Cleaning a butcher block

I found a butcher block for free on craigslist. I got it and its pretty awesome, obviously a little sticky. the surface is relatively flat.

What's the best way to go about cleaning it? its going to be used in my home.

I'll put up pics later on!

Thanks

I find a palm sander works pretty well.

straight blade works well...

wsfarrell said:

I find a palm sander works pretty well.

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Perhaps preceded by a wood scraper for the "little sticky".

add said:

Perhaps preceded by a wood scraper for the "little sticky".

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As long as the board is pretty darn flat to start with a card scrapper would work well.

slowtyper, send a PM to John Loftis www.lonestarartsen.com

Had a conversation with him last week about similar topic. He advised me NOT to sand the board down, says that its very easy to make the board uneven. says that sanding and plaining is the most difficult part about a cutting board.

Hmm thanks.

http://imgur.com/eIVMz

there is a, manufacturer sticker on it still so I'll contact them for advice also

Got to agree on not sanding it down. The most I'd ever advise for a cutting board is to use a brown paper bag to smooth it out a bit if you feel like it needs it.

Any pictures of it?

That is one sweet block! Congratulations!

I actually scored a nice one as well at an antiques shop, $5 for a 22x22x2" board. It's a bit warped, and has a couple of small cracks on the surface. What should I do to try to level it? Mineral oil? My guess is it just dried out a bit...

That thing was free? You lucky b@$+@rd!!!

For the record: If used properly a belt sander will do a very good job, quickly. But if the surface is sticky, it was probably oiled with vegetable oil and it will require a lot of alternating pattern sanding along the length and width. If you try the belt sander, invest in a good cleaning stick for the belts. A few seconds with the cleaning stick and the belt will look and act like new. A cabinet scraper will also do a good job but the learing curve can be rather steep. A brown paper bag will do little if anything except provide a little burnishing for the surface.

I have refinished many cutting boards using a belt sander and they were as flat when I finished as they were when new. It is all in the technique.

Try a coating of salt overnight to soak up all the extra stickiness. Then, leave it alone. It will probably be worth more if it is left alone and not refinished.

sashae said:

I actually scored a nice one as well at an antiques shop, $5 for a 22x22x2" board. It's a bit warped, and has a couple of small cracks on the surface. What should I do to try to level it? Mineral oil? My guess is it just dried out a bit...

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The problems here in this board is why it was in a second hand shop. Poor edge preparation and even poorer attention was paid to the grain direction and they used flat sawn stock and quarter sawn stock. Looks like someone tried to fill the gaps but made a mess.

You can try to level it with a belt sander of if you know someone with a wide belt sander of a wide double drum sander that will do the job. But the oils in the wood will quickly clog a sanding belt. NEVER use a planer. The end grain will destroy the blades and the following edges will chip out.

Thanks for the replies. I don't have any tools so the easiest and least costly methods would be great! I'm not looking to start with a fresh new surface, just something clean and safe to use.

... wow a great score....

Teh sticky stuff has to be removed first before any sanding or it will really clog any sandpaper. IF you do not mind using extra sand paper.. no harm..

I suppose I would try to wash it adn let it dry before doing any sanding. AS it is for cutting food, I suppose no strong chemicals wld be advisable.

a) As the cuts or scores are pretty deep, Looks like a job for a drum sander. to ensure the levelness if you are going to attempt to remove the deep cuts/ scores. I did a small project using the Mirka system with teh abranet sanding solution.. to remove scratches on a table with 80 grit netted sandpaper. Didn't remove all teh scratches that I want to and they are not as deep as those on the butchers block! MAy have a go at it (table) again ...

Happy sanding.

The BoardSMITH said:

The problems here in this board is why it was in a second hand shop. Poor edge preparation and even poorer attention was paid to the grain direction and they used flat sawn stock and quarter sawn stock. Looks like someone tried to fill the gaps but made a mess.

.

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Dave.. does it mean that the combination of flat sawn and quarter sawn on teh board will present different expansion of wood and thus the board will always have splitting problems at the the joints/ glued areas?

thanks

rgds
D

Whoa, that is a big one. I didn't see the picture before. Yeah, I'd use a hand held belt sander or orbital sander. What other choice is there? Not much. You can't exactly put that through a drum sander, and it's completely impractical to ship it to anyone like Dave who has the aforementioned technique. But it is going to need much more than a buffing.

My father has a Boos block a bit bigger than that one, and coated it with Olive Oil several times. One day, I will have a hell of a time restoring it. Sticky mess.

Seriously, that was FREE??? Holy fricking crap. I gotta spend more time surfing CL and Kijiji.

A cabinet scraper works very well,I watched a few you tube vids on the proper use.I practiced on some pine before I cleaned my board with it.

zitangy said:

Dave.. does it mean that the combination of flat sawn and quarter sawn on teh board will present different expansion of wood and thus the board will always have splitting problems at the the joints/ glued areas?

thanks

rgds
D

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In a word, yes. DAMHIK

Don't Assume My... Hangover Is Kentucky?

This is what I used to get the sticky off the board, It was originally designed to get all the blood, bonemeal and fat off of butcher blocks. http://www.webstaurantstore.com/but...7140676.html?gclid=CPOH5LTj2bECFUJx4AodGDsA2Q works rather well.

slowtyper said:

I found a butcher block for free on craigslist. I got it and its pretty awesome, obviously a little sticky. the surface is relatively flat.

What's the best way to go about cleaning it? its going to be used in my home.

I'll put up pics later on!

Thanks

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I was waiting for some pics but you can use some wet cloth with proper cleaning solution available in the market.

Lemon juice and salt, scrub with a brown paper bag, let dry thoroughly, then oil with Pam or similar pan release. You can spend more money, but you won't beat these results.

Hax the Cook CLEAVERS RULE!!!

hax9215 said:

Lemon juice and salt, scrub with a brown paper bag, let dry Carpet Cleaners Gold coast thoroughly, then oil with Pam or similar pan release. You can spend more money, but you won't beat these results.

Hax the Cook CLEAVERS RULE!!!

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I will try them out. Never heard of methods mentioned by you but sounds great.

Thanks

nice score.

still haven't one anything with this...just sitting in the middle of my apartment