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Butcher Block

Started by Norwiscutter, December 26, 2005, 06:56:14 PM

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Norwiscutter

Merry Christmas everyone.  The time off this weekend got me thinking about putting in a butcher block island and was wondering how red or white oak would work out for such an application.  I would like to use hard maple but I don't have any around that is ready to use, and have oak a plenty. Thanks in advance for your opinions.
Si vis pacem, para bellum.

farmerdoug

James,  I am not sure about oak as the tannic acid may impart a different flavor to the meat but we use sycamore for the best bucther blocks around here.  I see alot of hard maple blocks but I still prefer sycamore.

Farmerdoug
Doug
Truck Farmer/Greenhouse grower
2001 LT40HDD42 Super with Command Control and AccuSet, 42 hp Kubota diesel
Fargo, MI

Norwiscutter

Thanks, Doug that was my concern as well.
Si vis pacem, para bellum.

Paschale

One of the problems with using oak for butcher block is that oak is so open grained.  Maple of course is the usual candidate, because the grain and pores are so tight.  Crud and junk from food has a harder time getting inside the wood than with open pored wood such as oak or ash.  I suppose if you really polyed it up with some food safe poly, you might be OK. 

http://www.naturalhandyman.com/qa/qasealwoodcountertop.shtm
Y'all can pronounce it "puh-SKOLLY"

Norwiscutter

Great info, thanks very much. Maybe I will have to breakdown and buy some maple. Birch probably wouldn't work either would it? Probably too open grained as well.
Si vis pacem, para bellum.

Frank_Pender

Norwiscutter, I would strongly suggest that you chose to use some of your Eastern Hardrock Maple.  I have a butcher block that is nearing 125 years and is made of Hard Maple. :)  You will find that you will have a great heirloom piece if you use the Maple. 
Frank Pender

Kirk_Allen

Build the island out of Oak and use Osage Orange End Grain for the actual Buther Block top.

This is a pic of the Butcher Block I made for my Mom for Christmas.


This is a close up.


You wont find any tighter grain than Osage in the US.  End Grain is the best and only way to go if its going to have permanent use in the Kitchen.  

Norwiscutter

Nice pics kirk, should have picked some up from ya when I was down there.
I found this link to a company that does use birch in there butcher blocks, although I think their operation is of more interest.  They are doing what Fla. Deadheader use to do up here on the big lake.

www.timelesstimber.com

I do like the idea of the endgrain.
Si vis pacem, para bellum.

Minnesota_boy

White birch is a good choice for a butcher block.  The wood has closed pores like maple and seems to have natural anti-bacterial action.
I eat a high-fiber diet.  Lots of sawdust!

Coon

That great to hear that white birch is good wood to use for these butcher blocks.  It just so happens that the wife had mentioned about wanting a butcher block island aaaaaand it's her birthday coming up in a few days.

My white birch lumber I cut the summer before last is about ready to use and I am sure that my Manitoba Maple is ready too.  Do you guys think that these two woods would look good together as a butcher block?? ;)  If so does anyone have any plans for a butcher block island that they would share with me??
Brad.
Norwood Lumbermate 2000 w/Kohler,
Husqvarna, Stihl and, Jonsereds Saws

Burlkraft

Kirk......................

Awesome looking butcher block :o :o :o :o :o :o

That is one of the best looking blocks that I have ever seen. Most of the maple ones that I have seen were kind of bland ??? ??? ??? ???

This one ROCKS smiley_thumbsup smiley_thumbsup smiley_thumbsup smiley_thumbsup

Great job ;) ;) ;)
Why not just 1 pain free day?

crtreedude

Cool block Kirk,

I am thinking of making one out of Corteza - it is supposed to be so hard that it doesn't absorb water - I think that should be hard enough.

If you are cutting with the grain, the knife will barely even lift a shaving. I think steel is softer.  :o

So, how did I end up here anyway?

Kirk_Allen

Thanks for the compliments. 

There are lots of reasons for using endgrain of which Knife edge life is the most enjoyable. 

End grain will not dull your knives the way flat sawn does nor will you be seeing cuts in the wood.  If you look at any old Butcher Blocks from meat markets you will find they are end grain. 

I treated it with minderal oil (about 10 coats) and wiped it down. 

I have two others I made from Cherry.  I will work on getting those pics. 

Engineer

Most common butcher block materials seem to be sugar maple and beech.  Sycamore is a new one to me, so is osage.  I had not thought of using them.

As for oak.  Why not white oak?  They make barrels out of the stuff, so an end-grain block should work nicely.  I wouldn't use red - the structure of red oak is such that an end grain block will be as porous as a bundle of drinking straws.

I've made a few cutting boards, edge grain, out of various mixed woods - walnut, cherry, maple, beech and ash.  I like the plain maple the best, the other woods are more for appearance. 

Make sure that whatever you use, it is food safe.  Some woods are not meant for use in food-contact applications.

Max sawdust

Norwis,
I have a some 4" dia hard maple in 100" lengths, the stuff is scattered in my pulp firewood piles.  The stuff is real dense, some of those suppressed trees were 75 + years old according to our forester.  It would be a lot of work and the blocks would be small, but it is maple and it is dense :)  If interested let me know I will go see how hard it is to get too.  I do have a small amount of hard maple ready to be milled.  Also have a big pile of paper birch ready to hit my saw mill, could custom cut you something for the butcher block. 

I noticed you said you do not have maple ready to use, I would think you could dry blocks in the oven or microwave ???
Max
Doesn't sound like you need that much.
Would be willing to trade ya for a small butcher block cutting board out of the stuff :)
True Timbers
Cedar Products-Log & Timber Frame Building-Milling-Positive Impact Forestscaping-Cut to Order Lumber

woodmills1

at my other house I redid the kitchen and used red oak for the counter tops.  Didn't use end grain, glued strips anywhere from 1/2" to 2" thick by 2" wide.  I glued them face to face so the edge made the surface.  Rubbed it with mineral oil and didn't have any problems with it.  It was gorgeous and if it started to look bad we just rubbed in some more spirits.
James Mills,Lovely wife,collect old tools,vacuuming fool,36 bdft/hr,oak paper cutter,ebonic yooper rapper nauga seller, Blue Ox? its not fast, 2 cat family, LT70,edger, 375 bd ft/hr, we like Bob,free heat,no oil 12 years,big splitter, baked stuffed lobster, still cuttin the logs dere IAM

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