|
 Today we'll get started on making the butcher block top. We get started by roughing out enough strips to make up the 2" thick top. We have to bear in mind that the strips we're cutting will be planed down smooth to get good glue joints, so we'll need at least an extra inch in our rough width calculations.
 We start with rough sawn lumber, and these boards are, well, rough! So we run them through the surface planer over and over, taking off just a little bit each pass until both faces are smooth, flat and parallel. There is no need to edge these boards just yet, we'll take care of that too with the planer after glue-up.
 Because we are going to use the planer to surface the block after it's glued up, we can glue up only one half at a time. The completed top will be 24" wide, the planer accepts up to 13". So we'll make the top in halves and join the halves after they've been surfaced.
 While I'm waiting for glue to dry, I build the drawer box and install drawer slides.
The drawer box is a simple construction using 1/2" B.B.P., rabbet joints at the corners reinforced with brads, and a nice 1/8" round-over on the top edges for a classier look and feel.
 After it's assembled I sand it, shoot it with lacquer and scuff it, and install the drawer part of the slides. The drawer slides are Blum, epoxy coated, self closing slides. Good reliable slides at a reasonable price.
 Once the drawer box is in it's hole, we can position and attach the drawer front. Positioning is eased by the fact that this front, like the false fronts, is snugly inset into it's opening a little bit.
The front is attached with four screws from inside the drawer. These screws are counter sunk so they will pose no hazard.
Everything looks good. Time to clean up, put up and close up.
|
