Is Butcher Block Too Heavy for a Countertop? 66x22

Is Butcher Block Too Heavy for a Countertop??

  • Yes

    Votes: 21 53.8%
  • No

    Votes: 18 46.2%

  • Total voters
    39

travisap

2008 Dodge Sprinter Campervan
Purchased a 2' x 8' x 1.5" piece of butcher block today... man it is heavy! It would be cut to a smaller size, shaving off some weight. What would allow for a similar look/feel/function without all the weight?
 

wankel7

Active member
Purchased a 2' x 8' x 1.5" piece of butcher block today... man it is heavy! It would be cut to a smaller size, shaving off some weight. What would allow for a similar look/feel/function without all the weight?
I found some good looking maple 3/4 plywood and covered it in epoxy resin.

My counter top is the same dimms.
 

marklg

Well-known member
You could go to town with a 2' wide planer!

I would think that you should be able to find thinner butcher block. We got maple stair treads made out of multiple boards that are thinner, but smaller dimensions otherwise. I made two tables out of 3/4 thick maple butcher block cutting boards that were available from Bed, Bath and Beyond. They do look nice, bu they don't sell them any more. I did scratch one up though on a metal screw head, damn!

Regards,

Mark
 

Boathik

Tinkerer extraordinaire
I have a teak butcher block counter roughly 69”x22” with a 24” apron sink. I saved weight by building the cabinet from 12mm Baltic birch plywood.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Kevsuda

Active member
I used Ikea birch butcher block. Mine is only about 52" if I remember correctly and I also trimmed a couple inches off the depth, but made that into the backsplash. It is heavy, but any substantial countertop is going to be heavy. This was one of my weight splurges. The galley cabinet it sits on is made from 1/2" ply (technically less) and is designed without a bottom sheet or back sheet. It's heavy, but when you compare to your alternatives, I think you find you are only talking a relatively few pounds difference to most other common counter top materials.
 

Cheyenne

UK 2004 T1N 313CDi
If you are that concerned about the weight then rout out some areas underneath where it will not show. If you leave maybe an inch of thickness then that should probably be sufficient strength left.

Keith.
 

Midwestdrifter

Engineer In Residence
Its all about the total weight. If you have capacity to spare, feel free to use it how you like. Many full featured conversions are very heavy if materials like that are used everywhere.
 

HighPockets

Active member
In '91 I bought a Honda CRX-HX as a commuter vehicle. It was the high mileage version of the CRX line. I was amazed at the trouble they went to, to achieve the HM. They made aluminum castings to replace stamped steel items used in the other two models among other things. Since then I have been super conscious of the relationship between weight and fuel mileage. If it isn't necessary it's not included. If I can get a lighter version (still of good quality) I use that. If I can use thinner wood and get the strength by good design and the use of glues I do that. The designer of my boat, SkiffAmerica 20, was an ultra-light aircraft fanatic. He designed the boat using the same principles. It will sleep 3 people and do 27 mph with a 30 hp outboard. The only problem is it has such a shallow draft that the wind pushes it around too easily at slow speeds. And it's not just fuel mileage it also affects performance and road handling.

Gene
P.S. At one point (1982) I traded a Honda Gold Wing that weighed 700 lbs. for a BMW R80/GS that weighed 375 lbs.
 
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HighPockets

Active member
I do. Unfortunately, it has played 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th fiddle to the boat build, bathhouse build, 3rd bathroom build, the yard, my Sprinter van build, not to mention I own a farm and have in-laws that I owe so much to that are in their nineties. Actually, my F-I-L died this summer and his widow is very lonely so my wife and I try to spend some time with her every day. To sum that up it doesn't run and hasn't been ridden for about 10 years. :cry:

I am old enough that I now wish I had many things I sold off cheap. Now it's not a question of whether to sell it or not but who to bequeath it to in my will. :tongue:

Gene
 

OrioN

2008 2500 170" EXT
If you are not using the countertop as a butcher-block why use real butcher-block. If it is only for look just use a plastic laminate.
 

