Repairs to butcher's block

[TRITON]

The straps where used because of how it was used and cleaned. Wet in day dry at night every day of the year. Huge contraction and expansion. You need the straps.

I think people have a bit of a misconception about the condition of the block in use. It is never wet, therefore there is no moisture to soak into the endgrain as some seem to think. What it is is greasy, from the fat constantly being rubbed across it. It is only wet for a short time at the end of the day in cleaning it and then it it effectively dried with sawdust and a damp cloth to wipe that off.

I’d be concerned about glue up

As far as im aware they are not glued together, but assembled dry. Glue could leech out over time and wear which could affect the food being prepared on it.

 

[Adam W.]

You certainly know your blocks TRITON.

 

[Stevekane]

As others have said, using a long grain frame to enclose an end grain block is a recipe for gapping. Once water ingresses the end grain fibres absolutely noting will stop it swelling. I would have gone for glued joints between the long grain faces of end grain boards. Perhaps with biscuits. Once assembled, job done. All that is then needed is a hefty underframe.

How to fit the block to the underframe? floating tenons on two edges and no glue. Then the frame and top can move independently with no force. And it can be easily disassembled to move it if necessary.

Entirely agree with everything said above (and its a rubbish bit of work, esp those bolts into the joint, and a bloody cheek to send it out like that too) but just clarify something for me, the Long Grain frame bit above,,now if I was going to make that I would have thought a long grain frame was the way to go,,,or aint it? The wood will swell less in length than width, so the endgrain blocks will get tighter inside the frame? And my initial thoughts were that big through bolts would be required to resist these forces,,or am I reading it wrong?
Steve

 

[JefL]

Cleaning is done by first wiping the surface with boiling hot water and leaving the surface soaked.
You then spread sawdust on top of it and set to work with the brush( remember forwards and backwards ) You should be spending five minutes at least scrubbing it, before brushing the wet sawdust off and giving it a light wipe over with a damp cloth.
You then leave to dry.

Close, but the five minutes, when I was a butchers boy in the dim and distant past, would have been 15 to 20, or I'd get sent back to do it again. Funny though, once I hit 16 and got my first motorcycle, I never had any trouble undoing tight nuts and bolts. Block scrubbing is a wonderful preparation for wielding spanners.
I seem to remember I was pretty good at press-ups too.

Our block was never washed, whatever went on it was covered with sawdust and scrubbed off. Only the final wipe down was done with a bit of muslin (that lamb used to come wrapped in, all the way from New Zealand) soaked in boiling water and well wrung out, to remove all traces of sawdust.

 

[Jacob]

All good stuff!
So the big ones are framed, bolted through and bracketed, without glue.
The little "chef"ones aren't framed or anything so must be glued? Only used for slicing? - one heavy chop would split them. Cascamite I guess?

 

[TRITON]

You certainly know your blocks TRITON.

I'm a time served Butcher @Adam. I left it as I always felt i was supposed to do something arty, but you know how it is. You need a job and the first thing presents itself is sometimes the thing you end up doing permanently.

Close, but the five minutes, when I was a butchers boy in the dim and distant past, would have been 15 to 20, or I'd get sent back to do it again. Funny though, once I hit 16 and got my first motorcycle, I never had any trouble undoing tight nuts and bolts. Block scrubbing is a wonderful preparation for wielding spanners.
I seem to remember I was pretty good at press-ups too.

Our block was never washed, whatever went on it was covered with sawdust and scrubbed off. Only the final wipe down was done with a bit of muslin (that lamb used to come wrapped in, all the way from New Zealand) soaked in boiling water and well wrung out, to remove all traces of sawdust.

Cool, yeah using a block brush fair builds up the arms and shoulders.
I suppose its relative, most small shops are family run so its what the father did that the son does, they're very clique that way.
If you washed it first it would have been five minutes but you're probably right and would have been longer, especially the bigger blocks.
I sometimes wish I'd never given up the trade which I left in 2000 to do college in cabinetmaking and design, after about 16 years inc apprenticeship.

You got to take your work home with you and now all i get is sawdust

Its funny. I can prepare my meat for the table and also make that table

 

[Adam W.]

