butcher block table top

jjmills

Alright not sure if i will find the info i'm looking for but I figure will all the brilliant minds on here it's worth a shot.  What I have is an old quartering block (butcher block).  it's 35" wide x 60" long and 18" thick.  I'm thinking about bringing it to a sawmill and getting three 4" thick slabs cut from it.  I would then like to biscuit and glue the 60" sides together making a 105" x 60" table top.  then i will cut it down to 44" wide and 90" long.  I'm just not sure if this will work out as planned.  will the table hold up once its cut down to 4"?  Any thought, input, suggestions etc…. are more than welcome.  Thanks in advance.

blasting

Interesting idea.  Is this for a regular indoor table, or some special use?  Joining it together wouldn't be a concern - with the right support anything is possible.  How are you attaching legs to it?  I'm guessing you'll still need some kind of skirt to hide the leg attachment and stabilize the legs.

I'd have probably just built a new table, so I'm interested in your project.  Keep us posted.

jjmills

it will be for a indoor table in my rec room on wheels.  I have a frame built out of threaded pipe and it will attach to the bottom with flat faced flanges.  i cut all the threads very deep and then tack welded all the joints so I don't need any stabilization. 

blasting

Nice.  Sounds like it's going to be a nice looking piece.

How much does that cost you to have the BB sliced into 3? 

theyolksonyou

Sounds cool. Would love see some pics. Sounds like a high dollar butchers block to err, butcher. But it also sounds like a sweet table. 

jjmills

I'm guessing the guy will do it for fairly cheap.  I brought him a huge log 2 years ago and had it cut and kiln dried.  he charged me $150.  that is the wood i made my egg table out of. 

jjmills

The butcher block is over 100 years old.  My mother in law's ex left it at her house 2 years ago.  he never picked it up and she wants it gone. 

jjmills

jjmills

This is the butcher block I will be slabbing up after the holidays

blasting

Thats a big chunk of wood!  

With the wood being that old, I'd imagine it will be hard as a stone - do you think your table saw will manage 4" thick slabs ok?  I've never worked with something like that.

nolaegghead

It should be fairly inexpensive to resaw it in 4" slabs.

Also it looks like it may have metal rods (probably threaded) in it.  You need to check with a metal detector.  You can probably remove these, but they will destroy a saw blade.  That is, if they are in there.

No need to use any joinery other than edge glue.  Tightbond 3 if there's any risk of it getting wet.

You need to support it with a base that supports the majority of the wood.   edge glue boards can crack with long spans.

I would get a wood shop to do all this work unless you have some good equipment, and a big planer.  You can rip it down to planer size if you have a smaller planer, and I've done that before, but it's easier to have a large planer.  And you'll need a large jointer or a rail saw.

Anyway, sounds totally doable.  What I would do to have that piece just like it is....

DaveRichardson

That block is HUGE!

I agree with @NOLAegghead, that thing will be a bear on equipment. 

Maybe cut it like tongue and groove to increase glue-up area for more stability....

BizGreenEgg

That's a beautiful old block.  I don't think I could bring myself to cut up something with that much character.  Would probably just buy a pre-fab new butcherblock slab for a rec table.

fishlessman

theres a good chance the saw mill will not cut it if theres a chance of any metal being in that board, ive had trees close to the house cut down and they dont like to cut those because of the higher chance of nails in trees that grow close to the house.

jjmills

I've worked with the sawmill in the past.  he will saw it, if he hits nails I pay.  My buddy owns a wood shop and i use all his equipment.  He has a 54" planner with a triple drum sander on it to finish stuff like this.

jjmills

That's a beautiful old block.  I don't think I could bring myself to cut up something with that much character.  Would probably just buy a pre-fab new butcherblock slab for a rec table.

What else do you do with something like this?

jjmills

BizGreenEgg said:

That's a beautiful old block.  I don't think I could bring myself to cut up something with that much character.  Would probably just buy a pre-fab new butcherblock slab for a rec table.

What else do you do with something like this?

Focker

Why not plane cutting surface, reinforce with updated legs, use as is, a prep table/island?  A rec room table on wheels might not be the best option for this piece.  You could find an old industrial/warehouse cart for that.  See them from time to time around here, pretty popular these days.  Would hurt to see something like that get hacked up.