Butcher block

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Patchouli

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@UrbanHunter you keep talking about your butcher block counters.
It reminds me of a cool little cart thing we bought, about 1982, that had a butcher block top on it. The rest was made out of the same wood type. It had little black casters on it, a handle that doubled as a towel rack, a slit in the one end of the top for sticking knives down into, a hole for the knife sharpener, a shelf midway, and the bottom shelf was slats.
It was as sturdy looking as this one on the left, also like the one on the right.

1598932937252.png1598933050285.png It was really well made and I was crushed when I had to leave it behind about 6 years ago.
 
Ha! I got this one about 30 years ago, it was probably 20 years old then. A lady in Atlanta I knew had to move and couldn't take it with her.

It's showing it's age, needs to be sanded down and refinished but I know nothing about woodwork. It's still as solid as a rock. It's oak and weights a ton. I enclosed 3 sides about 20 years ago with oak panels.

I keep my cast iron in it so I put oak plywood shelves on top of the existing slat shelves. Oiled cast iron attracts dust like a magnet. Enclosing it cuts down on the dust. I can see in the photos I need to clean all my cast iron and put in new shelf liners :oops:.

This one has a handle on each end and a the drawer that holds about a dozen dish towels. Tonight I finally mounted hooks for pot holders on it.

@Patchouli I can see why you hated leaving yours behind. This thing to so handy for storage and as extra work space. Even better it's mobile.

Island 02 (1) sm.JPG
Island 02 (2) sm.JPG
 
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Here is a better pic. Any woodworker would tell you I screwed up the panels. The grain should have been horizontal instead of vertical and I didn't match the stain color very well either. I'm a poor woodworker and even worse painter. :( But I can't do without my island.

Island 02 (4) sm.JPG
 
@UrbanHunter you keep talking about your butcher block counters.
It reminds me of a cool little cart thing we bought, about 1982, that had a butcher block top on it. The rest was made out of the same wood type. It had little black casters on it, a handle that doubled as a towel rack, a slit in the one end of the top for sticking knives down into, a hole for the knife sharpener, a shelf midway, and the bottom shelf was slats.
It was as sturdy looking as this one on the left, also like the one on the right.

View attachment 49564View attachment 49565 It was really well made and I was crushed when I had to leave it behind about 6 years ago.
Thanks @Patchouli and @Peanut for the images and Ideas. What I am doing is a total rebuild of the kitchen, to include a working pantry near the stove, an island with storage for flatware, and lots of easy access storage. My wife is mobility impaired, uses oxygen, and has a permeate IV with a bag and Pump on about a 4' line, the kitchen is designed to give her a central place where she can put the bag and reach everything. I also gave her sturdy counters that she can brace herself with, as she has a Plastic Boot on her right foot which throws her balance off. I wanted to put a jump seat at the end of the island but she said NO… Everything in the kitchen below the 4’ line is drawers save the Lazy Suzan to the left of the stove. There are 45 drawers in all, plus I plan to put in under shelf drawers with mesh bottoms in the cupboard for onion, garlic, and potatoes.

1598959523903.jpeg

The butcher block will top this island (is has 11 drawers in it), the working pantry is the drawers and doors to the right.

1598959484257.jpeg

Some of the deep drawers have hidden drawers inside for small items, I still need to find some flush mount pulls.
1598959586796.jpeg

With 1 person doing almost all the work and no shop or garage to work in it has been a long slow project. I am just looking forward to a clear day when I can make some cuts using my circular saw and an 8' pallet in the driveway.
 
Yes, it was perfect for the old tiny apartments back then, where there was no storage and barely a countertop to work on. That's why mine was so handy in the beginning.
Later, I used it to put my houseplants on out on the back porch. And that was where I saw it last. No room in the moving truck. :(
 
I really like that wall of drawers and cupboards
Me, too! I believe that is going to be more common as time goes on to have drawers in the lower cabinets, instead of doors and deep shelving. In the homes that I house sit in, most are around 5 years old, and are more likely to have drawers in the lower cabinets than doors with shelves where things get lost. So handy!

With my back issues, if I am doing a bunch of cooking (holiday meals), I look for ways to prep food while sitting down, such as peeling potatoes. A butcher block would be a way that I could do that, as opposed to sitting at the table. I don't have room for an island in my kitchen, unless I were to remove the back stairs and expand the kitchen, which has been discussed and considered.
 
Me, too! I believe that is going to be more common as time goes on to have drawers in the lower cabinets, instead of doors and deep shelving. In the homes that I house sit in, most are around 5 years old, and are more likely to have drawers in the lower cabinets than doors with shelves where things get lost. So handy!

With my back issues, if I am doing a bunch of cooking (holiday meals), I look for ways to prep food while sitting down, such as peeling potatoes. A butcher block would be a way that I could do that, as opposed to sitting at the table. I don't have room for an island in my kitchen, unless I were to remove the back stairs and expand the kitchen, which has been discussed and considered.

Thanks! All the credit goes to the Son, he made the design, Wife chose the colors, I'm just labor. Our house is 60+ but I work to keep it current, up insulation, windows, doors, and such. The trouble is being caught between an aging house, an aging body, and running out of time before retirement is forced upon me :)
 
My father made a butcher block from red cherry heart wood & white sapwood. 2" X2" X 6" blocks glued together which was 24" X 48", but someone other then I got it.
Now that I am retired, Maybe I can make one out of hickory, it is a Hard hardwood. Maybe not the classic Peanut has, but on wheel that lock.
 
Thanks! All the credit goes to the Son, he made the design, Wife chose the colors, I'm just labor. Our house is 60+ but I work to keep it current, up insulation, windows, doors, and such. The trouble is being caught between an aging house, an aging body, and running out of time before retirement is forced upon me :)

Well it sure looks good and you should be proud of it.
 
Now that I am retired, Maybe I can make one out of hickory, it is a Hard hardwood. Maybe not the classic Peanut has, but on wheel that lock.

The design of mine is simple except for the legs. They taper from top to bottom and are slightly angled towards the center of the bottom shelf. It gave me fits trying to cut the panels I used to enclose it. They aren't the same width at the top as they are at the bottom. I'm no woodworker, maybe some here would know how to do that properly. (the easy way)
 
The design of mine is simple except for the legs. They taper from top to bottom and are slightly angled towards the center of the bottom shelf. It gave me fits trying to cut the panels I used to enclose it. They aren't the same width at the top as they are at the bottom. I'm no woodworker, maybe some here would know how to do that properly. (the easy way)
You had to work around another design & did a great job fitting the panels, the two tone look reflect the light.
I will be starting with a blank canvas & should be able to fit it together. I like the drawer & the dishcloth rail/ handle.
 

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