe milana]

Frank, that's not exactly a quality piece, and you are probably correct, but I wonder if there is a more traditional method, like maybe a corner block, or a spline, etc.

[joe milana]

Now that's an idea. Not much wiggle room though getting it in place though.


I would put a rabbet on the inside top of the stretchers, drop the shelf into it, and attach it with some pocket screws.

[Sam Murdoch]

If this is a plywood shelf nearly any kind of connectors will work. e.g. pocket screws as Frank has suggested, though these won't bear a lot of weight. Cleats rabbeted into the legs onto which the notched shelf is set would work fine too as will Ben's idea of rabbeted stretchers. For a solid wood shelf you are up against wood movement eventually pushing the legs apart or buckling the shelf or some version of ungood, unless some clearance around the legs is accommodated. Joe are you looking to build a similar island with shelf out of solid lumber? I can post a photo of a variation with one solution if you are interested.

[joe milana]

Cleats rabbeted into the legs onto which the notched shelf is set would work fine.

Sam, not sure what you mean by the above quote. You mean a cleat "attached" to the leg?

Basically I'll be building a "four legged island with two drawers & a bottom shelf". Pretty small. Only 24" x 36" with a granite top. The picture is only an example I've been given.

[Sam Murdoch]

"You mean a cleat "attached" to the leg?" Yes, on the two ends - could be let into the legs or simply screwed to the inside faces. The plywood shelf would just be set on the 2 end cleats. You could then trim the shelf with the "stretchers" to hide those cleats. OR the stretchers would be fastened into the legs with tenons and the shelf would just be fitted between them. In that case I would skip the cleats and do as Ben suggested above. The stretchers built into the legs would add a great deal of rigidity to your island. They could just be pocket screwed to the legs for a small island.

[joe milana]

"You mean a cleat "attached" to the leg?" Yes, on the two ends - could be let into the legs or simply screwed to the inside faces. The plywood shelf would just be set on the 2 end cleats. You could then trim the shelf with the "stretchers" to hide those cleats. OR the stretchers would be fastened into the legs with tenons and the shelf would just be fitted between them. In that case I would skip the cleats and do as Ben suggested above. The stretchers built into the legs would add a great deal of rigidity to your island. They could just be pocket screwed to the legs for a small island.

Got it, thanks! Guess there's more than one way to skin this cat. I was expecting: "the traditional way to do this is to....yada yada yada...