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Edge grain butcher block countertop

8 years ago

Hello! I'm considering building an edge grain countertop for my kitchen and wondered if anyone has built or seen one with the boards running back to front instead of left to right. In other words the end grain of all the boards would be the front edge. Glue up would be easier and there would be no butt joints in the middle of the top but would it look weird or just wrong? I can't find any examples online. Thanks, Jim

Featured Answer

klem1

8 years ago

Pardon the pun but when you decide to go against the grain of centuries of woodworking,you should know problems are imminent.

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Comments (7)

bobismyuncle
8 years ago
I think one of the reasons is that wood expands in two dimensions (radially and tangentially, or from the center of the tree out and around the perimeter, expressed as width and thickness), but negligibly in length. So the side to side approach means that it gets thicker (who cares?) and wider (where front to back expansion doesn't affect much if you allow for it.) Layout in the way you recommend is going to change the length significantly (for example an 8' countertop might expand and contract 1-2") Even if you don't care if the overlap on the end changes that much, you will have to allow for this significant amount of movement in how it's attached to the base cabinets or you are going to wake up one night to what sounds like a gunshot and you will have a giant crack in your countertop.

In addition, going the typical way means you can run through a 24" planer or wide belt sander without getting chip out or cross grain scratches.

While this discusses "end grain" butcherblock, not what you want, it discusses wood movement http://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/videos/why-did-my-cutting-board-split/
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jbrot
Original Author
8 years ago
Good point. I failed to mention that I want to use quarter sawn white oak but quarter sawn maple would be o.k. if I can find/afford it. Still too much movement? I would definitely slot the screw holes for mounting the top. I would also build in sections for sanding and use biscuits (or stopped splines) for alignment.
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Yes.. it is resolved, they gave me some money back. They promised they will start supplying all solid wood all through since my incident. You should be able to buy with confidence now. It's not veneer in the sense that it is 1/64" thin, the maple is 1/4" with 1" oak in betweem. It's still very durable. I havn't had a problem with it so far. Not that I need to talk about my fix anymore because no one else should encounter this now. It is important you use the butcherblock right away because I waited a bit too long and the store manager was being difficult with me. It took combined effort of the GW "angry mob" until I got a call from their corporate guy :) BTW love my wood counter top, the "sound" especially. This one island counter I created from the LL BB, if I didn't tell, you wouldn't know there is oak inside.
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PRO
Sombreuil
8 years ago
The only way it is going to work is to cut it into veneers and glue it up into plywood. Then it will be dimensionally stable in all directions.
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jbrot
Original Author
8 years ago
O.K. you guys have talked me out of it but regarding your comment Sombreuil, why would it be more unstable than the end grain countertops I've seen?
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PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
8 years ago
jbrot:

This is one of those things where the theory may not meet what's practical. I find it hard to believe that kiln dried white oak glued up as described will have many or any problems in this application.
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PRO
Linda
8 years ago
As long as this countertop is in a climate controlled kitchen, I can't see that expansion and contraction would be a problem. While that isn't the traditional layout, I don't get why it wouldn't work if assembled with waterproof glue and an appropriate finish.

Isn't the traditional layout simply a reflection of the construction of butcherblock as a use for miscellaneous pieces of random lengths?
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