Butcher Block Counter Top

A butcher block counter top may be the perfect addition to your kitchen remodel. If your looking for natural beauty and warmth, there is no better choice. Especially on Maui, it adds a touch of nautica and plantation feel to any decor.

We recently had a custom order for one from a very diserning client ( Deborah, my wife). Her father is a retired shipwright's joiner (shipbuilder) from England and she has a great appreciation for fine woodworking.

The scope of work included building a 19' counter top that followed the lines of an existing bay window. Both our on-board millwright, Jac Cheshier ,and I love a challenge so we proceed to build one from scratch.

We started with a stack of kiln dried maple and cut the boards as required to start making the custom butcher block. We were quickly reminded that maple is a very hard wood, the perfect material for the project.

We then glued the cut pieces into rough lengths. We ended up with 4 lengths that required sanding, and cutting of custom angles.

The next crucial step was to join the boards in a way that was strong, tight, and appealing. We accomplished this by using bisquits and special fasteners.

The bisquits in this application are used to hold  the  pieces in their proper place, and then the mechanical fasteners draw the pieces firmly together to ensure a tight fit.

Once the pieces are joined they are set on the custom brackets and fitted tight to all the walls.

We opted for a custom wall brackets, which left us plenty of leg room allowing the counter top to be used as a bar/nook area.



Once the top was carefully fitted to the walls many hours of sanding and finishing was required to give it a fine furniture appeal.

A special tung oil mixture was used to protect and polish the top. I prefer this mixture because after a couple of hand rubbed coats, the natural beauty of the wood is greatly enhanced with depth and luster.

Routine applications of wax and oil will maintain this top and the look will only get richer over time.



We completed the project with a custom tile inlaid back splash which helped give it a timeless appearance.

Turning Green (wet) Wood

Wood turners like to work with green wood. No, it is not colored green, it is wood that is freshly cut so uncured or "green." In fact, for some turners the ultimate in wood turning fun is cut a tree down and immediately mount a piece on the lathe. It is like turning in a rain storm. Some wood turning shops will have a streak of stain from the sap running up the wall, across the ceiling, down the wall and across the floor to the lathe.

Why is this so enjoyable to so many turners? For one thing it opens the door to a great many woods that are simply not available at the local lumber merchants, especially not in the sizes needed by most turners. However, most cities and large towns have arborists or tree specialists who cut down trees for home owners when the tree is unhealthy or has roots that are getting into foundations and so on. These trees are often ornamentals and species that are not usually available. For the arborist, the tree leavings are a landfill cost. For the wood turner they are turning stock. Many times the arborist will drop the logs off at the turners, while other times the turner will pick them up. Both parties win and the landfill has more space.

Still, a wood turner could simply let the logs dry before working with them. This however takes a lot of time and often leads to cracks that make the logs unworkable. Instead they can be rough turned to about ten percent thickness of the beginning log and then let dry after sealing the ends so as to prevent cracking. For instance a ten inch bowl would be roughed to one inch thick, treated and left to dry. Instead of taking four or five years to dry, it will be ready for final turning in about three months and will likely have no cracks at all. Many green wood turners will have fifty or more bowls waiting to be finish turned.

You see, the real reason for turning green wood is simply that it is fun. Shavings come off much more cleanly than in dry wood and they tend to be longer and wider. Many times one can aim them straight into the garbage can. Other times they pile up into a satisfying mound on the workshop floor.

The moisture in the wood serves to keep tool edges cool and thus sharper longer so turning is not interrupted as often. As wood dries out the moisture leaves the cells of the tree and those cells collapse a little. Hence green wood fibers are a little more tight and it is easier to get a smooth and shimmering surface in the wet wood as opposed to the dry.

There can be an element of mystery in green wood turning. If a piece is turned to finished dimension and left alone it will warp and twist. While some of this can be previously determined by knowledge of the way wood moves, there is still surprise in the results as every tree has individual stresses that influence the movement as it dries.

Then there is of course the beauty of the finished object, central to all wood turning endeavors. If it is turned green there is no waiting period for drying and the finished product may be enjoyed right away.

Written by Darrell Feltmate

Food Safe Finishes

A summary of non-toxic finishing products ideal for cutting boards, salad bowls, and other food-centric woodwork
by Jonathan Binzen

After scores of conversations with chemists, regulatory agencies, finish manufacturers, finishing experts, and woodworkers, I found that there are a few finishes that everyone agrees are food safe. However, these finishes tend to be the least protective, and the great majority are in a kind of limbo, with many experts saying most are fine for use with food but with others saying they should be avoided because there are some lingering questions about their safety. In the welter of contrary opinions about which finishes are food safe and which are not, a few naturally derived, unblended, no-hidden-ingredients, certainly nontoxic finishes stand out.

Pure tung oil. Extracted from the nut of the china wood tree. Used as a base in many blended finishes. Available from catalogs and hardware stores. Difficult to apply, requires many coats, good water-resistance.

Raw linseed oil. Pressed from flax seeds. Not to be confused with boiled linseed, which contains metallic driers. Listed as a food additive by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Very long curing time, good looks, low water-resistance, frequent reapplication.

Mineral oil. Although derived from petroleum, it is colorless, odorless, tasteless and entirely inert. Sold as a laxative in drug stores and as a wood finish in hardware and kitchen-supply stores. Simple to apply, low waterresistance, frequent reapplication.

Walnut oil. Pressed from the nuts of the walnut tree. Sold as a salad oil in health food stores and in large grocery stores. Walnut oil dries and won't go rancid. Easy to apply, frequent reapplication.

