Serve patio guests from a deck island

Think of your deck as a roofless, part-time room with several full-time jobs. For many of us, it’s sometimes a kitchen, and it’s been known to turn into a tanning spa on a sunny day, then change into a family room for a warm summer night.

My portable island can help with all the demands placed on a deck. It takes centre stage during meals, provides counter space next to the barbecue and offers hidden outdoor storage for condiments, sunscreen and the latest bestseller you have on the go.

Download the deck island project plans here!

Download the complete materials list here!

Getting started
Begin by preparing stock for the outer sides of the project, including the stiles and rails that form the two back frames, the front frame and the two doors. I used 4⁄4 rough cedar for all these parts, planed down to 13⁄16". You could substitute standard 3⁄4"-thick lumber if you need to.

If you’re working with rough stock, dress it smooth and square, then cut each piece 2" longer and about 1⁄4" wider than the listed length to allow for dressing the edges and ends later.

I made a point of picking 6"-wide boards for this project, since the stiles and rails are 23⁄4" wide. This way you can efficiently get two slats out of each board, with only garden-mulch shavings as waste. Cross cut the stiles to 291⁄4" long (they’re the same for both the doors and back frames), the back frame rails to 161⁄4" long and the door rails to 71⁄4" long.

All inner stiles are a little thinner than the surrounding members—11⁄16" instead of 13⁄16". This separates them visually from their surrounding frames by creating a shadow line. It’s a subtle difference, but worth the trouble at the planer.

With all of the frame parts prepared, glue them up into five separate assemblies using a single #20 biscuit at each joint. Be sure to use weatherproof glue.

When the fifth frame is clamped up, start cleaning glue squeeze-out off the first one. Tackle this job now, while the glue is soft; cedar is delicate, and you could easily cause damage if you try to scrape off fully hardened glue.