@TRITON You also know the ins and out of something which we can all benefit from, which I really like.

I'm coming to the conclusion that everyone's an expert in something and that knowledge is worth sharing. Thanks.

 

[Jonm]

I wonder if the owner of this kitchen realises those butchers blocks need to be scrubbed with a spring wire brush, sawdust and hot water

 

[LJM]

I wonder if the owner of this kitchen realises those butchers blocks need to be scrubbed with a spring wire brush, sawdust and hot water

View attachment 124970

Should they move the artfully strewn vegetables first?

 

[Jacob]

Should they move the artfully strewn vegetables first?

And a few bits of dead pig?
Anyway you couldn't chop on that one - as we all now know it needs bolts through and/or frame and brackets!

 

[gregmcateer]

You certainly know your blocks TRITON.

Triton is the Dog's Blocks

 

[gregmcateer]

I also just noticed on the op photo - the bolts second from right are going to do zero to hold the thing together - they may even be the cause of the gapping as they split out the end grain.

Send it back, mate

 

[Jacob]

I also just noticed on the op photo - the bolts second from right are going to do zero to hold the thing together - they may even be the cause of the gapping as they split out the end grain.

Send it back, mate

Send it back but refer him to this thread! It'd help him no end and he should be grateful
His problem wasn't "workmanship"; it looks pretty neat - it was design failure.

 

[southendwoodworker]

That's what I initially thought but he's arguing it's a result of the forces involved in clamping and securing it.

I am politely calling shenanigans on the makers claim. Even if that is true (which it isnt) it is his problem as the manufacturer to have solved before selling to you.

It's shoddy, poor design and poor quality.

The seller is also responsible for return shipping cost too, don't let them fob that off on to you.

 

[jon_c]

Thanks for all your comments guys! For some reason I didn't get notifications of anything past the last time I posted and it's been a busy Christmas and New Year so I hadn't realised there were any more comments.

That gap is by far the worst bit. The frame I know isn't very exciting, but I was going to paint it and eventually maybe make a new frame myself.

It is bolted through one way.

It cost about £450, and he's offering £100 off if I keep it as is. I presume because shipping it is there and back again is going to easily cost that.

For £100 off I can probably live with knocking a sliver into the gap and levelling the slightly bumpy bit on the top myself, if it's not going to fall apart!

As an aside I'm always super impressed with the advice from this board so I'm off to become a "supporting member".

 

[Jonm]

It cost about £450,

That is comparable to the commercial blocks from Heasham of kings lynn which I posted a link to above. The stands are extra and you may not like the design but the stand you have is easy to make, it is butt jointed cls.

They also do domestic blocks with similar but better quality stands to yours but I could not see any prices. However, I am no expert on these and have no knowledge of Heasham. Others on here are far better qualified than me on this sort of thing.

I can see that with the discount the attraction of keeping it.

 

[Jonm]

As an aside I'm always super impressed with the advice from this board

I agree, the quality and range of expertise on here is very impressive and also the willingness to share it.

If you want to stir up a hornets nest, post a picture of your block with all your knives, choppers and saws on it. Then ask how to sharpen them and keep them sharp.

 

[Jacob]

Without trawling through it again - was there a suggestion that the whole thing could be loosened off and worn blocks tapped back into flat again? Is that a normal routine for a heavily used block?

 

[southendwoodworker]

Personally, I'd push for a bit more of a refund. The cost of materials and time to fix. But that is a personal thing. I buy things rather than make them primarily to save time, if it doesn't save me time, it's significantly worth less to me.

If this is intended to just be decorative rather than a functional butcher block, some of the previous suggestions and mine probably aren't heavy weighted.

Essentially, get to some compromise that makes you happy, otherwise every time you look at it it may wind you up

Good luck, let us know how it goes.

 

[skeetstar]

The repair wouldn't worry me, but those brackets and fixings would drive me mad, they just scream cheap and nasty. If itvwere me, I'd get or make some simple steel angles, let them tarnish, fix with some big old rusty slotted woodscrew and seal the metal with BLO, that'd improve it no end.