The right choice of a butcher block from hardwood

A butcher block is a belt of wood pasted together to form a countertop used for as heavy duty cutting. It’s commonly found in butcher shops, meat processing plants and now at kitchens in homes as alternatives to stone and laminate countertops. Butcher blocks are made from a variety of hardwoods which give the butcher block a desired look.

Red oak is an example of a hardwood used because it fits with royal style, and has a medium tone and fine grain that give a beautiful neutral butcher block. Teak is another hardwood with a highly textured with light and dark brown grain better suited to build butcher blocks for its dramatic statement against solid colors countertops. When considering countertops made of butcher blocks, you need to decide if it will be used for aesthetics or for cutting.

How to make butcher block

1. Cleaning up the raw boards end sides
This is done by trimming the side ends of your hardwood board. Trim the sides on a table saw and straight edge then trim the ends on a miter saw and leave the ends a little longer than the planned final dimension.
2. Cut the boards on strips
This done by setting the table fence to the desired dimension and ripping the woods for all the boards.
3. Arrange the strips and smear glue
With the ripped stripes, you can lay them according to the sequence of choice. Flip all the boards to show the end grain then apply a generous amount of glue to the strips end grain. Flip back the strips to show the top grain.
4. Fasten the strips together and let the glue set
Clamp the boards at least two on either end of the block and wipe all of excess glue .let the glue set as recommended by the glue manufacturer.
5. Plane or sand the block
This is to give a smooth clean work out on the cutting board .trim the ends of the block using a miter saw to get to your final dimensions.
6. Spread food safe finish
Polish the finish into the cutting board generously. Let the soak penetrate the board for a while then clean and polish the board.

Advantages of a butcher board

– They are environment-friendly
– Have an aesthetically pleasing option as beautiful countertops.
– They make a great cutting surface
– They are clean due to the fact that porous wood is not bacteria prone.