bob493 Posted May 4, 2016 Report Share Posted May 4, 2016 Using maple, s4s 3.5" x .75" actual size, doing end grain block, so face grain will be glued. 3 feet x 2 feet island for the kitchen. How much thickness do i actually need? I don't expect warping to be an issue with face grain glue ups. I'm thinking about 1" thick should be plenty. Any thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted May 4, 2016 Report Share Posted May 4, 2016 I think 1" thick on a large end grain top will look odd, regardless of how funtional it is. It will need plenty of support to prevent splitting.Personally, I would go closer to 2". 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapid Roger Posted May 4, 2016 Report Share Posted May 4, 2016 Even my end grain cutting boards are 1-1/2" thick and they are not as large as you are talking about. I would think that 2" or 2-1/2" thick would not only be stronger but, look much better also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob493 Posted May 4, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 4, 2016 2" then! Thanks gents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pwk5017 Posted May 4, 2016 Report Share Posted May 4, 2016 1" thick end grain would be as stable as the wind. End grain is so finicky. A board absorbs and disperses most of its moisture through the ends. When you condense a board down to 1" long, this makes it highly reactive to change, because most of the board is end grain(think of the straw analogy). Furthermore, end grain isnt the most sound construction method for a surface. Ever wonder why the actual butcher blocks were 12"+ thick? I am no blackbelt, but if you put your 24" by 36" and 1" thick end grain board in between sawhorses, I would karate chop it in half with ease. I make islands all the time, and I wouldnt touch an end grain project under 2" in those dimensions. I dont care how badly the client wants to value engineer the piece, that has 80-90% chance to fail, bow, sag, warp. I probably wouldnt even do 2" on a 2x3 piece. What does the base cabinet look like? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soonerdg Posted May 4, 2016 Report Share Posted May 4, 2016 Stability issues aside I agree that 1" thick would just look odd. Chances are that your client will think so as well when they see the finished piece. I think you would end up remaking the top. Kitchen counter tops are made to look like they are 1.5" thick because that's pleasing to the eye. If you put this piece in the kitchen it will just look odd IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Wright Posted May 4, 2016 Report Share Posted May 4, 2016 the butcher block top on my kitchen island is 1.5" thick. It is a manufactured top made from solid maple that is glued with facegrain on top. Personally I think the 1.5" looks good. I think you could make one thicker, but it wouldn't look good if it was any thinner. One other thing to think about is that if you are using pre-existing or "standard" cabinets going thicker will raise the counter height. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted May 4, 2016 Report Share Posted May 4, 2016 I agree that 1" is to thin. In my experience, end grain spans flex way more. I had to run three supports under a huge block I made to stop sagging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronn W Posted May 4, 2016 Report Share Posted May 4, 2016 End grain up is very weak in bending so don't plan for any cantilevers that are greater than the thickness of the top. I understand the aesthetic appeal of the end grain, but for all the reasons stated above I would shy away from it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bleedinblue Posted May 4, 2016 Report Share Posted May 4, 2016 When I think "butcher block" or "chopping block," I naturally think of, well...a block. It's gotta be a thick chunk of wood, otherwise it'll look odd and be weak. Most of us wouldn't make a work bench that's only 3/4 of an inch thick, right? 1.5" minimum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pwk5017 Posted May 4, 2016 Report Share Posted May 4, 2016 Ive done 1.25" pieces for counter infills(had to match an existing laminate/quartz/whatever), and there is absolutely no problem there. Where the OP is going to run into an issue is with end grain. If you do a normal panel glue up 1" thick, no problem. Even if you rip your boards into 1" wide pieces, glue them face to face, still no problem. 6 sq ft of 1" end grain? problem. End grain islands are the bees knees, im excited to see it. I cant wait until I have a kitchen large enough for an island. I will make such a boss end grain surface. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodger. Posted May 5, 2016 Report Share Posted May 5, 2016 I also did a large counter top (in walnut). I used face grain, as no chopping was going to happen on the countertop. Mine came out at about 1 5/8" thicki believe, and was a whopping 13 feet long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob493 Posted May 6, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 6, 2016 wow, glad I asked. I did 1.75" (cuts my cost literally in half). Even that thickness looks almost anemic, but it should be a nice piece when i finish it. Im so glad I didn't do something silly like i was originally thinking. I also realized i made a greivous mispeak earlier. Doing EDGE grain, not END grain (i.e. quarter sawn). That might change things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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