new to woodworking


Adelg88

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hey guy, quick background, im andrew, i live in nashville tn. ive been working on hotrods for years. however lately ive been getting interested in woodwork. i am building my fiance a butcher block table for an engagement gift. (she is a chef). so far i have build the butcher block. i need some advice for what types of wood i should use for the base, the drawers and the trim.

here is my block so far   

20151108_123653.jpg

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Welcome to the forum and to woodworking! Nice butcher block top. For the base its really up to you. Choose a wood that you love the look and colour of and get to work! There are wood species in almost every colour imaginable so that it doesn't need to be stained. What woods did you use for the top? Why not use a combo of those two species for the base?

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Welcome Andrew.  I'm a big gear head as well.  Cut my teeth with a frame off resto of a  54 gmc.

As far as the base,  it's totally up to you.  

Personally,  when I have seen dedicated butcher blocks, they have had an enclosed  base with a drawer.  I think the mass would help it feel more solid.  I would however at least try to coordinate it to the kitchen if it's a residential kitchen

Here's about what I picture 

 

Fasciating-Small-Wood-Material-Butcher-Block-Kitchen-Cart.jpg

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Top looks great!  I made a butcher block top early on, and it had so many gaps, I had to convince myself that it was a design feature--easier to clean, because the food would just fall through.

As for the base, this may sound blasphemous to some, but you could also consider painting it.  Butcher block looks nice on top of painted cabinets.  If you do chose to paint it, you could use poplar, which is cheap and easy to work.  Also, as a beginning woodworker, paint is nice because it can hide a lot of imperfections.  

Otherwise, I'd probably use cherry, as long as it wouldn't clash with the kitchen.  It's already in the top, so it would match well, and it's just a nice wood.  I would probably avoid something really dark, like walnut, it would tend to make the piece look very bottom heavy.

Edited by Dknapp34
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Welcome Andrew.  I'm a big gear head as well.  Cut my teeth with a frame off resto of a  54 gmc.

As far as the base,  it's totally up to you.  

Personally,  when I have seen dedicated butcher blocks, they have had an enclosed  base with a drawer.  I think the mass would help it feel more solid.  I would however at least try to coordinate it to the kitchen if it's a residential kitchen

Here's about what I picture 

 

Fasciating-Small-Wood-Material-Butcher-Block-Kitchen-Cart.jpg

I currently have a 74 vw beetle ratrod. With a turbo motor in in. Fenderless chopted 4 in and 8 inch beam extention.  And I just sold my 50 Chevy 

Both my grand fathers were carpenters so I grew up being their tool runner. Never really got into the work when. I was young.  But I just love to create. 

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That sounds like the manly way to deal with it......

Thanks! 

Probably best. With a mindset like that, why waste your time trying to get better at anything? 

It was just a joke. I'm not a fan of being serious. :) It was my way of complimenting the guy. It looks great.

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A better way to do it would say, "nice job"... Not pretend to be a baby about it. 

I'm sorry if I missed your posting guidelines for how I should respond to everything. Do you have a hardback I can purchase, or maybe an instructional series on youtube I can subscribe to so I can learn how to make jokes that satisfy you?

 

Serious edit-

I don't care if you just crowned yourself Emperor. Nobody dictates how I respond to anything. Ever. They can try, but I will do as I like. Thanks. And this has nothing to do with the guys topic. So I will not say anything further. My apologies to the OP.

Edited by Cliff
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I'm sorry if I missed your posting guidelines for how I should respond to everything. Do you have a hardback I can purchase, or maybe an instructional series on youtube I can subscribe to so I can learn how to make jokes that satisfy you?

This might be a good start.

http://www.amazon.com/How-Be-Man-Behavior-Gentleman/dp/0847835472/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1447256795&sr=8-1&keywords=How+to+be+a+man

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Top looks great, and I would echo Brendon's suggestion - choose a primary matching color and then add contrast in the accents, such as handles, trim, etc. The contrasting woods are personal preference, but I like the look of bright contrasts like Maple with Walnut/Bloodwood/Sapele accents (inverse is also true). Since you are working with Cherry (warm toned) and Poplar (bright toned), I would build the rest in Cherry and any accents with Poplar.

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Adelg88, welcome to the forum!  Great start.  You'll get good advice and sound direction from the people on this forum.  Don't let the little forum spat worry you - our meds will all kick in soon - LOL.  Really, great job on the top.

meds? I got no meds...:blink: top looks great. I do like the idea of a painted base, as much as I hate to admit it. 

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