Recently I decided to make an end-grain butcher block. This will only
be my second project with hardwood (the last was some purpleheart edging
on ply).
The tricky bit is that I've only got an old Rockwell 9" 3/4HP table saw
with the old crappy fence, no planer, no jointer. (I do have an LV
LA-jack though, with the higher-angle iron.)
Bought some maple and cherry to make a nice pattern. Maple was 2x8x21,
cherry was about 2x7x21. Had to pay the stupid retail prices around
here. The maple was supposed to be S4S, but it had some slightly bits
where the planer hadn't quite gotten to the rough stuff.
Milled the boards square and flat using a jack plane, straight edge, and
table saw. Bit of a workout, but very satisfying.
Last night I ripped the maple into 2x2 strips. I put a ripping blade on
it to stress the saw as little as possible. Considering that the saw
has no splitter and no way to add one, I was a bit nervous. I also
wasn't sure if it would have enough power to get through the wood.
It actually turned out pretty well. Power wasn't too much of an issue
(though I'm sure it helped that the blade had *just* been sharpened).
Pinched the blade and stalled the saw twice, but got the job done and
the cut lines don't look too bad, though they'll certainly need some
planing. I had nightmares of things warping, but so far so good.
Anyways, tonight I hope to get the cherry ripped, then some planing to
get the edges smooth and lined up nicely.
Making sawdust and curlies in Saskatoon,
Chris
Slightly offtopic, but I saw that you have a 9" Rockwell table saw, and
wanted to say "Hey 9" Rockwell Table Saw buddy!" I have my dad's old
Delta/Rockwell (model 34-657) saw, and I haven't had any luck finding
anyone else with a similar one.
Do you have a place where you can get 9" blades, or do you do what I do
and buy the largest blade under 9" you can find?
And to get back on topic: What are you planning on using to attach all
the pieces of wood together?
My grandfather has an old Rockwell that I'll inherit as soon as I get
enough space for it. I'm not sure if it's a 9", but it's an old
cabinet saw with a small planer atttached. The fence is junk, but the
saw itself is very substantial - I'm pretty sure it's more than 3/4hp.
Anyway, as far as glue, have you considered PU glue (like Gorilla
glue)? Has more working time than std wood glue, claims it is
waterproof, and actually needs some moisture to cure properly. I
haven't used Titebond III, though - I'd be interested to hear how that
goes.
Sounds like it will be a nice butcher block! I'd like to see a picture
when you're done.
Andy
N Hurst wrote:
> Slightly offtopic, but I saw that you have a 9" Rockwell table saw, and
> wanted to say "Hey 9" Rockwell Table Saw buddy!" I have my dad's old
> Delta/Rockwell (model 34-657) saw, and I haven't had any luck finding
> anyone else with a similar one.
>
> Do you have a place where you can get 9" blades, or do you do what I do
> and buy the largest blade under 9" you can find?
>
> And to get back on topic: What are you planning on using to attach all
> the pieces of wood together?
I have one with an attached 4" jointer. As long as the saw is kept
tuned up/aligned properly I have had no problem cutting anything I want
to. It's a good basic saw that has served me well for twenty years.
Maybe someday I'll move up to a 10" model.
Bugs
N Hurst wrote:
> Slightly offtopic, but I saw that you have a 9" Rockwell table saw, and
> wanted to say "Hey 9" Rockwell Table Saw buddy!" I have my dad's old
> Delta/Rockwell (model 34-657) saw, and I haven't had any luck finding
> anyone else with a similar one.
I picked this one up cheap from a friend of my dad's.
> Do you have a place where you can get 9" blades, or do you do what I do
> and buy the largest blade under 9" you can find?
Mine actually came with a couple blades. I wanted a better one, so I
found *one* place in town that had *one* decent 9" blade. They do
sharpening as well, but they're aimed at the industrial market so
they're only open office hours.
> And to get back on topic: What are you planning on using to attach all
> the pieces of wood together?
Probably titebond III, for the bit of extra water resistance. Although
I'm still open to suggestions from anyone who's done it before.
Chris
Andy wrote:
> Anyway, as far as glue, have you considered PU glue (like Gorilla
> glue)? Has more working time than std wood glue, claims it is
> waterproof, and actually needs some moisture to cure properly. I
> haven't used Titebond III, though - I'd be interested to hear how that
> goes.
I'm thinking about the PU stuff. If I can get the blocks milled to
within .003" I might consider it. Apparently, any gaps bigger than that
and it starts losing strength.
> Sounds like it will be a nice butcher block! I'd like to see a picture
> when you're done.
I hope so. I'll put something up when the time comes.
Chris
I made 5 cutting boards for Christmas presents using combinations of cherry,
red oak, hard maple, mesquite, purpleheart, and walnut. I used Titebond III
throughout and LOVED it. . .but you've got to work fast. Be sure everything
is ready to go before you pull out the spout. I used an ink roller I got at
an art supply store to as an applicator which I think is absolutely
mandatory for spreading glue evenly.
Dick Pewthers
Austin, TX
"Andy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> My grandfather has an old Rockwell that I'll inherit as soon as I get
> enough space for it. I'm not sure if it's a 9", but it's an old
> cabinet saw with a small planer atttached. The fence is junk, but the
> saw itself is very substantial - I'm pretty sure it's more than 3/4hp.
> Anyway, as far as glue, have you considered PU glue (like Gorilla
> glue)? Has more working time than std wood glue, claims it is
> waterproof, and actually needs some moisture to cure properly. I
> haven't used Titebond III, though - I'd be interested to hear how that
> goes.
> Sounds like it will be a nice butcher block! I'd like to see a picture
> when you're done.
> Andy
>