How To Build Your Own 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.

People love butcher block tables because they can be used for a variety of things. They also like them because they are beautiful and adds a nice touch to any kitchen. They are great to have for preparing and serving food from.

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.

Now that all the strips have been cut and are ready to be glued, you will use a very strong wood glue to accomplish this. Once you have the pieces glued together you will need to make sure that you apply clamps that will hold them firm while the glue dries. After the wood has dried you should take some fine sandpaper and sand off any excess glue.

The next thing you will do is to take a table saw cut off one fourth of an inch off the ends from the long end of the table. This would be the side where all the different ends are and not the side that only has one piece. By doing this, you will be able to even out your table top.

After you have done this you will need to take sandpaper or a sander and make sure to sand both the top and the bottom of your table top. Make sure the finished product has a completely flat surface.

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.

After the edges are rounded nicely the next thing you will do is add oil to the surface of the table. The best oils to use are either mineral oil or olive oil. Once you have rubbed it in make sure to let it soak into the wood. Now, you will sand it one more time before adding a second layer of the oil. A smart thing to do to keep the wood in good shape is to put oil on it one time a month if possible.

If you are a very good woodworker you will probably want to make your own legs, but most people end up purchasing ready made legs because they come in a huge variety to pick from. They range anywhere from steel to different types and shapes of wood ones. This final stage is only limited to your creativity. So find something that will make your butcher block really stand out, so that it accents your kitchen.

Find the perfect butcher block table for your kitchen today! There are multiple types of butcher block tables available for you to choose from.