Thursday, March 10, 2016

Cross another one off my list...


Do you get those pesky pop-up ads from Lumber Liquidators?  

I'm not sure what computer god I pissed off, but even though I have my "Block Pop-Up Ads" button firmly enabled, somehow those bad boys still wind up on my screen. 

I'm not sure if you feel the same way, but this ad is downright offensive to my eyes.


 Still, they have some good deals on things, like this 8' long Oak countertop for under $200. Hell, I can't even buy the Oak to make one of these for under $200. 


So when someone asked if I could turn one of these countertops into a dining table top, I was curious - I'd never seen one of these tops up close. I cut and re-glued the 8' long countertop into a 4' square, 


and then set up the router with my very complicated and proprietary router compass attachment (i.e. - a strip of plywood). 


Hey, it's cheap, but it works better than any ready-made attachment you could buy. I could only take small cuts, as this oak was brutal on the straight bit. 



After about six revolutions, the piece was more or less circular, and ready for some profiling. We decided on a roundover that almost produced a perfect bullnose edge;


 that way this  tabletop would be kind to your elbows. Or little kids' heads, when they bang their heads into it. 


 These tops aren't perfect - they have some errant adhesive spots that needed to be sanded out, but for the most part - this was a pretty solid chunk of wood. 


It was good to get this one crossed off my to-do list. If I could only figure out a way to block those damn pop-up ads, I'd really be happy!






2 comments:

Christine said...

Hey Jamie: This looks like the butcher block I got from LL a couple of years back. I finished it with Tung oil, [about five coats]. I would keep an eye on the glued end pieces through the middle, as I think mine have heaved up a bit with exposure to only a little water. I thought Tung oil would be the better finish for an area where I prepare food, but I'm reconsidering Danish oil after taking your classes. I'll have to ask you about this later. Thanks! Chris.

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