Island Countertop - Looking for feedback


Recommended Posts

Good Evening,

I've been approached by a potential client to produce a 5x7' island counter top.  I've attached a picture of the idea she has suggested and after visiting our local hardwood supplier together she's very interested in figured/curly walnut 6/4 in thickness.  I'm thinking it's going to be a glue up very much like a cutting board, or using glue and some pocket holes for further support.  Not a fan of pocket holes on beautiful wood like walnut but it will be under the counter and never seen. 

However, I am very much open to suggestions before I decide to quote on the project.  I value those who have more experience than I.

Also curious what kind of finish you'd use on this.  It's going to possibly have food, drinks, etc. on it.  Needs to at least get a good protective coat and then proper instruction to the client on how to care for it.

And there we go! Let the feedback roll!

 

Countertop.PNG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, drzaius said:

Why the pocket screws? They won't do a thing for strength as long as the wood is properly jointed.

Agreed!  Domino for alignment if you have one.  Long grain to long grain glue up is super strong!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 minutes ago, TIODS said:

Agreed!  Domino for alignment if you have one.  Long grain to long grain glue up is super strong!

Perfect, I don't have a domino but do have a biscuit cutter. I may be able to borrow a domino however.  I was just throwing out the PH idea out there for additional strength but agree the glue up will be super tight. 

Any suggestions on finishes?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, Shaun Guthrie said:

Perfect, I don't have a domino but do have a biscuit cutter. I may be able to borrow a domino however.  I was just throwing out the PH idea out there for additional strength but agree the glue up will be super tight. 

Any suggestions on finishes?

Pretty big can of worms..

I suppose if I were doing it for my house, I would be shooting precat lacquer.  The downside to that is that it will scratch and it's not a super easy repair.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, TIODS said:

Pretty big can of worms..

I suppose if I were doing it for my house, I would be shooting precat lacquer.  The downside to that is that it will scratch and it's not a super easy repair.

Yeah I know everyone has their own opinion on finishes. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think the looks of this is incredible, jmo. But the functionality is questionable. She will have to have an under the counter leaf blower to keep it clean. If you have the clamps and caul and nads to undertake this project, good luck to you and keep us posted through the build. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'll be completely honest..  I would also consider shooting a WB finish as well because I've had such great success with it and they have improved a great deal!  I just have a general fear of a WB finish in a kitchen..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 minutes ago, K Cooper said:

I think the looks of this is incredible, jmo. But the functionality is questionable. She will have to have an under the counter leaf blower to keep it clean. If you have the clamps and caul and nads to undertake this project, good luck to you and keep us posted through the build. 

Oh it won't look exactly like this, I agree this is amazing from the picture.  It would be much smoother.  I think my biggest hurdle would be the clamps.  I'd have to invest all my profits into the clamps! haha

 

18 minutes ago, TIODS said:

I'll be completely honest..  I would also consider shooting a WB finish as well because I've had such great success with it and they have improved a great deal!  I just have a general fear of a WB finish in a kitchen..

WB? Sorry not familiar with that...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For such a large glue up, you'll want some alignment. I recently did a 4x4 table top with different woods, and used my domino for alignment. I suspect a biscuit thingy should be ok. I do prefer the domino though. I did three glue ups for mine. The two out side pieces were one glue up, and the middle (wide piece of wenge) was glued up to those two pieces at once. Went very well, and I had very little variation in the top when done.

11230662_10208216323913966_3833066641952

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dowels would also work for alignment..  Just depends on what you have available to you.

Do like Mel showed there and build in sections that will fit thru your planer or drum sander and then put the sections together.  Should greatly reduce the amount of flattening you have to do with the big piece.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Idea..........If long clamps are a problem, could you glue up half the top then glue up the other half and then use pocket screws to pull the 2 halves together for the the final glue up?

I don't have enough experience to comment on the finish.

Good luck.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A few pipe clamps used with cauls will work if you are careful. Gluing up smaller sections and flattening them with a planer or drum sander then assembling the sections is very wise. Pay close attention to keeping edges very square to the surface and use a caul to keep the clamp from marring the edges. Also clamping cauls across the bottom and top keeps the boards from bowing under pressure. I cover these cauls with clear packing tape which prevents glue squeeze out from sticking.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 hours ago, Aj3 said:

I also am a big fan of General finish.Forget about the domino.The question is do you have a long bed jointer?I hope your not counting on buying s4s lumber to get the job done.

The picture looks cool no denying that.

 

Aj

No regular lumber, looking to use 8/4 Walnut for this.  Took a walk through our local hardwood supplier specializing in pretty much any wood you want, no lumber here.

