Biggest one ever (WIP)

[JustinP]

Not that I'm an expert, but I'd be surprised if this were cheaper per square foot than a board. It's much more time consuming to make something as large as this, and the risk of something going wrong is much larger (as are the costs if something does indeed go wrong).

Have to agree with that. Looks much harder and time consuming per square foot to make something like this. I'm sure the small stuff is already setup to produce quickly, jigs in place etc. Custom stuff requires custom tooling to be set up etc.

 

[John Loftis]

Have to agree with that. Looks much harder and time consuming per square foot to make something like this. I'm sure the small stuff is already setup to produce quickly, jigs in place etc. Custom stuff requires custom tooling to be set up etc.

There was a slight upcharge on a square footage basis... but not as much as there should have been. Every time we needed to move it, it required 3 men. And we had to run it through the wide belt sander around 100 times. So the extra labor accounted for some of the upcharge, but also the extra time of waiting and babysitting... This guy took 3 weeks to fabricate because we had to be patient.

If I were doing it over, this would have been a $6k-$7k butcher block before shipping. And I would have insisted on going thicker than 2 3/8". 3" thick would have been better.

 

[ian]

Are the users actually going to cut on it? Not having ever had a built in butcher block, I can’t fathom ever using it for that purpose, since it would be so disappointing if it got messed up. It’s true that my current end grain boards look fine, but the stakes would be higher if I was cutting directly on a countertop, even though the steaks would be lower.

Then again, I can't imagine spending that much on end grain just for show, even though it's beautiful. Basically, I don't understand this thread. Mind blown.

 

[John Loftis]

Are the users actually going to cut on it? Not having ever had a built in butcher block, I can’t fathom ever using it for that purpose, since it would be so disappointing if it got messed up. It’s true that my current end grain boards look fine, but the stakes would be higher if I was cutting directly on a countertop, even though the steaks would be lower.

Then again, I can't imagine spending that much on end grain just for show, even though it's beautiful. Basically, I don't understand this thread. Mind blown.

I did a bid 3 years ago on a pair of matching, custom beds for one of the wealthiest men in Texas. He wanted them to be 12' wide since he's a 'very light sleeper and his wife disturbs him when she rolls over.' I commented to the personal assistant who was my point of contact that you can't get mattresses that size. He chuckled softly and said, 'but of course you can.' These beds were extremely ornate. I spent a week on the bid, and it came out to $76,000. The low bidder (of 12 bids) was $73,000. I'm so glad I lost that job... the 'winner' lost his shirt on it. Point is, there are a lot of people in the world who want what they want, and have the means to buy it. I'm definitely not one of those people. But it is fun to be able to craft really nice stuff for folks who can afford it.

On the flip side, my second largest countertop project ever was from someone who had saved for 9 months to get a maple countertop. He didn't make much money, but he really wanted something beautifully made. It was one of the best commissions I've ever had, because he treasured it and really sacrificed to get it. I took that job extremely seriously... it was personal for him and it was personal for me. He and I later became good friends.

I honestly don't know how these customers (the mammoth walnut ones) plan on using it. I'd guess it's more for the 'wow' factor since it's walnut. In my kitchen (as in many kitchens), our island backs up to the kitchen sink, and I did a 'small' end grain walnut built in on the end of the island... something like 20" deep by 44" wide. That has worked out really well for us, but we will often put a cutting board on top of the butcher block for small stuff. The issue for us is less about beating up the counter and more about mess/ease of clean up.

 

[RonB]

John - I love the story about the guy who had to save for what he wanted. Many years ago I used to do high end craft shows selling wood turnings - mostly bowls. There was a piece I really liked and didn't want to sell, so I priced it high so no one would buy it. A young lady stopped by three times to look at that piece before she bought it. I commented that I had hoped it wouldn't sell and she offered to not buy it. I said no - if she liked it that much she should have it - I could always make another.

 

[Chips]

For some reason I imagined having John put a finger groove along two sides, just as a joke.

I still adore my BoardSmith block. I'm not sure the grooves were a known thing when I bought mine, but I probably would have opted for them in hindsight.

 

[Michi]

@John Loftis John, do you have a picture of the finished installed bench? Would be nice to see the final result.

 

[John Loftis]

@John Loftis John, do you have a picture of the finished installed bench? Would be nice to see the final result.

They sent me a couple pics. It's a smaller kitchen than I expected.

 

[ian]

Wow! Yea, I expected a bigger kitchen too, but man, does the countertop look good in it.

 

[MrHiggins]

They sent me a couple pics. It's a smaller kitchen than I expected.
View attachment 53833 View attachment 53834 View attachment 53835

That's a tasteful kitchen. Is that a Capital Range back there? John, your work on that (and in general) is stunning!

 

[Michi]

Absolutely stunning! Thanks for posting the pics!

 

[Marek07]

What an amazing benchtop to have in one's kitchen! Hope they discard the cutting boards sitting in the corner... and that no one decides to sit on that considerable overhang.

 

[Michi]

I suspect that no-one will ever cut on that bench top without a cutting board. It certainly would mar the finish.

 

[Marek07]

I suspect that no-one will ever cut on that bench top without a cutting board. It certainly would mar the finish.

You're probably right. Sad to think of all that work going into a beautiful and functional end grain counter and not being used. Sorta like a display or drawer queen knife...

 

[WildBoar]

You're probably right. Sad to think of all that work going into a beautiful and functional end grain counter and not being used. Sorta like a display or drawer queen knife...

It's a counter/ table top. It is likely used constantly. Is end grain reserved for cutting boards?

My brother-in-law made a walnut countertop for my mom's kitchen a few years back. He used edge grain. It looked beautiful, but wound up warping a bot at one end. Using end grain blocks prevents that from happening. It gives the nice look of walnut and remains more stable than end grain.

 

[Marek07]

I didn't consider resistance to warping/stability as a factor.

 

[John Loftis]

It's a counter/ table top. It is likely used constantly. Is end grain reserved for cutting boards?

My brother-in-law made a walnut countertop for my mom's kitchen a few years back. He used edge grain. It looked beautiful, but wound up warping a bot at one end. Using end grain blocks prevents that from happening. It gives the nice look of walnut and remains more stable than end grain.

This one did too, mostly because I went thinner than I should have for the surface area (customer didn't want to pay for a thicker countertop). That was the biggest reason that the fabrication took so long. I had to give it time to warp, then apply moisture air to flatten it back out, then wait to see what happened. Once it seemed flat and stable, I oiled it.

How big/thick was your brother in law's countertop? The longer I do this, the more I realize there's a critical relationship between thickness and surface area.

 

[WildBoar]

How big/thick was your brother in law's countertop? The longer I do this, the more I realize there's a critical relationship between thickness and surface area.

i'll have to check with him and report back. It was definitely less than 2 inches (likely 1-1/2 inches).