Vintage Butcher Block

[ricketycricket]

My parents decided to move and make their old house a rental property. For the longest time it was where I stored my 65 Mustang until I sold it recently.

Buried underneath car parts and various other **** was a workbench I thought nothing of until I bought my own house and wanted to have a nice sturdy workbench.

Long story short, I decided to build my own bench in my garage and give this "restored" workbench to my Dad as a Father's Day gift.

My question for you guys was has anyone heard of Tolco Co (The Tolerton Co) based out of Ohio. I am just trying to get an idea of when this table was made so I can give my Dad a little backstory. The bench was there when they bought the house and the aside from some gouges, this thing cleaned up really well!

Would love to hear your thoughts since I couldn't find much info on google.

 

[RKA]

So I thought this was interesting and went googling. I stumbled on this so far.

The Tolerton Lumber Company was in Alliance Ohio. It went out of business around the late 60's or early 70's. They did milling and retail lumber sales in the area. On the page below they have archived a number of oral histories of residents from Alliance. If your scroll almost to the bottom of the page, you'll find two video interviews of Robert Tolerton. It looks like he was one of the sons of the founder. I scanned them quickly and found some relevant parts:
Part I - 12:20 talks about the circumstances around their closing and other random events and facts.
Part II - 29:30 talks a bit about the lumberyard fire that preceded the decline of their retail operations.

https://www.rodmanlibrary.com/oralhistories

https://www.alliancememory.org/digital/collection/places/id/1600/

The local paper was The Alliance Review, so that may lead you down a path of finding more information.

Oddly enough I stumbled on a front page article from 1918 that had Tolerton Lumber somewhere in the text (something relating to their part in Liberty Bonds/Loans - part of the war bond effort in the early 1900's) and the headline was about a horrible munitions plant explosion not 10 miles from where I sit today. It was one of the largest factories supplying the US and allies in WWI.

Another search term might be I.G. Tolerton & Son’s. That would probably be Robert's father who would have founded the lumber company.

Happy Hunting!

 

[ZRX61]

https://www.tolcocorp.com/

 

[EOC_Jason]

If you google "The Tolerton Co", it pulls up a store in Alliance, OH...

https://www.bbb.org/us/oh/alliance/profile/sporting-goods-retail/the-ski-shack-llc-0282-20000738

Mr. Robert H Tolerton, Owner
Ms. Joyce Tolerton, Manager

I would think that is the same "Robert H Tolerton" in the video interviews...

There is a phone number listed... I bet if you called they could tell you some great history...

EDIT: https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/i...ert-howard--tolerton&pid=175451501&fhid=27681

Looks like he passed away in 2015... His wife and children are still alive though.

 

[rayra]

Could you describe your cleanup / restoration technique? The surface looks great and original, was it just solvents?

 

[ricketycricket]

Could you describe your cleanup / restoration technique? The surface looks great and original, was it just solvents?

I used simple green degreaser to get the nasty stuff off. I applied it like 6 times and scrapped off with a paint scraper. Then I hand planed the whole thing to get rid of the still darkened top. I made sure to leave some of the gouges since it will still be used as a workbench. I had a lot of time into it but I’m happy overall with how it turned out. I also put a couple coats of poly on it to keep the grease out in the future.

 

[ricketycricket]

Thanks to everyone who replied. I certainly didn’t come up with as much info but I will definitely give them a call and will keep you posted on what they say. I was shocked there was nothing on the frame of the bench. It’s all heavy gauge steel and in great shape. Possibly a different manufacturer?

 

[The Cobbler]

That's a nice piece to give to him!

 

[ricketycricket]

What do you give a Dad who has everything already? �� he’s a machinist at Anheuser Busch so my love of tools came from him so it’s the least I could do!

 

[The Cobbler]

My Dad was a machinist too, he operated about a 35 foot bed lathe . they did a lot of work for the ships & paper mills . wish he was still around. my 13x32 lathe would be a dinky toy to him LOL

 

[1jeepfan]

Wow! Great job on restoring that piece. Very cool.

 

[ricketycricket]

Wow! Great job on restoring that piece. Very cool.

Thanks!


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[Stuart in MN]

I found this photo taken sometime in the 1930s:

The Tolerton Company supplied coal, lumber, and building supplies to Alliance. The company was located along North Freedom Avenue and Fifth Street. The view is believed to be southeast.

https://www.alliancememory.org/digital/collection/places/id/1600/

 

[woodee]

I've been looking for a used butcher block like yours...they're hard to come across....nice job on the restoration!

 

[ricketycricket]

I've been looking for a used butcher block like yours...they're hard to come across....nice job on the restoration!

This thing weighs about 100 lbs and is only 5ft x 2ft and two inches thick. I’m already on the lookout for more. I used some for my open shelving in the kitchen too.



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[The Cobbler]

I have a maple top from a shuffleboard. had to cut it in half to move it. I have 2 pcs about 16" x 7' long and a good 2"plus thick

 

[Ducky1340]

Craigslist almost always has some listings for recycled bowling alley. Looks like it would make a bitchin workbench.

 

[isb cornbinder]

I was lucky to find this maple block on Craigslist.
I used to buy old Singer Sewing machine bases and attach a maple top from a portable dishwasher. I never see either anymore.

 

[James-W]

That butcher block is similar to a bowling alley lane. Sometimes you can buy old bowling alley lanes pretty cheap. You can also make a butcher block top quite easily.

 

[woodee]

Yep, I'm looking for 8 ft by 2 ft. and have been watching CL, but it has to be at the right price and right travel distance. Menards has a Birch one for $179, and Floor N Decor has Oak for $169 but I'd have to drive a couple hours.

