How to Build a Butcher Block Tabletop

Butcher block tabletops are both good looking and practical. In fact, a well-made tabletop can last for years and become a heritage piece of furniture that will be passed on for generations. Although you can buy premade butcher block tabletops at home stores, they are straightforward to make and don't require any specialized tools. Here's how you can build your own butcher block tabletop. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1

Choose your hardwood carefully; you will be looking at it for a long time. Maple is the best, but beautiful tabletops can also be made from walnut, ash or beech. Oak looks nice, however, the pores are relatively large and food particles can get trapped in them making the tabletop difficult to clean.

2

Using dimensional lumber is the easiest way to build your tabletop and you can determine how long and wide you want your tabletop to be. Keep in mind that 1 inch by 2 inch dimensional lumber is actually inch by 1 inch. For the sturdiest tabletop, you want to glue the 2 inch sides of the lumber together.

3

Before you start gluing, lay out the boards to see if there are any small gaps between boards. If there are gaps, sand the boards so the sides fit snugly.

4

Apply glue in a wavy pattern, then spread it evenly all over the board sides with the tongue depressor.

5

Align the boards and clamp them tightly together. Allow them to set up following the recommendations on the glue bottle.

6

Work on the tabletop in sections of about to 1/3 of the table top. After all of the sections have been assembled, you can glue and assemble the sections, then clamp them together using pipe clamps to get the necessary width.

7

After the glue has dried, lightly sand the table top (120 grit) to get rid of any glue that oozed out of the seams.

8

Finish the edges of the tabletop using a router to round over the corners or simply sand off the square corners of the boards.

9

Smooth the table top by giving it a final sanding with 180 grit sandpaper.

10

Seal and protect the wood tabletop by applying a food safe nontoxic oil (like mineral or olive oil) and allow it to soak in for a few hours. Apply a second coat of oil and allow it to stand overnight.

11

Wipe off any oil remaining on the surface and your tabletop is ready to use!