Butcher Block Cutting Board

HobieMarty · 06-17-2022, 07:13 PM

My brother-in-law and sister-in-law had some butcher block countertops put in a wet bar area of their house and they had this huge 23"×25" section left over. They were going to just throw it out but my wife said she wanted it, and then she informed me that I was to make her a huge cutting board out if it.
So, after watching some videos on how to actually make the thing into a useful cutting board I went at it.
This was a raw piece of butcher block so the first thing I did was sand it with 100 grit sandpaper and round off the edges that weren't smoothed out. Then I used some 220 grit and sanded it smooth top, sides and bottom. I then wet the top down with some water and let dry, this swelled it up a little and brought the grain back up and then I sanded again with 220. I repeated this process a few times until I was satisfied with the finish. I then moved on to sanding with 600 grit which really smoothed it out even more. I also sanded the sides and underside with 600 grit. All of the sanding up to this point was with an orbital sander on low speed. Next up, I used mineral oil on a small clean rag made from a t-shirt, I soaked the rag and wiped the top and sides with the oil and let it soak in and when it was still a little wet, I used 1000 grit sandpaper on a sanding block and essentially wet sanded the topside. I repeated this process about 3 or 4 times until I was happy with the smoothness.
I made a paste from mineral oil and white beeswax and for the final process I wiped down the top and sides with the beeswax paste, first in a circular motion then wiped along the grain. Well, now I am finished with it and letting it all settle overnight and then it should be good to go. My wife is happy!!! Lol. Here are some pics from start to finish.

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peppy · 06-17-2022, 07:33 PM

That is beautiful. I love a large cutting board.

Shifter · 06-17-2022, 08:25 PM

Nice! You missed the opportunity to buy a router to put in a juice groove, though.

sc_rufctr · 06-17-2022, 08:35 PM

Nicely done Hobie. Have you priced a good butchers cutting board lately? You probably saved yourself more than $100.

aigel · aigel's Garage

Nice! Its funny, I just restored the cutting board in my camper, sanding it back to a fresh surface and used that same oil.

I always thought butcher block was end grain? By definition you'd want to have end grain when you use a meat cleaver, because it holds up so much better to the blade.

HobieMarty · 06-18-2022, 05:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aigel

Nice! Its funny, I just restored the cutting board in my camper, sanding it back to a fresh surface and used that same oil.

I always thought butcher block was end grain? By definition you'd want to have end grain when you use a meat cleaver, because it holds up so much better to the blade.

If you treat the board with that mineral oil/beeswax paste it will help seal in the oil and fill in cut marks. It is very easy to make. Use 6 ounces of mineral oil and 10 rounded tsps of white beeswax pellets, warm it all up in a double boiler so that you won't burn the oil, I used a boiler for the water and a large pyrex measuring cup for the oil and beeswax. Heat it all up until the beeswax melts and is all clear then pour the solution into a small mason jar, put the lid on it and let it cool. It cools into the nice white paste that you see in my picture. You can use this paste on all sorts of things, I had a squeaky hinge on a door and rubbed some of the paste into the hinge, no more squeak. Our bedroom door was painted a few years ago and since then it would stick in the door frame so when opened it would make a cracking noise, rubbed some paste in the door fame, no more sticking. Anyway, rub the paste into wood to give the wood a nice satin finish.

I also found that butcher block can be made with different grain styles as well.

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MBAtarga · 06-19-2022, 06:45 PM

Here are two that I made a while back - both end grain. Cherry, Maple and Walnut.

HobieMarty · 06-19-2022, 07:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MBAtarga

Here are two that I made a while back - both end grain. Cherry, Maple and Walnut.

Nice. I didn't make this board, as in it was already a butcher block countertop that my Brother-in-law cut down to fit a small area in his den and this piece was left over. It was a raw piece, I sanded it and finished it. I'm not even sure what the wood is that it is made from bit I like it. It is super smooth.

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HobieMarty · 06-19-2022, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shifter

Nice! You missed the opportunity to buy a router to put in a juice groove, though.

I actually mentioned that to my wife and she said she didn't like the groove thing, so, all good here. Lol.

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911 Rod · 911 Rod's Garage

We just put in the same countertop and used the same minerals.
Didn't bother sanding though.

masraum · 06-20-2022, 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shifter

Nice! You missed the opportunity to buy a router to put in a juice groove, though.

I have seen that board or one like it before, whether here or somewhere else, and really love it. Looks great.

Quote:

Originally Posted by HobieMarty

I actually mentioned that to my wife and she said she didn't like the groove thing, so, all good here. Lol.

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I love a juice groove. Chopping small stuff, juice groove will discourage small pieces from falling off the board. Cutting/chopping something juicy (even something like watermelon) the juice won't run all over the counter.

The funny thing is that none of our current cutting boards have a juice groove. Two are too small, and the big one is probably too thin.

Bob Kontak · Bob Kontak's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by MBAtarga

Here are two that I made a while back - both end grain. Cherry, Maple and Walnut.

Mark, I think that says "Imported by Bet Bath and Beyond"

Is that correct? Just asking. Not trying to stir up trouble.

MBAtarga · 06-20-2022, 12:53 PM

That brand says "Handcrafted by " MBAtarga

Bob Kontak · Bob Kontak's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by MBAtarga

That brand says "Handcrafted by " MBAtarga

Outstanding craftsmanship. Easy on the eyes.

All the best.

herr_oberst · 06-20-2022, 05:17 PM

I had a decent size chunk of the stuff and I already have a cutting board so I turned my scrap into two speaker dollies so I can experiment with the 'sweet spot' when the weather is bad and I just want to play with my stereo..

There's not an audiophile in the world who would recommend doing this, but so what, it's my stuff!

Tim Hancock · 03:18 AM

A buddy of mine at work makes these. Has sold a bunch of the end grain cutting boards and custom bread serving trays. He uses the money to buy additional woodworking equipment. The workmanship on his creations is exquisite. I think he gets somewhere around $120-$150 for a small to medium sized cutting board and has built a few custom huge ones in the $300 range. All his cutting boards come with a tin of his homemade wax/oil concoction and custom printed instruction card telling how maintain the cutting boards.

KFC911 · 06-21-2022, 03:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by herr_oberst

I had a decent size chunk of the stuff and I already have a cutting board so I turned my scrap into two speaker dollies so I can experiment with the 'sweet spot' when the weather is bad and I just want to play with my stereo..

There's not an audiophile in the world who would recommend doing this, but so what, it's my stuff!

Rock & Roll

These exotic cutting board designs scare me.... chop, chop, chop.... dang... what's this red stuff?

FOCUS!

But they sure look nice

!