OK! Now it is time to put everything together.


On Friday I took a break after assembling the 2 rectangles made out of shelf brackets. Now place one of the rectangles on the floor with the flat side up. This will be the base of your island.


You will be attaching the 4 legs (also shelf brackets) to this. Be sure that your 4 legs are the same length (about 2” less then you would like your final counter height to be).




Snug one leg base up against one outside corner of your rectangle base.  Bolt it to the base on each side of the corner.


Attach the other 3 legs in the same way.




Take your second rectangle that you have already assembled and attach it with bolts to the top of the 4 legs.


You now have a rectangular prism.




At this point you need to use a level to be sure the frame of your island is level.  


Check the level across and lengthwise. The bolts are still a bit loose, so it should be easy to adjust the level of your Island by swaying it one way or the other.




Once it is level, tighten all of your bolts and attach the braces to the long, top corners of your Island with bolts.  Use flat steel shelf supports for this. Position the flat piece on the diagonal from the leg to the top of the frame (about 8-9 inches below the corner, on the leg to the top of the frame and 8-9 inches from the corner horizontally over on the top of the frame). You will either have to cut your length with a hacksaw or use a jigsaw blade that cuts metal.


    


Now you can place your butcher block top on the frame. Make sure it is centered, and mark underneath where the top corner bolts touch the underside of your butcher block.  You will need to chisel out a small round area slightly larger than the diameter of your bolt head.  This way when you place the top on the island, it will be flush with the shelf supports.




Use wood screws to attach your butcher block counter to the frame from underneath.  Use a drill to drill a pilot hole so that when you place your screws through the bracket into the wood, it does not crack. (It’s also quite a bit easier to screw in.)



Your basic frame and top are now complete.


You can leave it just like this if you want an industrial look or you can attach casters (which will enable you to move it easily about), a bottom shelf, and then cover the sides with natural twine to create a more modern and unique design. That will be the final installment of the DIY Butcher Block Island coming up next time!