NEW! Faster Search Option

butcher block

butcher block (post #168781)

lcomstock on Thu, 08/25/2011 - 08:29

Workshop

I have an old butcher block,stands 33" off the floor and is 41" X 31"X 12" thick. Someone had painted the under side and caused the block to split. I have tried to pull it together by tightining the rods, of course being as old as it (1890'vintage)rodes broke ,replaced w / threaded rod this seemed to work but still spreads in dry conditions. Is there a stronger rods that will pull with out streaching and how much tourque should I use when tightining?

The other question I have is this. Is there someone that can tell me how to make a butcher block with the same or larger demintion of the above block? I have talked to verious manfacturs and they wont give me any info.on how to do this unless I have purchased a block from them.

Don't butcher the block ;-) (post #168781, reply #1 of 2)

by RalphBarker in reply to lcomstock [original] on Mon, 08/29/2011 - 08:29

The old-style butcher blocks were made thick, so they could be resurfaced many times and still have some heft left to them. Proper wood selection and orientation during assembly are the keys, I'd think (note that I've never actually made one). Quarter-sawn white oak would be my first thought, with each piece oriented so that expansion and contraction all works in concert. Using pieces that have different expansion coefficients and directions will almost guarantee failure.

At today's prices for quality wood, however, an old-style butcher block is more financially challenging than it was a hundred years ago.

Hard Maple (post #168781, reply #2 of 2)

by acornw in reply to lcomstock [original] on Thu, 09/01/2011 - 07:31

Hard Maple was the most prevalent wood used for end grain blocks. It has a closed cell structure that inhibits that pesky bacteria from growing. Real blocks were used daily, and a ritual scraping and maintenance was performed to keep tjhings clean and sanitary.

Back then, there were few options for glues, so threaded rods were used and periodically tightened. Today, there is no need for the hardware since glues are as strong as the wood.

Size material very carefully and glue up in widths, resize and then add widths to make lengths. Orient grain in random fashion to overide any tendency to be all quarter vs flat grain and the differential movement betrween the two. Use wood at 6-9% or as needed due to your climate. Once glued up, you will be looking at a large face of end grain Hard Maple. You need to have a surfacing plan in hand bbefore you get to this point. That sharp block plane is not going to do it....

In 1971, an old butcher block came into the shop I worked in - to be resurfaced. We had a brand new 2 head, 40hp wide belt sander that the foreman thought could do anything. With a 100 grit on the front and 120 grit on back, he poked that block into the machine thinking that old greasy thing would quickly give up the 1/4" he hoped to remove in one pass. I had my doubts, but he was the experienced one...

It started to smoke in the first inch or two, with 24 more inches to go. The front belt heated the grease, it flowed onto the belt and loaded it instantly. Then the same on the second head. Friction took over and ruled. Then the smoke started rolling out. Thick , greasy, black rancid meat smoke. Rancid. Bad. Very bad. The machine generated appropriate sound effects as it tried to do what was asked, but failed.

The foreman slammed the stop button, and called me over. We were both choking on the smoke and the obvious, but nothing was to be said, as he was the foreman. I was directed to take the block and set up a jig and route the surface flat, eliminating 'all that burned stuff'. It still smelled terribly bad, and no mask could mitigate those nasty fumes.

The shop stunk for weeks, and the machine smelled like hot rancid grease for the remainder of the years I worked there. Every time I opened it up to change a belt, I was transported back to that event. The foreman never mentioned it again.