Beeswax. The work of the honey bee. Can be mixed with an oil to create a better-smelling, slightly more waterrepellent finish. Sold in woodworking and turning catalogs.

Carnauba wax. Derived from the Brazilian palm tree. Harder than beeswax and more water-resistant. Can be used straight on woodenware as a light protective coating or a topcoat polish. Sold in woodworking and turning catalogs.

Shellac. A secretion from the lac bug. Harvested in India. Super blond shellac in flake form is the most waterresistant variety. A film-forming finish. Sold in woodworking catalogs and hardware and art supply stores.

Nothing. Available everywhere. Makes a reasonable finish for woodenware. No application time. Free.

A recipe for one sweet finish
The food-safe finish that appeals most to me is one recommended by Jim and Jean Lakiotes, West Virginia makers of spoons and other kitchen items, as well as furniture. Their finish is a mixture of mineral oil and beeswax.

To make it, warm the mineral oil in a saucepan over low heat, and melt a chunk of beeswax in it equal to about one-fifth or one-sixth the volume of the oil. (At high heat, there's a potential for fire. Be sure to keep the heat low, and consider using a double boiler.) As the wax begins to flake apart and dissolve, stir frequently. When the mixture is blended, pour it into a jar to cool and solidify.

To apply, wipe on an excess of the soft paste, let it dry a bit, then wipe it off. If you want to apply it as a liquid, you can reheat it. Like any mineral oil or
wax finish that will take a lot of abuse, this one will need to be reapplied often to afford decent moisture protection. But applying this fragrant finish is such a pleasure that you may find yourself looking forward to the task.

This article is excerpted from Jonathan Binzen's article "Which Finishes Are Food Safe," featured in Fine Woodworking #129.

Gallery Samples

Once all the waiting is over, the gathered and seasoned wood is ready to transform. As a woodworker/wood-turner the design choices are almost infinite.

I'm currently in a phase of woodworking where I'm enjoying the many possibilities of jewelry box designs. The box at the right is a combination of Hawaiian Koa and Maple wood.

The whale tail handle/knob was something that just came to me. Living in the Pacific Northwest and Hawaii probably had something to do with that.

I'm still in awe at all the spectacular species of wood available on the Hawaiian Islands. So far I've had the extreme pleasure of using Koa (mentioned above), Mango, Milo, Eucalyptus, Tamarind, Pheasantwood, and many other different species.

The boxes on the left exhibits some of these woods mixed with other exotic woods such as Bubinga and Cocobolo. Now you maybe starting to understand my "infinite possibilities" statement above.

I consider the 30+ species of wood in my shop a good starting point for the woods I'll be gathering and collecting. All the various woods makes designing a challenging yet exciting endeavour.


I am currently in the design stage of another jewelry box and as usual, it's a head scratcher. The selecting of featured and accent woods is always enjoyable however, critically important. It's a make or break thing because once you've decided on the wood combinations, you can't go back.

For this box I'm considering a basic cherry wood body with a contrasting highly figured eucalyptus top/lid, accented with ebony details.

From Gathering To Gallery

One of the best things about being a woodworker is that friends and acquaintances are more than willing to give you free wood. Yesterday I was fortunate enough to pick up some beautiful Silky Oak (which is also referred to as Lacewood) from up-county Maui.

The land-owner and faller were very generous in providing me the wood in manageable size pieces. The faller even helped me load it onto my truck.....how's that for the aloha spirit?


As soon as I arrived at my shop I wanted a preview of what the actual finished grain would look like so I proceeded with a common trick known to woodworkers.

I start by planing a small area of the log to achieve a smoother surface, then I will soak that area with water or mineral spirits (in this case). This trick is always exiting because you never know what the outcome will be until it's done. It was gorgeous! Once again, I can't wait to make something with it.


My research tells me that Silky Oak is native to Australia, and was used commercially for window frames and furniture. It is also used for various crafts and smaller woodworking projects. I can see myself making some beautiful jewelry boxes, and turning bowls and pepper mills.

Of course I will have to wait until the wood seasons (dries) before I can work with it (see previous postings).

From Gathering to Gallery

Good fortune plays a roll when gathering inventory. This particular limb is showing some incredible color variations and markings due to a lightning strike. I believe the burnt area from the lightning has migrated into the heartwood area of the limb. This incredible phenomenon is rare in itself but is it also combined with splatting, another process of nature whereby fungus attacks the tree and the tree defends itself which results in distinct black lines.


My imagination is running wild when I think of what this piece of nature will become. I believe all of us, not only artists, are stewards of the beautiful God given resources we've been blessed with. Will this finished piece end up in my personal collection, someone elses, a gallery, or where? Only time will tell, but unfortunately it will take a long time because the wood needs to season (dry) which requires careful steps.


All of us have seen cracks in logs or firewood. This is not what we want to happen with stock wood for woodworking. To prevent this from happening I coat the wood with a wax solution to slow down the drying process. The wood is then covered and kept out of direct sunlight for months or even years.




We are waiting for the moisture content in the wood to reduce to roughly 12% in this region. The inventory is then rotated, and checked regularly with a moisture meter .

It seem like a long arduous process, but it's well worth the wait.

From Gathering To Gallery (Step 1)

Time to gather some inventory for G Designs. Even though this limb from a mango tree is over 30 inches in diameter, the tree itself was left standing for all to enjoy. This one limb came down because of a lightning strike however, it will be shared by many woodworkers including ourselves...........I'm certain that some beautiful art pieces will be re-created.

For me, I'm looking forward to turning some large bowls, pepper mills, etc, and making some fine jewelry boxes. I will have to be patient and wait for the wood to season(dry) properly.