Lista bench - butcher block top

[JZHeyde]

I recently found a decent lista work bench on Ebay that was really close to my home and office so I picked it up. Typical sight unseen Ebay purchase revealed the bench to be in need of more TLC than anticipated. I have no problem cleaning/painting/etc but I am not a wood worker by trade. The butcher block top is in pretty rough shape and I am wondering if there is any saving it? Some sections have started to separate from one another and there is some bowing in what appears to be both directions.

I am assuming the top is attached with screws and I can access them by taking the drawers out of the cabinets?

Thoughts, suggestions, and ideas are very welcome on what I can do with this butcher block top. I would like to save it, but menards has a 3'x6' top on sale for $120.

 

[duc916]

IKEA sells butcher block tops also for price comparison.

 

[rice rocket]

I personally wouldn't touch it, it's a garage, not a kitchen.

But it should touch up fine w/ a sander, some gap filler, and some polyurethane.

 

[Crown Imperial]

The countertop could be bolted down to the cabinet but it could also be glued down. I don't think that countertop looks bad at all. I'd leave that as is. I would just concentrate on painting the cabinets. Once you do that it will look totally different. Even with that countertop as is it should look nice.
If the drawers have roller bearing rails it's a very good find. Lista cabinets are the ****.

 

[JZHeyde]

It does in deed have roller bearing drawers. I have several Nu-era cabinets that I built a tool box out of, this is my first lista though. I didnt pay a lot so I dont mind fixing this up. It is hard to show the amount of bow/unevenness in the pictures. On the left hand side of the top it is very uneven and some things would have a hard time not falling over if you set it on there. I do not have a show garage by any means but I do like my stuff to be nice. If I set something on the bench I would like for it to stay there!

 

[rsanter]

I can see how the top has some bow to it. If it was me I would start doing some sanding on the high spots and see how good you can get it.
You can always glue down done 16ga steel on top of it to make a steel top using the wood for support

Bob

 

[JZHeyde]

What type of sander would you guys use for a project like this? I dont mind buying something but want to head in the right direction. Like any of us need an excuse to buy tools...

 

[vankaye]

Can you take it off the box and flip it over? That will put the good side up and the front edge in the back...
It'll be like having a brand new counter!!

 

[matt01073]

If you plan on removing the top there are 4 bolts on each side from underneath , remove the top couple drawers and you can access them . The bolts are into threaded steel inserts in the wood , because the top seems to be weathered its very likely the inserts will start unthreading when you try and loosen the bolts and the inserts dont fit out the holes in the cabinets so you will need to unbolt all 4 bolts in each cabinet evenly or it will bend the topp of the box all up . I recondition a lot of lista boxes and benches and that is what happens 75 percent of the time . once the inserts come out you can get a grip on them in a vice or with vicegrips and get the bolt out then the insert can be reinstalled .

 

[stevep1954]

check out you tube for the video of the guy that is using a router and a sled(?) to resurface a tree stump… sounds weird but it can work to knock down the high spots and get the top looking a lot better… google 'resurfacing vintage butcher block' that is what i have been doing this summer. good luck

 

[Trey T]

For minimal work, I would turn it over and fill the lag bolt holes and use that side. Sand it down w/ 50grits and work it up to 220grits w/ a orbital sander stain or polyeurethane it and call it done!

 

[Linda@Lista]

@JZHeyde - Congrats on your purchase! Could you send me an email: [email protected] so I can send your message on to our customer service dept. who can get you a quote for the butcher block and help you with how to get it off and on the cabinets.

 

[Chandos]

Epoxy, cabinet clamps, and a belt sander are your friends.

I would dry clamp the top to see whether the gaps will close. If they do, then I'd use a two part epoxy, administered through a syringe, to wet out the gaps. Clamp it lightly, and then put something *really* heavy on the crown of the bow. Honk down on the clamps, clean excess epoxy ( vinegar will work) and let cure. I have a Bosch belt sander with a frame that allows me to adjust the depth of the belt and retain a level cut. Lacking this, be very careful not to let the edge of the belt gouge the surface. Of course you could also use a smoothing plane, but it must be very sharp. Maple can tear out if you catch it with a dull iron. Keep a level and a pencil at hand to mark the high spots. It's harder to describe this than it is to do.

Good luck!

Chandos

 

[Chandos]

The other defects are fairly easy to correct. Probabably the hardest part will be to find maple, if you don't have a local mill. I suspect that you can find it on the 'bay. You don't need much.

That top really isn't in such bad shape, though it appears intimidating.

 

[Chandos]

Also, flipping it is not a bad idea, though I've often discovered that some one else had the same idea. Drill out the bolt holes and plug with a maple dowell (makes for a nicer finish). Trim flush, sand, and finish. The bolts may draw down the warpage.

 

[zkling]

That is really nice, congrats.

 

[Chart]

Remove it, take it to a cabinet shop with a big drum sander, and hire them to run it through a few times to flatten the top. Then reinstall over a bed of putty to fill the voids where the wood bowed up. Use a light oil like Boos Block Oil to treat the wood and protect it. Keep in mind the oil will be oily on the wood for a few days, so schedule accordingly.

 

[Chart]

I should have mentioned that your existing maple butcher block is a jillion times better than the birch butcher top from Menards. I think it's twice as think, made from harder wood, and has character.

Heck, if we live close to each other, and you are insistent on getting rid of the maple butcher block top, I'd give it a good home.

 

[jake00]

If I had no sanders availible, I'd borrow or rent a palm sander.


If it were mine, I'd pull the top and run it through my 37" wide belt timesaver