Today's Woodworking question - wood counters

[DAB]

today's woodworking question concerns a butcher block countertop in a kitchen. in this particular case, an edge grain countertop (as opposed to an end grain assembly).

and our dear writer wants to know how to protect it.

easy, don't use it.

see, that was easy. :dance::DAB:

ok, if that is not a viable option, because you want to actually make food beside crackers and cheese wiz, you basically have 2 options:

cut or don't cut.

if you don't plan to use the countertop as a super large cutting board, then you can protect it using almost any finish, including polyurethane mixtures (which are not food safe), or food safe finishes such as mineral oil/beeswax mixtures.

the poly finishes are harder, shinier, look prettier, and rest on top of the wood, they do not soak into the wood. use of a knife on these finishes will over time destroy the surface finish, and you'll have to sand and re-finish the countertop to make it look good again. but they will work well for rolling out dough, serving food, and arranging cheese platters for your guests.

if you want to use the countertop as a large cutting board, then you need to use a food safe finish, basically the same finish you would use for a cutting board. for ones that i build and use, i use a mixture of mineral oil and beeswax. in particular, i use a commercial mixture available at Home Depot and Lowes: Howard's Butcher Block Conditioner. but any finish with a similar content will also work well.

the advantage is that this type of finish soaks into the wood, and if the wood gets damaged by repeated use of the knives, you can simply sand smooth the affected area with 220 sand paper and apply more finish to the area. also, when water no longer beads on the wood, it's time to apply another coat of finish. you do not have to remove previous coats, just keep adding coats. really.

hope this helps.

:DAB:

[snide]

In the new house, I would like to have butcher block countertops on either side of the stove.

[DAB]

if you have the coin, go for end grain.

[snide]

Don't have the coin at the moment, so for the time being, we'll stick with the tile countertops. :ack:

[DAB]

:(

[simpleman68]

Maybe a combo of Ipe, Osage Orange, and Hickory?

Damn hard to work with but they'll go the distance.
Scott

[DAB]

look you..... :issues:

i've seen pics of your bar. :faint:

still have a few wenge scraps on my pile. haven't decided what to do with them yet. nasty wood.

[simpleman68]

look you..... :issues:

i've seen pics of your bar. :faint:

still have a few wenge scraps on my pile. haven't decided what to do with them yet. nasty wood.

Thanks for the kind words.:cert:
It was an enormous amount of work just in sanding and shaping the edge contour. Forget how many hours spent with the router trying not to avoid burns and chips.

Yeah that Wenge gives out wicked splinters that guarantee infection.

Leopardwood counters would be gorgeous though. That stuff is very dense.
Scott

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e28/simpleman68/Home%20Theater%20Final/IMG_9519-2_zpspdwvqgm3.jpg

Even unfinished the pattern is outstanding

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e28/simpleman68/Home%20Theater%20Build/20130921_161235_zps88596ffd.jpg

[mrvette]

Used to see Butcher block/maple tops in kitchens a lot, have a section that is 1.5 inches thick and ~15x25 used on top of a 'phone desk'/battery charger cabinet we use for misc crap next to the garage door.....

Seen tons of them in service, and along with formica, I would never cut anything on them a glass work topper or at least a wood cutting board, we will use the board from my mother's kitchen damn thing gotta be at least 90 years old by now....wash it off quick, and set up vertical to dry.....

My garage work bench top is also solid maple 1.5" thick and ~25 deep and about 6' long....torn out of a HUGE Kosher kitchen decades ago....after 20 years in my work shop here in Florida ,and another 10 up north, it's coming unglued....oh well....

:dance:

[DAB]

most of that leopard wood (aka lacewood) got used making a box for myself (holds my branding irons) and a jewelry box for Mrs. DAB. little bits used for other small projects.

i recut some of the wenge and made a bottom of it for my box.

i thought my bar top for our kitchen was nice (maple).... :faint: crap, you win.

we obviously have different budgets. wormy maple (used in our kitchen) was about $2.25/boardfoot. somewhat less than lacewood runs locally. :slap:

[Rob]

We just did granite in our kitchen but did ask about using butcherblock on the island. Even though it was going to look good, the designer recommended I just buy a nice big cutting board to use instead of making the entire island bb.