GeorgeRa

2013 Sprinter DIY 144WB, Portland OR
I used ¾” HDPE CNCed by Hein, it is great material replacing teak in the boating industry. Same material is used for cutting boards. For hot pots I used hot pods.
 

Attachments

Butcher block comes in two thicknesses. 1 1/2" and 1" at least as far as my local supplier offers. Considering the overall weight of a counter top, it is insignificant.

The warmth of solid real wood is beneficial for our tin boxes.

When I bought my 06 Midwest Auto Design limo van there was no wood incorporated into their design. That was one of the first things I addressed with teak and mahogany accents wherever I could.

There is nothing like a little solid wood to embrace an interior that lacks the warmth that wood provides. My opinion is arrived at from forty years of working with wood. Others are welcome to their own answers for their own particular circumstances.
 

OrioN

2008 2500 170" EXT
Butcher block comes in two thicknesses. 1 1/2" and 1" at least as far as my local supplier offers. Considering the overall weight of a counter top, it is insignificant.

The warmth of solid real wood is beneficial for our tin boxes.

When I bought my 06 Midwest Auto Design limo van there was no wood incorporated into their design. That was one of the first things I addressed with teak and mahogany accents wherever I could.

There is nothing like a little solid wood to embrace an interior that lacks the warmth that wood provides. My opinion is arrived at from forty years of working with wood. Others are welcome to their own answers for their own particular circumstances.
I have an Espar heater to keep me warm.
 
Visual warmth of wood Orion, but you know that.

I too have an Espar under the driver side wheel well but have never used it here in Southern Ca. One of these days it would be nice to reconfigure this diesel heaters limited factory function to use it any time I want. After all these years of unused neglect, I doubt it could be reworked, but you never know.
 

OrioN

2008 2500 170" EXT
Visual warmth of wood Orion, but you know that.

I too have an Espar under the driver side wheel well but have never used it here in Southern Ca. One of these days it would be nice to reconfigure this diesel heaters limited factory function to use it any time I want. After all these years of unused neglect, I doubt it could be reworked, but you never know.
Is there any risk of spontaneous combustion with the warmth of wood? :thinking:
 

Island Jim

Active member
The weight of the butcher block , maybe 25lbs more than some 3/4" material probably won't make a difference in the overall project. My concern with butcher block is water damage around the sink. I used it for 20 years in my house with good results but I was very careful with sealing the end grain and keeping a good coat of finish on it. I decided it was too fussy for my van!
 

travelrooky

New member
Another great option is bamboo. Its strong, lightweight and can be refinished rather quickly. Ive looked into butcher block as well but IMO its just overkill for the amount of use these counter tops will get. Ill probably build an integrated smaller sized butcher block slide out for cooking tho.

here are both products ill be using. Both are easy to trim and route.

https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/tolken...fpc_vreb64yQXOn1ys0ROR4C9GqLxRLUaAr3pEALw_wcB

https://www.homedepot.com/p/NewAge-...in-H-x-18-in-D-Bamboo-Worktop-36071/207204147
 

monoloco

Member
I glued up a 1" thick solid countertop for ours out of cherry. After cutting out for the sink and cooktop, the weight difference over a lightweight and less attractive alternative was negligible.
 

ddunaway

Active member
I used this 3/4 in thick bamboo mentioned below. Very light. Holding up great for~3 years. Looks warm. Very cost effective compared to other counter options. I don’t cut on it though but really thin plastic cutting boards work great, can be easily washed, and carried out to a picnic table.

Highly recommend the bamboo!

Another great option is bamboo. Its strong, lightweight and can be refinished rather quickly. Ive looked into butcher block as well but IMO its just overkill for the amount of use these counter tops will get. Ill probably build an integrated smaller sized butcher block slide out for cooking tho.

here are both products ill be using. Both are easy to trim and route.

https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/tolken...fpc_vreb64yQXOn1ys0ROR4C9GqLxRLUaAr3pEALw_wcB

https://www.homedepot.com/p/NewAge-...in-H-x-18-in-D-Bamboo-Worktop-36071/207204147
 

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