refurbishing an old butcher's table?
 

when my mom closed the grocery store, i was just a teenager. but i had a truck..i grabbed this old butcher's table, and stored it away. my bro was fed up with it hanging out at his house and threatened to toss it. so i drove it back home in my tacoma. it is super heavy, and sturdy. i have zero idea on what to do with it...but i do have a kitchen remodel in my near future. (bathroom starts in a few weeks)..i may work it into the design. it would be a kickarse bread-making station. maybe just take the top and work it into a counter-top.

how do i fix it? there are chop marks, and missing plugs. do i just sand it? are the nicks too deep? the deepest are maybe 1/8th. belt sander? and mineral oil? how do i sand it without making the top undulate? i dont think i can just flip it, it is lagged into the supports.
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A belt sander can be used to renew the surface - no need to remove all of the cuts/scratches though. Here's a good link:

Re-Finishing a Butcher Block Top: WoodZone.com

Before I read that link I was thinking minimal sanding and some bleach, then the oil. They don't mention bleach but it might take out the stains and give it an even color/look.

I would belt sand the top, leave the deepest nicks and missing plugs - they are "history", man! Then tons of mineral oil. Maybe route a drain groove around the perimeter, if you're going to slaughter animals on it. Belt sander shouldn't leave much waviness.

Is the metal painted gray or dull stainless? Can't tell. If the former, I'd sand and repaint in appropriate color for your kitchen. If latter, I'd simply shine it up.

If it will function as a central worktable/island, I'd consider a floor outlet and then an electrical strip mounted to the underside of the top. Maybe run cord up through one of the legs.

Don't forget the shackles for your virgin sacrifice rituals. With your wide-ranging interests, I'm sure you will get there sooner or later.

hahaha. virgins...sigh!

If you want it perfect, call around to some woodshops. See what they would charge you to run it through their planer. Couldn't take em more than 5 minutes.
Just unbolt the top and bring it down.

+1

Make sure any oil you use is food grade.

JR

Like a really good Tung oil!
Pure Tung Oil Finish - Wood Finishing - All Natural Finish - China Wood Oil - Real Milk Paint ®

Fix it? It's perfect. Turn it into an island. Clean it, with soap and water, 1 part bleach to 4 parts water to even the color and kill germs. let dry, Get a galon of vegetable oil and a throw away paint brush. Pour the oil on the top smear it around with the brush let it soak in, repeat a few times, get the sides too. Maybe make new plugs for the ends. Mount the top on a new base or if it fits your decor leave it on the base its on now. Add casters so you can move it around.

My question would be... Would you sand and paint this?

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You want something that looks new? Buy one from Napa Style or one of those "chi-chi" cooking stores that sell frying pans for $450. I would hit it with some soap and 3M pad or steel wool and then oil it to bring out the patina. You can't buy the finish you would be sanding away, and every dent and mark you put into it later will just add to the character. That's a nice piece Cliff, don't mess with it.

Thats a nice butcher block.

soap/water and this...

Amazon.com: SEPTLS102290 - Butcher Block Brushes: Home Improvement

don't mess around with belt or other types of portable sanders. Look into your phone book and have a local shop send it through their drum sander. It should cost you 40-60 bucks. It will come out perfectly flat and finish it with portable sanders. I would take it down to 200 grit. That's just me. If you like the way it looks, then sand it with 150 grit paper and oil it. I like Olive oil. It wouldn't kill you.


Dipso,

I would never ever send someone's used lumber through my planer in my shop. I don't care what they pay. That will ruin a perfect set of planer knifes quick. to sharpen a set of knife could cost up to 3-400 bucks. Then there's set up time with that. Most shop would not do it. That's a wide piece of board and will require a good size planer to do the job. If the blades are ruin then it will be $$$ to sharpen.

Use mineral oil! All other oils will actually go rancid in the wood. Evin the tung oil is vegetable based, use mineral oil.

You are right, mineral oil is the best. There are companies like The Good Stuff that make an excellent butch block finish. They are expensive, but they work well.

Nice table. You don't see them anymore, everything is stainless. Bleach the crap out of it to sanitize it and let it dry good. Back in the day we would take a belt sander to them when they got nasty and that was it.

+1

Olive Oil does not go rancid.

You could use that to dress the wood...

You really do not want to use olive oil to dress wood. Mineral oil is best and cheap.

if exposed to light it breaks down. Do not use food based oils.

I have used it to dress chop sticks that I've made for friends. Works fine...

But for this chopping block. Why not just leave it as is?
Sand and clean it up and that's it.