As long as you keep it oiled, it will last longer than you will. If you let it dry out it will give you problems because it will contract and expose the joints. Once properly seasoned, you should only have to oil it once a month or two. They will stain but if properly maintained and you don't leave a liquid sitting on it for a long period of time, its not much of an issue.

 

about to order one (having an island made). currently have a smaller butcher block top table that we love, just not quite big enough for our needs. the prior comments regarding oil and not too much water are true. other thing to keep in mind is it is easier for bacteria to grow on wood surface than formica or granite, etc....

it is nice to just throw everything on the table and start preparing, not having just a 1'x2' space to cut on

John Boos makes some really nice stuff, but is very expensive. that being said, probably a decent reference point and good place to see some different options...different woods, thicknesses, end grain vs side grain

 

Can you spray it down with Clorox Clean-Up to kill the germs?

 

http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/showthread.php?t=159181

JG..here is a link to one of our 2cooler woodworkers that does beautiful work of that kind.. It's Steve/biggreen....Only problem might be that his shop burned up pretty good about a week ago and I dunno when he'll be back in production....but his stuff is really first-class and he would know the answers to your questions....

 

Can you spray it down with Clorox Clean-Up to kill the germs?

Yes, that shouldn't hurt it.

 

If I can talk my wife into it I'm going to build them for my kitchen. Walnut or mesquite. Watch some of the commercial stuff. Some are made to cut on, some are made to just look pretty and you still need to use a cutting block on them. The one's made to look pretty will have a much tougher finish on them and not require the oil/maintenance like a usable one. I personally like the ones you can cut on. I've done two tables in the last year, made to cut on. One gets cut on, the other one not yet, his wife won't let him. They're both posted in here somewhere.

later, biggreen

 

had butcher block in my kitchen in kansas city - hated it. stained awfully. if you cut on it, there would be knife marks that caught everything. husband had a heavy hand when slicing,dicing and would mark the stuff up. looked ugly. needed to sand it about every 3 months. he left a copper bottom pot (wet) over a long weekend, had permanent black stains.
yep, very pretty-as long as you don't ever cook in the kitchen.

my 2 cents

ladyfish

 

Alot of it depends on the type wood used. I have my grandmother's oak chopping block from the '40's still. It still looks great and it weighs a ton.

Biggreen, how much would a mesquite top cost a foot... just a rough estimate? I bet that would look fantastic and last forever.

 

Not quite butcher block but here's my kitchen island with a 48x26 cherry counter top. Pretty easy to make. Store bought a cherry glue up this size will set you back about $250 unfinished. Apiece of maple butcher block the same size will run about $225.

I don't ever cut on it so I finished it with poly to protect it.

Jeff

 

Just of the top of my head I'm going to say hideous would be a good starting place for price. Never priced one. Let me so some digging around. Give me a rough idea what size, how deep and which way you want the boards run. W/ mesquite, long boards are tough to get clear. Also, how thick. I'm guessing a good thickness would be about 1 1/2" to 1 3/4". So other than that, would the boards run the length of the counter or shortways, from edge to backsplash?

later, biggreen

 

I used 6/4 S2S for mine Big.

The prices I mentioned in my first post are what I got from Houston Hardwoods about a year ago.

Jeff

 

Can I have some of the cake?

 

Sorry that one didn't last too long! There'll be one just like it at the woodturner gathering Saturday, a sweet potato praline one too!!

Can I have some of the cake?

 

I have the wood countertops from Ikea, which are the butcher block style. We are really bad about maintaining them with oil, maybe done it 3 times in the last 3 years but they've held up pretty well. We don't do any cutting on them so they stay smooth. The kids have colored/marked/stained them but a little bit of sanding has them looking new again. One section is starting to bow a little bit, maybe for lack of oiling, but it isn't noticeable unless you're looking at the end. We also regularly use cleaners on them with no ill effects, however we also don't use them for preparing food, so less bacteria worries.

 

My dad made a "butcher block" type top for the island kitchen in our home. It lasted for more than 30 yrs., until he sold the house a few years back.

He took 1"x2" hardwood strips and turned them with the sides facing up (1"). He used two different hardwoods, one dark, one light. The wood was glued and clamped and long threaded rods were run through to minimize warping (different types of wood will sometimes warp as they swell at different rates).

When I last saw the counters, they looked great, outside of the spot where my little brother carved his initials. Dad carved his behind, but mom never let dad sand that part down.

The wood was unfinished, but dad may have oil it. Mom made her biscuits right on top, flouring the whole thing (she cooked for EVERYBODY.)

Anyway, I like the idea.

 

With all the positive feedback I'm going to have to get my wife to read this. I just might get what I want after all. I'd pretty much given up on the idea. The only negative didn't say what kind of wood and that makes all the difference in the world. I'm happy. I'm going to get to build one.... or two. I love new stuff.

later, biggreen

 

When I was much younger and worked at a deli we use to use Lemon Juice at the end of the day to prevent bacteria from growing.

 

http://whatscookingamerica.net/CuttingBoards/AllAbout.htm

more info than you may need

 

I always thought Butcher Block was wood with the end grain facing up by definition. Anything else is just a wood countertop. Traditionally it is Maple or Beech used because of the hardness, but sometimes Ash is used to. Oak is too porous.

 

walnut and cherry too. maple end grain is the 'standard' i believe

 

http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/showthread.php?t=159181

JG..here is a link to one of our 2cooler woodworkers that does beautiful work of that kind.. It's Steve/biggreen....Only problem might be that his shop burned up pretty good about a week ago and I dunno when he'll be back in production....but his stuff is really first-class and he would know the answers to your questions....

Beautiful work, Biggreen. I like the way you included the sapwood in the furniture. Kind of reminds me of the floors in the Magnolia Hotel downtown (1100 Texas, across the street from Christ Church Cathedral)...they have walnut hardwood floors in the lobby.

 

I've made two of those w/ the various colors. Actually, it's not sap wood. I just have a very large pile of walnut to choose from and have a large range of color to choose. Some of the boards have a dark line through them that I've never seen in walnut before. I won't be able to make many of those. About 90% of my wood is the standard dark walnut. I just have a few of the boards w/ the lighter color. Some are reddish but you can't see that in the pictures. Different trees I guess.

As far as the end grain? I wanted to do the end grain but the first one I built was for a friend and he and his wife found one online they like the look of and wanted theirs to be similar. Wasn't end grain. The rest came from the first one. I still haven't done an end grain table. One of these days.
later, biggreen

 

The only wood I would select for a butcher block counter/block is Maple/Birch. While the other woods have more color and style and are considered hardwoods, they wil not hold up for usage as a butcher block counter. The maple/birch is extremely hard and extremely tight grained. I have one that I built some 30 plus years ago in 8th grade woodshop! It is held together with elmer's glue only. The trick here was that I polyed all sufaces BUT the top, it recieves a fresh coat of melted crisco every time it starts to dry out. I am not sure if the clorox would be a good idea as it would break down the crisco faster.

 

They look nice but they are a maintenance nightmare if you actually cut on it. They are very prone to staining, and a perfect culture medium for various bacteria that is almost impossible to eliminate. A wipe with any disinfectant solution only kills the top couple of layers, leaving the biomass intact and thriving. After a year or two, you will be ready to replace it. Better to inlay a nice large cutting board next to the sink where you can remove it or replace it with a matching piece of existing countertop when you want to. Good luck with your choice.