This Kitchen Island Cart Plan
is Built Using the Kreg Jig.
Page 2 of 2.

On Page 1 of this kitchen island cart plan we showed you how to get everything ready, how to cut the wood and how to drill the pocket holes.

Now comes the fun!  Assembling your cart is simple with pocket hole joinery!  Just follow the steps below.

Have You Been to Page 1 of These Plans?

Click here, or on the photo, to visit Page 1.  Here you will learn how to get ready all materials and tools, how to cut, and how to drill the pocket holes.

The link to the pdf
for this free kitchen island cart plan
is at the bottom of the page.

You Are Now Ready to Build the Drawer.

Drawer Box Construction Comes First.

You will be using your assembled drawer box as a spacing jig when you assemble the cabinet box of this kitchen island cart plan, so it needs to be joined together first.

Lay one of the long side pieces on your flat surface. Align the drawer bottom along the bottom edge of the side. Clamp in place, double-check for square, and drive the Kreg screws into the pocket holes.

Attach the Second Long Side to The Drawer.

Lay the other long side piece of your drawer box on the flat surface. Align the drawer bottom with the bottom edge of that side piece. And, as before, clamp in place, double-check for square, and drive the pocket hole screws.

Complete the Drawer Box With the Short Side Pieces.

The short front and back pieces of the drawer box can now be joined to the sides and bottom using pocket hole joinery.

Once those 2 pieces are added, your drawer box is completed, and you can move on to assembling the cabinet box of this kitchen island cart plan.

Attach the Bottom Shelf to One Side.

Lay one of the side pieces, with the best side down, on the flat surface, and clamp into place. Align the bottom shelf along the bottom line of the side piece, making the front of the shelf flush with the front of the side piece. This will leave a 3/8" gap at the back, where the bead board will eventually go.

For the bottom shelf, you want the pocket holes to be on the bottom, where they will not seen.

Clamp into place, double-check for square, and drive the Kreg jig screws.

Repeat for the Top.

Repeat the same to attach the top shelf to the same side piece. Again, align the front of the top piece with the front of the side piece to create the 3/8" setback.

For the top shelf, the pocket holes could be on the top, as that will be covered by the final top piece. Or, they could be on the bottom, as that will be hidden by the drawer to this kitchen island cart plan.

Right Angle Clamp From Kreg Tool Company is VERY Helpful here!

One of the Kreg clamps that is very helpful here is the right angle clamp, often called the "ultimate clamp for joining 90 degree pocket screw joints."

The steel pin on one arm of this Kreg clamp fits into one pocket hole. The other arm clamps to back of the piece you are clamping. You drive the screw in the pocket hole adjacent to the steel pin.

Since almost all of the joints in this kitchen island cart plan are at right angles, this would be very handy!

Add 2nd Shelf From the Bottom.

The 2nd shelf from the bottom can also be joined to the side.

The best way to do this is to take the piece of beadboard that is 14 1/4" high, and use it as a spacing jig. Set the beadboard on the top of the bottom shelf, and then align the bottom of the next shelf on the top of the 14 1/4" piece.

Use the beadboard again, when you join that shelf to the other side.

See the pdf at the bottom of the page to see how the spacing jig is used, or to learn more about the benefits of using spacing jigs, click here.

 Shelves are Setback 3/8" for the Bead Board Back.

This photo shows the 3/8" space at the back of each of the shelf pieces.

Add the 2nd Side to Your Cabinet Box.

You can now join the 2nd side of the cabinet box to the first side and the 3 installed shelves.

As before, clamp in place and double-check for square, before you drive the Kreg jig screws.

You Can Now Add the Top.

Next attach the Top To This Kitchen Island Cart Plan.

Before you put the next shelf in your cabinet box, you want to attach the top. If you put in the shelf that will support the drawer first, it will be difficult to attach the top.

Lay the best side of your top on a protected, flat surface. This free kitchen island plan calls for the back of the cabinet box to be 5/8" inset from the back of the finished top. This will give you a front overhang of 1 1/4".

When positioned correctly, clamp the cabinet box in place. Drill holes for the 1 1/4" flathead wood screws to go from the cabinet box into the cabinet top. And then drive those screws.

Attach Your Last Shelf Which Will Hold Up the Drawer.

The last shelf will hold up your drawer. Put your cabinet box on its side. Place the drawer next to the top of your cabinet box. Align your shelf next to the bottom of your drawer, making it flush with the front of the side.

Clamp the shelf into place and double-check for square, before you drive the pocket hole screws.

Attach the Cleats Next.

The 3 horizontal cleats can now be added as follows:

One just above the bottom shelf;

One just below each of the middle shelves.

The vertical cleat (not shown in the photo) is joined at the center of the front of the bottom shelf, and the 2nd shelf up. It will be behind the 1/8" gap between the cabinet doors.

Attach the Back to Your Cabinet Box.

The bead board back can now be attached. Lay the cabinet on its face. Mark where the cleats would come on the bead board. Lay the bead board piece in place, and attach it to the cleats using 5/8" brads or finishing nails.

When you roll the build kitchen island cart around, the back looks almost as great as the front.

Inset the Interior Bead Board.

Insert the Other 2 Pieces of Bead board.

The smallest piece of bead board will fit behind the open shelf space on the inside back of the cabinet, just below the top cleat. Use 5/8" brads to attach this piece to the outside back bead board.

The 14 1/4" piece will fit behind the closed shelf space on the inside back of that section of this kitchen island cart plan. Use 3/4" brads to attach this piece to the two lower cleats.

The addition of these pieces gives the kitchen island cart a pleasing, and cohesive look.

Add the Front to Your Drawer Box.

Lay the best side of your drawer front on a flat surface. Align the front of your drawer box so that it is centered on all 4 sides of the drawer front.

When it is centered, clamp in place, and drill holes for the 1 1/4" flathead, wood screws. Then connect the drawer front to the box with the wood screws.

The completed drawer fits perfectly into the top space you created for it.

Your Kitchen Island Cart Plan is Ready for Finishing.

You can now do your final sanding.  The customer wanted this finished with stain and varnish.  But this would be a fun project to try with some milk paint!

The Last Step is to Add the Wheels.

The wheels we used added 1 5/8" height to our build kitchen island cart. They were fastened to the bottom shelf using 5/8" wood screws. The wheels we used were rated for 33 pounds each.

With the wheels attached, you can roll out your kitchen island cart for more counter space while making pancakes for a houseful of hungry, middle-school boys!

May this kitchen island cart plan, and the other free wood working plans on our site, encourage you to make furniture for your home, and for the family and friends you love!

Click here to go to the pdf
for this free kitchen island plan.

Check Out the Cabinets You Can Make With Your Kreg Jig.

Click here, or on the photo, to check out some of the cabinets you can build with your Kreg jig.