Weber Cart Butcher Block


Grill Cart Ben

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I am building an outdoor grilling cart which I will be mounting my Weber grill into. I am using a 72" X 36" Birch Butcher Block as the counter top (don't worry I will be using a heat shield to prevent the wood from starting on fire). I am trying to figure out the best way to treat the wood to help it hold up to the sun, use,  weather, etc.

I will have the cart under cover for the most part and don't mind the idea of just using butcher block wax and applying it regularly but I read about and have considered using a diluted salad bowl finish on the block instead as that seems like it might hold up better.

Does any one have an experience or advice with an outdoor butcher block and how to finish it? I'd hate to mess up a $200 butcher block by taking the wrong approach here.

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I would just use mineral oil or something like Boos mystery oil.   Personally I don't like salad bowl finish or things like that because most contain varnish.  While varnish is food safe when cured I don't like the idea of cutting up and ingesting microscopic pieces of plastic (cured varnish is basically plastic). Pure oils are easy to reapply and mineral oil does not go rancid 

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I just bought a brick of beeswax, a bottle of mineral oil from Walgreen's, and experimented. Melt the wax in a double boiler, mix in the oil, and pour into a container. Seems I wound up at about 4 parts oil to one part wax (by weight, not volume), to make a pretty stiff paste. It ain't exactly rocket surgery...

I also suggest saturating the piece with just oil, then let it dry to the touch before applying the wax mixture. Works great on cutting boards.

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That looks great. I would agree with highlander. I make a lot of cutting boards and I give them a good coating of mineral oil and wait a day or so and then add a coat of my board paste and let that sit for a day. After that I wipe all extra off mostly what is left is beeswax so you pretty much just work the beeswax in to the wood. I make my board paste out of mineral oil and beeswax that I get from my bees, a lot of people that buy my boards also get some board paste to go with them.

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If that is a store bought top I strongly recommend not leaving it out in the weather ! Even under cover don't close it up beneath a tarp. Space any cover up with something so you don't trap moisture. Left out in the weather it will come apart in a season or 2.

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Yes, I have sheet metal being cut this week and I will be using spacers and attaching the metal to the wood facing the grill all the way around. 

As far as storing it outdoors and the cover, I plan to keep it under a covered deck where the sun and any rain/snow would not be able to reach it. I am looking into a custom cover too, good thinking to keep a space in between the cover and cart, I'll have to do that.

Thanks highlander, I'm pretty happy with it! Last night was tied up with a hockey game but excited to get in there and start working on finishing touches tonight.

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