10 Replies

Woodcraft seems to have a sale 2 times a year where they sell butcher blocks made from maple, to do the job. I bought 2 each 24"x 60" for not a lot of money. They also come in other sizes. Check it out.

Madts.,

IKEA also sells similar tops. They’re nice quality, solid and can be shaped any way you like. Unless white oak is a must, you probably can’t beat the price and it will save some time. I think they have maple and birch.

I just looked on IKEA.com and they have oak also. $150 for 74 × 24 × 1-1/2.

Oh, one last thing – the IKEA one will give you that exact look. It’s the same scrap strip glue up. The one in the picture may actually be an IKEA product. Hehe… Never been much of a fan of IKEA stuff but I have to give props to their solid tops.

It is an ikea product, lady asked if i could build for her, she said she can buy from ikea for $399, i want to beat that price, and make a better product.

Thanks Madts, i will look into it, i want to try and make my own.
I have a place near by that i can get white oak for 4.25/BF so it would not cost too much. Its just a lot of labor, but i dont mind that.

Maple is better than oak for a countertop, imo.

I agree with DrBob , maple is much more durable and IMO looks better too,but if you have to use oak,white oak is much more water resistant. Whatever you use make sure you finish both sides to equalize moisture intake on both sides ,this helps prevent warpage.

Thanks for the advice DrBob and a1jim.

Maple is used for a couple of reasons, hardness and tight grain. Oak has an open grain and is fairly porous. White oak is harder than red oak, but still rather porous. Personally, if I were to make a top from white oak I’d use either rift or quarter sawn stock.

I would never use oak for a table or counter top. That’s just my opinion, but their is woods that are better suited and have the same colour. I would and have used hard maple. It stands up to spills and dents much better than oak.