Build A Butcher Block Table Top

By Murray Anderson

Butcher block tables have been a popular choice for homeowners for years, both because of their beauty their practicality and their long life.  In fact, a well made butcher block table top can become a piece of furniture that is passed down from generation to generation. While you can buy premade butcher block table tops at most home stores, they are actually relatively easy to make and not beyond the skill set of an interested home owner. Here's how you can build your own butcher block table top.

Choose your wood

• Essentially any kind of hard wood could be used to build a butcher block but some hard woods make better table tops than others. Walnut, ash and beech are all commonly used for table tops, (although properly dried beech is often difficult to get), but by far the best wood to use is hard maple. This wood has a beautiful grain and appearance, is easy to get and relatively easy to work with.
• Many people believe oak can be a good choice as well based on its appearance, but the pores in the oak grain are large in comparison to the pores in maple, making an oak table top potentially difficult to clean (crumbs and food particles can get trapped in the pores). 
   

Building your table top

• First decide how long and wide you want your finished table top to be. It's easiest to build your table using dimensional lumber such as 1 x 2's, - just keep in mind that the actual dimensions of these pieces are ¾ X 1 ½.
• For the sturdiest table, orient your boards so the 2" sides will be glued together. This will give you a table that is nominally 2" thick as well as providing the largest gluing surfaces to hold the top together.
• Before you start gluing the wood together, dry fit the pieces of wood to ensure they fit tightly together. If there are any gaps plane or sand the boards so the sides fit.
• Line up the pieces of wood then apply the glue out of the bottle using a wavy pattern before spreading it over the entire side to ensure total glue coverage.
• Be sure to use a FDA approved, water resistant wood glue (Tight Bond is one).
• Glue and clamp the top together in three or four sections rather than trying to glue the entire table top together at one time. After the sections have dried, finish assembling the top by gluing and clamping the sections using pipe clamps to get the necessary width.
   

Finishing your table top

• Lightly sand the finished table top to get rid of any glue that oozed onto the surface.
• You can choose from a range of finished edges for your table using a router and the appropriate bit or simply round over the corners of the boards with sandpaper.
• Seal and protect your table top surface by applying a food safe non toxic oil (like mineral oil or olive oil) to the surface. Apply an initial coat of oil, allow it to soak in for a few hours or overnight and then apply a second coat. Let this second coat sit overnight and then just wipe off any excess remaining on the surface. Keep your butcher block table top looking great by applying a coat of oil every month or so.
   
   

Murray Anderson is an experienced freelance writer over 500 articles published on the web as well as in print magazines and newspapers in both the United States and Canada. He writes on a wide range of topics and is a regular contributor to DoItYourself.com. He can be contacted at murand@lycos.com.

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