Butcher Block gloat

[Russell Tribby]

I picked this up last week off of CL for $40! It's 30X70 and is 1 3/4" thick. It needs some cleaning up but other than that it's great. I am torn between using it for a future workbench or for an upcoming project that requires a countertop for a built in.

[John Keeton]

That is a benchtop crying out for a supporting cast! Why wait for it to warp, cup, etc. waiting for a project that may never arrive??

Great buy! You are duty bound to provide an appropriate understructure to fully utilize this prize!

[Matt Meiser]

That's a great deal. I happily paid about $80 for an identical one. As a warning, mines nowhere near flat and as far as I can tell, it was made that way because I can see some tight glue joints on the top and open ones on the bottom but they were very solid. I tried clamping a bar across it to pull it back and couldn't. Since I wanted my bench 72" long and 24" deep I cut 24" off one end and saved that for a future butcher block cart for the house. Then I ripped it down which eliminated a lot of the cup. I tried taking it to a local place with a widebelt sander. They wouldn't run it through since it was used and they've found too many hidden nails. If it has the same finish mine had it will come off very quickly with 60 grit paper on a ROS.

[Mike Wilkins]

A used butcher block maple slab is how I got my first bench. Found a 30" wide by 72" long by 3" thick glued up maple slab in an antique/junk shop. For $90.00 and lots of grunting, I got a first class bench top. Only required sanding, finishing, building a maple base and adding vises. This shows that woodworkers are always keeping their eyes open for these type gloats.
I say build a base today and start making some wood chips.

[Chris Padilla]

Nice! You beat me to death:

I picked up 12 18" x 36" x 1.5" maple butcher blocks for $200 a couple years ago and I still have them. They are, uh, seasoning...yeah seasoning...they should be ready soon.... ;)