Hi folks, I purchased a butcher block countertop from Ikea. It’s 72″ long, 40″ deep and 1 1/2″ thick. It’s also warped about a 1/4″ depthwise. It will probably take me three weeks to get a new one and I want to finish this kitchen in a week. The strips of wood run lengthwise and it’s oak. Is there a way to fix it? Thanks Burns
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Is it safe to assume that the finish is only on the convex side? My bet is that it's going to need to dry out and normalize, then have the bottom finished, too. You're going to want a different one. Otherwise, look at the end grain and see how they oriented the strips.
Depends how strong the cabinet you will fasten it down on is.
I'm assuming it has cupped across the width, not on the length. You should be able to suck a 1/4" cup out of it with the installation screws assuming you can get them in the right places, not an issue if the cabinet has a solid top. This sounds like an island or peninsula installataion so you should be able to use clamps and cauls across the top to pull it flat while installing if the screws won't suck it down.
Such a tight installation as you suggest is not advised for these kind of tops. A floating hole is recommended in the pc you mount to so expansion/contraction doesn't split the glue up.A great place for Information, Comraderie, and a sucker punch.
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If this is a true Butcher Block style top, with 1 1/2 " strips glued face to face, then most movement is in thickness, or in the actual width of each board. Growth in the width of the whole counter ( 40" direction) should not be much. i'm with trying hard to clamp and screw it down. Other fixes are work, but here's a few ideas.
1. If your good with a handplane then you can flatten the underside, use the longest plane you can find. Or if you prefer a beltsander over a plane then use that. You're really just interested in where it rests on the cabinet, so it shouldn't take too long, an hour or so. Use a few " Winding Sticks" to check for flat. Be sure to refinish the bottom.
2. This is more work, and if there is a finish on top already you probably won"t like this idea but........ you could rip the whole thing down the center , joint the edges square and glue it back together (assuming you have ready access to a good saw and jointer). then you'd have to fuss with sanding the new joint etc.
I understand that.In an island type application as this must be at 40", the centre should be tied down tight and the edges float, perfect if the block is cupped on the downside. The centre screws flatten it out and the edge screws can be left a bit slack to allow movement.Even if the cup is to the upside, screws with washers in slotted holes can be tightened enough to pull it flat but still be slack enough to allow movement. In either case, the top will eventually take the set, and once the slab has acclimatized to it's environment, any seasonal movement will be gradual and relatively small over the approximate 1 foot of span between floating edge screws and locked down centre screws.
I'd try to see if the warped edges will snug down. While 1/4" probably seems like a lot, that's a pretty wide surface so I'm betting on the thing working fine as is.
Since some of the new stain-grade wood is cut and glued by automated machines I'd be very cautious about trying to plane it since some section can be a thick veineer covering a number of glued up scraps. Many times the surface isn't that thick, regardless of how the edges look. I was shocked to learn this earlier in the year when planing a cup out of what looked like a solid oak tread.
Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.
wet the concave side
I'd like to build the world a home
and furnish it with love
grow apple trees and honey bees
and snow white turtle doves
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in perfect harmony
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and keep it company
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all standing hand in hand
and hear them echo through the hills
for peace throuout the land
thats the song I hear
Let the world sing today
a song of peace
that echoes on
and never goes away
I'd like to teach the world to sing
in perfect harmony
I'd like to teach the world to sing
in perfect harmony
I'd like to build the world a home
and funish it with love
grow apple trees and honey bees
and snow white turtle doves
I'd like to teach the world to sing
in perfect harmony
I'd like to hold it in my arms
and keep it company
that means the side that hollows in like yer walking into a cave.
don't be walking outwell, let's play it again then, sam.
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