# Butcher block countertops without a planer jointer?



## ILoveHardWood! (9 mo ago)

Another question I had for a big project I'm planning to tackle in the next few weeks for my home, is to make butcher block countertops custom to our kitchen.

Has anyone been successful at making these using small length random hardwood boards without the use of a planer jointer?

I'm worried I won't be able to get the sides to flush together for glue to hold tight and I'll end up with gaps everywhere.

I have a ton of hardwood scrap pieces to use up and we are in dire need of new counters, so buying them to fit just seems silly to consider, especially given the rediculous cost of materials right now.


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## Txwelder35 (10 mo ago)

You could always order the material s4s or order from a shop that will do it for you


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## Bob Bengal (Jan 2, 2021)

ILoveHardWood! said:


> Another question I had for a big project I'm planning to tackle in the next few weeks for my home, is to make butcher block countertops custom to our kitchen.


I haven't done anything like that at that scale. A quick web search shows that for countertops both edge grain and end grain are used, which are you thinking of? Seems like even with ideal tools end grain would be a huge and tedious project.

Which model of table saw do you have? A lot of edge jointing can done with that.

Then there is flattening the top, I don't know how much time it'd take to hand plane it. At that point you might take the top to a professional mill work shop.

How much total area do you have in mind?


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## ILoveHardWood! (9 mo ago)

I'm a bit of a snob when it comes to outsourcing anything I feel I could do myself so that would really be a tough pill to swallow to be honest.

I do have a close friend with a lumber mill who is always happy to let me pick through their cutoffs and stuff though. The things those fellows burn in their wood stoves sometimes just kill me to see go to waste. But they tend to only look for the very long pieces and don't think about little projects.

So if I need more material it would probably be rough cut hardwood, most likely red oak, and in smaller pieces I need to plane before even cutting to thickness.

Thanks for the reply though!


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## Txwelder35 (10 mo ago)

ILoveHardWood! said:


> I'm a bit of a snob when it comes to outsourcing anything I feel I could do myself so that would really be a tough pill to swallow to be honest.
> 
> I do have a close friend with a lumber mill who is always happy to let me pick through their cutoffs and stuff though. The things those fellows burn in their wood stoves sometimes just kill me to see go to waste. But they tend to only look for the very long pieces and don't think about little projects.
> 
> ...


If you are starting with rough lumber and don’t have at least a planer then I don’t see this working out super well.

Also, red oak would be one of my last choices for a counter top


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## stevenjohn21 (10 mo ago)

Just out of curiosity, why would red oak be a bad choice?


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## NewBlackDak (Mar 15, 2021)

I built my first workbench with a jack plane, try plane, and smoothing plane. 

I would suggest not using red oak as well. The coarse uneven grain and large open pores make it a poor choice for things that will be continually exposed to liquids. 


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

ILoveHardWood! said:


> Another question I had for a big project I'm planning to tackle in the next few weeks for my home, is to make butcher block countertops custom to our kitchen.
> 
> Has anyone been successful at making these using small length random hardwood boards without the use of a planer jointer?
> 
> ...


Buy a bench top thickness planer, on sale somewhere. The amount you will have saved, it will pay for itself.
The scraps MUST be all the same thickness, but random lengths are fine.
The ONLY way to assure this is to run them on the flat faces through the planer at all the same time on one height setting.
This is what I did and the seams are perfect. I used two part epoxy as the gluing agent. cure hard and strong and waterproof. 
I did have a friend with a 42" wide thickness sander who leveled both side out in 15 minutes. Pay to have that done, a few bucks in a cabinet shop.


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## NewBlackDak (Mar 15, 2021)

stevenjohn21 said:


> Just out of curiosity, why would red oak be a bad choice?








Red Oak | The Wood Database (Hardwood)







www.wood-database.com






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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

ILoveHardWood! said:


> Another question I had for a big project I'm planning to tackle in the next few weeks for my home, is to make butcher block countertops custom to our kitchen.
> 
> Has anyone been successful at making these using small length random hardwood boards without the use of a planer jointer?
> 
> ...


It could be done if you work fast enough to nail the pieces of wood together to keep them from moving and when you get the panel put together put clamps on it. Once dry then sand the countertop first with a belt sander and then with an orbital.


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## LilMtnDave (12 mo ago)

NewBlackDak said:


> I built my first workbench with a jack plane, try plane, and smoothing plane.
> 
> I would suggest not using red oak as well. The coarse uneven grain and large open pores make it a poor choice for things that will be continually exposed to liquids.
> 
> ...


I assume this counter will be top-coated, No? I have a desktop made from red oak butcher block and it has been perfect. Staining it was a bit of a chore because those pores you speak of wanted to leak back the stain for days...but once the stain was done leaking it was fine. I then applied 3 coats of polyurethane, lightly sanding between coats, and it turned out quite nice. Of course, my desk is not going to see the liquids a counter top does but it has had no trouble with minor spills so far. In any case, I would think that the top-coating is key here. Actually, I bought the butcher block from Menards and just went back to check what they sell butcher block in and there its Red Oak, White Oak and Birch..granted the butcher block they sell as countertops is birch. I also bought the birch version for my wife's desk, also staining and top coating and it had some of the same issues with the stain while it also has held up perfectly. Bottom line, I agree it is not the perfect choice but it can work...especially if determined to use what one has on hand.


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## Rebelwork (Jan 15, 2012)

ILoveHardWood! said:


> I'm a bit of a snob when it comes to outsourcing anything I feel I could do myself so that would really be a tough pill to swallow to be honest.
> 
> I do have a close friend with a lumber mill who is always happy to let me pick through their cutoffs and stuff though. The things those fellows burn in their wood stoves sometimes just kill me to see go to waste. But they tend to only look for the very long pieces and don't think about little projects.
> 
> ...


I would learn to outsource to save money...You won't save money doing it twice..


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## ILoveHardWood! (9 mo ago)

Wow I did not expect so many responses, but definitely a lot of good points made.
I do see the point of not using Red oak because of the porous nature of the surface even when sanded even but I am planning on using a finish. I do realize you should try to avoid polyurethane based finishes on food preparation surfaces, so it's probably spot on to use woods without such deep pores.
The only real reason I was planning on using Red oak is because there's a high abundance of it in New England and it's pretty easy to get a whole bunch of pieces for projects at a lower cost than store bought stuff.
I think I'll stick with some of the other species I have already mixed in with some ill purchase to make sure I get a good combination without sacrificing the quality.

To answer one question it's definitely not going to be end grain. I'm definitely not skilled enough to pull that off and make it look nice enough.

My table saw is a dewalt DW7441, it's a few years old now but it's never failed me. I just don't feel confident the cuts are going to come out perfect without a jointer on the bottom face. 
Probably my own skills being what I worry most about, not the saw.

I'm definitely second-guessing the idea of using the rough cut stuff I have, but might start thinking about getting some more milled wood planed down before I get into it.

All said and done I think I'm just going to go ahead and give it a go and hope for the best on one of the smaller sections of counter. Depending on how well it looks when together, I'll either keep going or start considering the outsourcing recommendation!

Thank you all so much for the feedback.


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## Txwelder35 (10 mo ago)

Could do a table top epoxy pour over the top of it to keep it 100% waterproof


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