Since the last time I listed a project here we have finally decided on a counter top for the kitchen. After going to Lowes and Home Depot we decided on a butcher block top. I researched these and found that the tops have to be cut and joined by me rather than ordered by a certain length or width. Now I am sure you can ‘get’ these done and made to fit by a contractor or a specialist in the field, but as I am a DIY and this site is for the DIY in you we will assume that this is why you are here. Heck, for that amount that they want to do this type of thing give me a call as I would love to retire…..lol.

The first thing you will need is an item called a ‘Kreg Jig’. These are jigs for setting screws at an angle so the screws pull the pieces of wood you are joining together. These are a MUST for any type of wood joining. If you have looked at any type of furniture chances are you have looked at a screw that has been set by a jig of this type. Below is a picture of a Kreg Pocket Hole Jig.

Im not going to get into how to use a Kreg Jig. Its just a great little tool to add to your arsenal. NOW back to the butcher block.

The Layout

First I had to measure my counter. A standard counter top is around 24 to 26 inches wide. This is a standard but if you have UN standard widths on your tops you will have to make adjustments accordingly. For now we will just assume a standard width.

The butcher tops come in different lengths ranging from 4 ft. to 10 ft. in 2 ft increments. I had a 12 ft. 6 inch length on my counter and a 38 inch width on our island. The island is 58 inches long. What I did was ordered a 6, 8, and a 10 ft counter top. Since I have to add to the 10 footer, I just cut 2 1/2 feet off the 8 footer to add to the 10 footer to make my 12 1/2 foot counter. This left me with 2 pieces of counter top that I could make my island top from. After ripping one of the pieces to the width I needed I then proceeded to install the pocket jig holes and glue the edges.

One thing that I must note —– make absolutely sure that the when you are ripping the tops that they are perfectly square edges and you are using a NEW blade. If they are not square you will know because when you pull the screws together in the pocket hole the top will seem to heave up or down at the joint as it tries to find the tight fit. This is why I would try to get the top even and install and tighten 2 pocket screws in place to check it. Then lay a straight edge on it BEFORE adding any glue. In short, use a new blade, check to see if the blade is square with the saw base, and finally DO NOT try to freehand this. Use a straight piece of wood or angle iron clamped to your work as a rip fence.

We decided to get the rubber wood type tops and they are nice. They are also very reasonable. We paid around $700 for ALL 3 of the tops. They are also 1 3/4 inches thick. They are very heavy and better manned by 2 people. After the glue dries you will have to sand all the top. I used an 80 grit paper on an orbital sander. This wood is hard and you will not eat it away as you might think. After the contour to your liking, finish it off with some 150 grit to smooth it out. I then used a stain called Early American. After the stain sets completely, lightly hand sand with some 200 grit. Use a tack cloth to remove any dust because there WILL be dust.

I finished this off with a Min-wax polyurethane in semi gloss. After I cut my cook top out. Below is only the first coat of the Min-Wax Polyurethane. I put three on it and will post pictures of the finished product after it is complete.