Warped Butchers Block

[Gbell1577]

i had a friend give me a Butchers block that is cracked and bowed about 1/8th of an inch. I know I can get some expoxy down in the cracks with a shop vac, and then clamp it back together.

does anyone have any advice on how to get the bow out? Should i submerge in water over night and then lay it flat down with a heavy object for a couple days? Or should i not worry about the bow, since it will never be perfectly flat.

After the repairs, I'll sand it down and put wood conditioner and oil on it to make it look good

[Oakgrovebacon]

A water soak will cause more problems that good, if you have a belt sander-start with a 60 grit belt and work it down to work the bow off. Then a 120 belt to finish it smooth. The epoxy fill in the crack should be done first (it will stick better before the sanding dust)

[Gbell1577]

I like that idea, it's not that big of a bow

[lschweig]

As a carpenter I think your advise is spot on especially that it only 1/8" off or just find someone with a planner and run her through on both sides.

[Gbell1577]

Do you think a planer would also do the trick?

[CaptainMike]

I just fixed a couple of old cutting boards, one I ran through the planer to flatten and the other I ripped along the splits with a table saw and reglued. You might check with a local cabinet shop and ask if they would run it thru their planer or surface sander.

[RonB]

Water is what probably caused the problems to begin with, so I agree that soaking is not a good idea. After you close the gap, You can sand if you want, but I wouldn't worry about it. If it's cupped, that will help prevent juices from running off the board. If you do sand, make sure the belt is moving towards the center of the board to prevent tear out. Also, make sure anything you treat the board with is food safe.

[Gbell1577]

It may be something I could live with, i figure most boards warp eventually

[CaptainMike]

You might want to let it ride, it would be a lot of work for a little gain.

[billg71]

Soaking it will just aggravate the problem. Running it through a planer as someone suggested will destroy an end-grain cutting board, anyone standing behind it better have a Kevlar vest on.

Filling the gaps with epoxy and propping up the high corner when you use it is your best option.

[lschweig]

That only depends upon how sharp the planner blades are and how aggressive your passes are. multiple fine passes are preferred for end grains.

[Gator Lau]

When I was a meat cutter, we used wooden blocks exclusively, mandatory use of plastic came in about '72, and the wooden blocks and fables were history. Many of the managers etc. took the discarded tables and blocks for personal use. I don't think yours looks as bad as any I remember using. And I don't think many of the people who took one did anything to it to change the character it had developed over its life in the market. Why not let yours age gracefully?