I have a long enough jointer with roller supports to make sure the wood is supported when it comes off the bed.  I had to get them for the last job I did for a 5' long walnut live edge.  However it's stretching the capacity that's for sure!  I'll joint the beds and use the domino/biscuit for alignment and then clamp it up.  The clams are my bigger problem! lol

 

12 hours ago, wtnhighlander said:

If you go with pipe clamps for the long reach, don't use one long pipe. Get several shorter pipes with couplings, this adds a ton of flexibilty over wrestling with an 8' pipe all the time.

Alternatively, you can make cheap long clamps from 2x4, glue blocks, and wedges.

Yeah I was thinking the pipe clamps and doubling them.  Saw that on a few Instagram posts before.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5' wide might be stretching what one man can physically do within the open time of PVA glue. Depends on the width of your boards, I suppose. I like to do sub assmblies when it makes sense. I have a 20" planer, so I'll happily do two glue ups for a  30-40" panel. If it's 21-24" wide, I just say screw it and do it in one go. The problem is you are almost guaranteed to bend your   Edge out of straight/square when you clamp the pieces. This means 24 hours later you most likely won't have a tight joint. I don't doubt your strength, but 7' by 20" by 1.75" is no joke to control on the jointer. I can imagine it would be even worse on a 6-8" jointer. 

 

I hope you are charging accordingly. A top that big in walnut is a few stacks. Also, keep in mind you will need 2-3 people to move it once it's assembled. This becomes a real pain in the rump when you need to call people over to help yo flip it while finishing the piece. Or, have them help you flip it when you sand and route the piece. It sucks when things become too large to handle. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On ‎2016‎-‎06‎-‎09 at 9:46 PM, Llama said:

For such a large glue up, you'll want some alignment. I recently did a 4x4 table top with different woods, and used my domino for alignment. I suspect a biscuit thingy should be ok. I do prefer the domino though. I did three glue ups for mine. The two out side pieces were one glue up, and the middle (wide piece of wenge) was glued up to those two pieces at once. Went very well, and I had very little variation in the top when done.

 

Yeah I was thinking of doing it in multiple glue ups as well.  I'll want to use biscuits or domino for alignment for sure. I've done other glue ups with larger stock and the alignment is key.  Agree it's not for strength at all.

17 hours ago, Pwk5017 said:

5' wide might be stretching what one man can physically do within the open time of PVA glue. Depends on the width of your boards, I suppose. I like to do sub assmblies when it makes sense. I have a 20" planer, so I'll happily do two glue ups for a  30-40" panel. If it's 21-24" wide, I just say screw it and do it in one go. The problem is you are almost guaranteed to bend your   Edge out of straight/square when you clamp the pieces. This means 24 hours later you most likely won't have a tight joint. I don't doubt your strength, but 7' by 20" by 1.75" is no joke to control on the jointer. I can imagine it would be even worse on a 6-8" jointer. 

 

I hope you are charging accordingly. A top that big in walnut is a few stacks. Also, keep in mind you will need 2-3 people to move it once it's assembled. This becomes a real pain in the rump when you need to call people over to help yo flip it while finishing the piece. Or, have them help you flip it when you sand and route the piece. It sucks when things become too large to handle. 

Thanks for the insight, this is good stuff.  widths of the boards would be no more than 12", that's roughly what the 6/4 stock comes in at the supplier.  A few variations within that but roughly what it will be. 

I was planning to do the glue up in sections as there is no way one could glue it all up in one pass as you indicated. 

Thanks!

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
On ‎2016‎-‎06‎-‎10 at 4:47 AM, wdwerker said:

A few pipe clamps used with cauls will work if you are careful. Gluing up smaller sections and flattening them with a planer or drum sander then assembling the sections is very wise. Pay close attention to keeping edges very square to the surface and use a caul to keep the clamp from marring the edges. Also clamping cauls across the bottom and top keeps the boards from bowing under pressure. I cover these cauls with clear packing tape which prevents glue squeeze out from sticking.

Yeah I caught that packing tape trip long ago and it's been a life saver!

Thanks

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I did research for my own counters and came to the conclusion that Waterlox Original Sealer was the product for some wear and tear and possible water interaction. And it looks amazing on walnut. I got a thread in journals of my counters right now. 

Just my two cents. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

if you are using reclaimed wood (as shown in the picture), it can be a bit of an art to get reclaimed boards "flat enough" to look right, but not ruin the character of the lumber.

The important thing is to get the edge joints clean for the glue up get the top as close to flat as you can with as little material removed as possible. I personally would do it without biscuits or dominoes, but its six one way and half dozen the other way

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Who's Online   1 Member, 0 Anonymous, 36 Guests (See full list)

  • Forum Statistics

    31.2k
    Total Topics
    421.8k
    Total Posts
  • Member Statistics

    23,759
    Total Members
    3,644
    Most Online
    R Parekh
    Newest Member
    R Parekh
    Joined