trying to refinish the butcher block tops at work. they are used daily during the summer but winter time is slow. time to refresh the place. anyways the bench tops are maple block. a few deep gouges and stuff like that. the main thing i am worried about is getting all the old grime off. we sanded them down last year and put on some polyurethane but got some fish eye from the deep marks. just looking for tips on dealing with the fish eye and what finish would you use? we have belt sanders and a 1/4 sheet palm sander.
sanding down butcher block bench top
- Thread starter reptilezs
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mustanginky
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if you can get the top off and to a planer, that'd be the way to go. you should be able to belt sand it but that could take awhile. wood is absorbant and will likely have a good deal of the oil down deep.
mossyboy6
Well-known member
Yeah, really needs to be sent through a planer. Its going to take forever with a sander.
Plump
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I do my kitchen countertop once every few years. Just used my hand planers as it's only 3' x 5'; elbow grease is cheap. Then sanded it with increasing grit sandpaper to get it baby-**** smooth. Mineral oil 'er up and ready to go for a few more years.
this is not too far fetched and the tops are removable. they are the tops from equipto work benches. i did some searching on a finish and im learning towards a oil/vanish blend like minwax tung oil. any input on it? the planer idea is good but i need to find a cabinet shop? with the capacity to fit the top
EdT
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A planer large enough to do a table top that wide is pretty special and unlikely to be found outside of someone specializing in that kind of work. You might have better luck finding someone with a "table stroke sander" which is a variation on a belt sander and is intended for sanding..... you guessed it, table tops. The floor sander idea is not so bad if you can get the top down on the floor. I'd lean toward one of the screening machines rather than the BMF belt things. Much easier to control and you're not really trying to flatten out the top, just skim it. You might also consider just replacing the tops which might actually be cheaper than having a third party do anything.
Offtopic: I worked at Home Depot many moons ago and actually hand someone ask if we carried elbow grease. Had to explain to him a few times before he caught on.
You got some pics of this? Sounds neat.
shoot summ
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Find someone with a thickness sander, I've got a local guy that did a 30x60 table top for me for $25. Saved me hours of work(and mess) with a belt sander.
ckadams00
Well-known member
First choice is definitely having someone plane it for you.
Depending on how deep you need to go I have seen good results with a router, similar to this:
http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/flattenaworkbenchwitharouter.aspx
You're not going to be able to take off what you need with a belt sander.
Depending on how deep you need to go I have seen good results with a router, similar to this:
http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/flattenaworkbenchwitharouter.aspx
You're not going to be able to take off what you need with a belt sander.
Big-Foot
Well-known member
Personally, I would just clean them up using mineral spirits and scraping to minimize the effect of bleed through and then flip them over, sand with 150g and use Tung Oil.
I am just now finishing oak butcher block countertops in the kitchen and am using Waterlox tung oil treatment on them - but it's not cheap at $70 a gallon..
I am just now finishing oak butcher block countertops in the kitchen and am using Waterlox tung oil treatment on them - but it's not cheap at $70 a gallon..
coolreed
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You could hand plane it. Thats how I refinished one of my Maple Tops. Turned out very well. I used Laquer instead of Poly.
shoot summ
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A large stationary sander is the ideal solution, most with a planer that large will be reluctant to plane "dirty" wood, and will ask you to place a deposit on a set of blades at a minimum. The sander doesn't care, it will knock 1/16" to 1/8" off of there in a couple of passes.
Here is a pic of the guy sanding my top, the pattern was fastened to the top with pin nails, no way you could run it through a planer, the sander was unfazed by them.
Steevo
Well-known member
melliott28
Well-known member
You could make a router sled and flatten the surface with a router. I'm making one to flatten a benchtop I made out of 2x3 lumber. I got the idea from this video:
http://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/videos/flattening-workbenches-and-wide-boards-with-a-router/
http://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/videos/flattening-workbenches-and-wide-boards-with-a-router/
incurablescrounge
Well-known member
I refinished an antique butcher block about 15 years ago. The top was about a half inch different in height where the butcher always worked. This is one of those real thick heavy ones on four stout legs. I took a 9" angle grinder with 36 grit discs to flatten it. Then I used an auto body "Hogger sander" to start smoothing it out and finished with a DA sander. It doesn't have to be perfect, just reasonably flat.