The project
I built this outdoor cooking top and drawers so I can grill and fry meals outside to reduce oil splatter in the kitchen. I had a small grill for frying. I then bought a spare induction cooker that I can use for frying outside. I built the drawer/top to accommodate the induction cooker. I also added a tiled splashback.
I didn't do the traditional glue and grout with the tiles. The reason was that the cement sheet backing that I required wouldn't fit in my car. So, I came up with this idea - loose tiles held in place with a channel on the bottom and L-shaped timber on top, so if I ever want to change the tiles to another colour, this would be easy to do.
Steps
Step 1
Cut Cypress Pine to make up cabinet frame.
Router timber to join together. I used a tongue and groove method for joinery.
Then I glued and clamped timber pieces.
Step 2
Cut to length and width to remove radius on Merbau timber.
This was done to enable gluing of the timber joins and removing the oiled surface which allowed for gluing them together, otherwise the timber wouldn't stick together.
Then I glued and clamped the timber. Sanded flat used 80 grit to 240 grit sandpaper. Cut to length, and bevelled the edges with a small trim router.
Step 3
Cut the marine ply to make the drawer. Assemble drawer and paint with clear varnish.
Install the drawer runners, then the cabinet and finally the top.
Step 4
Install the splashback tiles.
