Feb 22 2010
Put Together Your Own Attractive Butcher Block Table
Butcher block can be a wonderful addition to any kitchen and if you been thinking about buying one of these tables for your kitchen, you probably have seen how expensive they can be. That is OK because you can make your own for a lot less money.
The popularity of butcher block is understandable because not only are they a great table for a variety of things but they are also quite attractive and add a nice touch to your kitchen.
If you have decided to cut your costs by building your own table then you need to decide first on what kind of use will the table be assigned to do. If you main use is going to be for food and food preparation, there are a couple woods you should definitely stay away from. Oak and spalted maple are two woods you should stay away from if the butcher block table is being used for food. Woods that are really good for food preparation are walnut, ash, beech and hard maple are great woods for this type of table.
After you have decided on the wood you can do one of two things. If you are used to working with wood then making the tabletop from scratch would probably be the route you would want to go. If you are not very experienced with wood then you would probably want to go out and purchase an unfinished butcher block tabletop.
If your final decision is to make it completely yourself then you will need to follow a few instructions that will help you put your project together. Start by taking the end or side grain of the wood and this will be where you make your cuts. By cutting on the grain you will have a far more sturdy finished project.
To make your own, take your butcher block and cut it into one by two inch pieces that are cut about one half inch longer than what the actual table length is going to be. These pieces all need to be glued together along the two inch side which will make the side grain will show up in one inch pieces. The amount of strips that you will need will depend upon the actual size of the table. So if your table is say two feet by four feet you would need overall 32 pieces.
Once you have all the pieces cut and ready to glue, make sure that you get a good strong wood glue that you will need to piece all the wood strips together. Glue all the strips together and hold the pieces together with clamps. Once it is dry you should take some sand paper and gently sand off any excess glue that may be on the wood.
Take the wood to a table saw and start to cut off the edges that are in excess. This makes this side of the table even giving the entire table a more even look, which is very important.
Now with sandpaper or a sander you will need to go over both the top and bottom of the butcher block table top. You are done sanding when the table top is completely flat and smooth.
Now you need to take the edges of the table and make sure that you round them. The reason you need to do this is that not only does it clean easier but it is a lot safer to have rounded edges instead of sharp edges.
Once you have finished rounding the corners you will need to use mineral or olive oil and wipe on tabletop. Make sure to let the oil soak into the wood of the table. After it has soaked in you will then need to sand the tabletop lightly. After you have sanded it, apply another coat of oil and let this coat soak in overnight. Note that to keep your butcher block in good condition you should put this oil on once a month or so.
Unless you are very good at woodworking, you are going to want to purchase legs from a hardware store. There are a variety of different types of legs that you can purchase anywhere from wrought iron to a variety of woods. The best thing in this stage is to be creative. Get something that is going to make your table stand out. What you decide to do with regards to the legs is only limited to your imagination.
Find the perfect butcher block table for your kitchen today! There are multiple types of butcher block tables available for you to choose from. You are welcome to reprint this article – but get your own unique content version here.
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