Since I am mainly using the island when working with raw and cooked meats, I understood her points about the contamination and conditioning and went with the ease of granite also on the island and will start using my new extra huge cutting board. :seasix:

[DAB]

i made a HUGE cutting board for someone here about a year ago, walnut. had to make it edge grain so it wouldn't fall apart. for end grain, the bigger you get, the thicker it needs to be so it will hold together.

[MrPeabody]

Remember Maharaja water skis? The guy who founded the company lives in my county. He makes wine bars that you find in all the wine tasting rooms around here. Beautiful stuff, but pricey, of course.

https://maherajah.com/collections/bars-islands

[SnikPlosskin]

today's woodworking question concerns a butcher block countertop in a kitchen. in this particular case, an edge grain countertop (as opposed to an end grain assembly).

and our dear writer wants to know how to protect it.

easy, don't use it.

see, that was easy. :dance::DAB:

ok, if that is not a viable option, because you want to actually make food beside crackers and cheese wiz, you basically have 2 options:

cut or don't cut.

if you don't plan to use the countertop as a super large cutting board, then you can protect it using almost any finish, including polyurethane mixtures (which are not food safe), or food safe finishes such as mineral oil/beeswax mixtures.

the poly finishes are harder, shinier, look prettier, and rest on top of the wood, they do not soak into the wood. use of a knife on these finishes will over time destroy the surface finish, and you'll have to sand and re-finish the countertop to make it look good again. but they will work well for rolling out dough, serving food, and arranging cheese platters for your guests.

if you want to use the countertop as a large cutting board, then you need to use a food safe finish, basically the same finish you would use for a cutting board. for ones that i build and use, i use a mixture of mineral oil and beeswax. in particular, i use a commercial mixture available at Home Depot and Lowes: Howard's Butcher Block Conditioner. but any finish with a similar content will also work well.

the advantage is that this type of finish soaks into the wood, and if the wood gets damaged by repeated use of the knives, you can simply sand smooth the affected area with 220 sand paper and apply more finish to the area. also, when water no longer beads on the wood, it's time to apply another coat of finish. you do not have to remove previous coats, just keep adding coats. really.

hope this helps.

:DAB:

Precisely how I did mine. I really like the look more than I thought.

[Rob]

i made a HUGE cutting board for someone here about a year ago, walnut. had to make it edge grain so it wouldn't fall apart. for end grain, the bigger you get, the thicker it needs to be so it will hold together.

I have two really large cutting boards right now, one that is from the flooring of my Dad's moving van when he closed the business. (He had a friend cut the hardwood floors out of the back of the moving truck and make everyone in the family a cutting board.)

And the second is a local guy that has a mobile sawmill and he had cut down some old hickory trees and milled them to 3" thick. I had him cut me one in the shape of Tennessee and leave the unfinished edge on one side. Dang thing is super heavy and is roughly 4'x2'.

[snide]

And the second is a local guy that has a mobile sawmill and he had cut down some old hickory trees and milled them to 3" thick. I had him cut me one in the shape of Tennessee and leave the unfinished edge on one side. Dang thing is super heavy and is roughly 4'x2'.

Pics?

[DAB]

i've made cutting boards in the shape of Texas and in the shape of Arizona for peeps here. both face grain walnut i believe. mostly decorative, but good for presentation and use such as serving cheese and crackers. but not intended for regular chopping use.

[Rob]

Pics?

Here is a pic before I conditioned it with the butcherblock

[DAB]

Here is a pic before I conditioned it with the butcherblock

if i had made that for you, i would have drilled a small hole where you live and inserted a contrasting little plug. :DAB::smash:

[Rob]

if i had made that for you, i would have drilled a small hole where you live and inserted a contrasting little plug. :DAB::smash:

I have thought about doing something with my dremel but been too busy with the other projects (living room remodel, kitchen remodel, back yard landscape project) around here lately. :dixie:

[Black94lt1]

Here is a pic before I conditioned it with the butcherblock

Very cool!