I’m going to make a butcherblock countertop for a set of cherry kitchen cabinets, and i think maple is probably the way to go, but i’d like to know what other woods, light in color (to offset the dark cherry) are appropriate for butcherblock? It’ll be an edge grain surface, not a ‘true’ end grain butcher block.
Jesse David
Replies
Well, you probably want a wood that is tight grained so it won't have food soaking/being jammed in. Maple is a fairly neutral wood and isn't generally toxic. Get some food grade minerall oil and soak it good. Wipe off the excess and let it sit. Oil it again and enjoy. Keep it clean and it will last a long time. If it gets dirty, scrape it smooth and see what else it needs. Oil it occasionally with mineral oil and it won't absorb much. Vegetable oil gets rancid, so don't use that. If you decide to use something other than maple, check into its toxicity.
Beech? Colorwise it's somewhere between the maple and cherry, but it makes great cutting boards, so it stands to reason it ought to make a good butcher block.
I love the smell of sawdust in the morning.
Beech, light in color, hard and 2/3 cost of maple where I live. Last year I paid $2.75 to $3.00 bf for 4/4 beech.Price differential depended on availability.
mike
I came across several places that mentioned that Black Walnut was acceptible for cutting boards when I was designing a board for my wife. Along the same note, the one concern equally mentioned about walnut is that it could have potential adverse affects to people w/ nut alergies. Therefore, I only used walnut is sparse amounts to offset the maple & cherry.
Z
Just a thought.. Look for ads.. Bolling alleys selling off old lanes replaced. I just got about 8 feet for 50 dollars.. They cut to size you wanted.. Local so I just had to pick it up.. No shipping.. AND not a bad cut off either!
I'm not sure if OK for food because of the finish they use.. Mine is for a workbench I will be making for a gift.
Edited 1/23/2005 3:18 pm ET by Will George
The reason hard maple is used for cutting boards is the same reason it doesn't take stain. The grain and cells are so tight they are essentially sealed. Wood cutting blocks have actually been proven to be cleaner and safer than plastic cutting boards. The microscopic wood fibers rip the cell walls of bacteria.
Re the countertop.
In the US maple butcherblock countertop material comes pre-made. Comparing the price of this pre-made material to rough maple comes out close enough that I don't think it would be worth while to try and cut, plane glue your own.
Butcher block counter tops come into and go out of fashion periodically for two simple reasons. They come into fashion because they look great and they go out of fashion because if they are near a sink they stay wet and turn black. This is also true of any wood countertop. I think if you used a more durable surface near the stove and sink areas you could then use wood just about anywhere else and avoid the common pitfalls.
and you're not suppose to seal a wood cutting block with vegetable oil-everything except walnut oil eventually gets rancid. I think they recommend mineral oil.
Right- food grade mineral oil is purified more (I guess) and since it's not organic, won't become rancid. It will eventually soak farther into the wood, so it needs to be reapplied every so often. If you go to Williams-Sonoma, you can read the label for instructions and then buy it somewhere that sells it cheaper.
"I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
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