 

[rieferman]

Very nice job on that restoration, I'm sure your dad will love using that for years to come!

For your next holiday gift to your dad, framing that picture that Stuart linked above might be a cool touch. Could have that hanging nearby the bench.

 

[ricketycricket]

For sure! I plan to call today and see if I can get in touch with anyone who might be able to give me some more information. Thanks again everyone who chimed in!

 

[ttpete]

So I thought this was interesting and went googling. I stumbled on this so far.

The Tolerton Lumber Company was in Alliance Ohio. It went out of business around the late 60's or early 70's. They did milling and retail lumber sales in the area. On the page below they have archived a number of oral histories of residents from Alliance. If your scroll almost to the bottom of the page, you'll find two video interviews of Robert Tolerton. It looks like he was one of the sons of the founder. I scanned them quickly and found some relevant parts:
Part I - 12:20 talks about the circumstances around their closing and other random events and facts.
Part II - 29:30 talks a bit about the lumberyard fire that preceded the decline of their retail operations.

https://www.rodmanlibrary.com/oralhistories

https://www.alliancememory.org/digital/collection/places/id/1600/

The local paper was The Alliance Review, so that may lead you down a path of finding more information.

Oddly enough I stumbled on a front page article from 1918 that had Tolerton Lumber somewhere in the text (something relating to their part in Liberty Bonds/Loans - part of the war bond effort in the early 1900's) and the headline was about a horrible munitions plant explosion not 10 miles from where I sit today. It was one of the largest factories supplying the US and allies in WWI.

Another search term might be I.G. Tolerton & Son’s. That would probably be Robert's father who would have founded the lumber company.

Happy Hunting!

The explosion you mentioned was the Black Tom one. It was on Black Tom island off Jersey City.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Tom_explosion

 

[ricketycricket]

I heard back! I left a message but didn’t hear back (likely due to the holiday) so I FB messaged the Tolerton Ski Shack.
1/2
Below is her response:
Wow, you did a really good job on restoring it. Where do your parents live?My late husband, Bob, was the last generation of Tolertons to own the lumber business, which was closed in the late 70's. I wasn't in his life until the early 80's so didn't really see any of the manufacturing. By that time, he brokered wood products for other companies and had started the ski business. So I'm thinking you're probably right on the age. I have some information on how they built the tops but I couldn't figure out how to attach it to this message. If you give me your email, I can send it that way. Joyce

2/2
They shipped product all over the country so it's interesting to find out where some pieces still exist. They made a high quality product that is meant to last. Will email the info.




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[ricketycricket]

This is so cool! The cartoons are so awesome!


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[Terranova]

I pulled an old food prep table out of the back of my parents garage and it turned out to be a piece by Wasserstrom. Crazy enough, their headquarters is here in Columbus. I reached out to them and actually ended up talking to an actual Wasserstrom family member about it. Said it was produced in the 30's.

View media item 89510

 

[ricketycricket]

That’s awesome! How much work did you have to put into it?


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[bugs906]

My parents decided to move and make their old house a rental property. For the longest time it was where I stored my 65 Mustang until I sold it recently.

Buried underneath car parts and various other **** was a workbench I thought nothing of until I bought my own house and wanted to have a nice sturdy workbench.

Long story short, I decided to build my own bench in my garage and give this "restored" workbench to my Dad as a Father's Day gift.

My question for you guys was has anyone heard of Tolco Co (The Tolerton Co) based out of Ohio. I am just trying to get an idea of when this table was made so I can give my Dad a little backstory. The bench was there when they bought the house and the aside from some gouges, this thing cleaned up really well!

Would love to hear your thoughts since I couldn't find much info on google.

I have the same table i am refinishing. How did you keep the logo so dark on the side? Did you not have to sand the finish down there?

 

[ricketycricket]

It was burnt in there pretty good so I really didn't have to worry about it. Post some before/after pics!

 

[bugs906]

It was burnt in there pretty good so I really didn't have to worry about it. Post some before/after pics!

I ended up making it a little smaller to suit my needs. Going to be a bar top

 

[ricketycricket]

Damn dude! You put me to shame! That looks fantastic!

 

[Packard V8]

Very nice work, everyone.


Yes, it's futile to point out "butcher block" originally refered to wood glued together with the end grain up as the work surface. It was the meat cutters work surface forever. The original butcher's block was a tree stump. I've seen them in use in rural/third-world areas.

But yes, today, edge-grain laminated wood is the only laminated wood most have ever seen. Edge-grain construction is used for bowling alleys, countertops, kitchen islands, commercial food service tops, professional cutting boards and industrial workbench tops.

Functionally, when used as a worksurface, edge-grain is less durable relative to end-grain construction, but still provides an extremely solid work surface. As a cutting surface, edge-grain surfaces perform nearly as well as end-grain surfaces, but do show wear more quickly.

Same, but different, end grain wood blocks have been used for industrial flooring for hundreds of years.

2" deep wood block floors are best for light to medium loading applications, such as metal working, tooling, assembly or printing. 2-1/2" deep wood floor block support medium to heavy loads as in stamping plants, aluminum plants, and heavy metal working. The large 3" to 4" deep wood block floor are for areas subjected to heavy-duty loads; steel foundries, die turnover and drop areas, forging, and heavy equipment maintenance shops.

Wood Block Floors are cost-effective, quiet and easily maintained. Wood Block Flooring in active use for over 100 years is a testament to their long-term durability​

jack vines