I have an old piece of butcher block that I want to use as a small bit of countertop — planning to build what is essentially a small kitchen island (18" x 24", based on the size of the butcher block).
Unfortunately, the butcher block is not perfectly smooth. That's probably why we got it for $8 at a garage sale 10 years ago. 😉 You can see one corner floating about 5 mm (1/4") above the floor here:
Another way of looking at it is head on to the edge grain:
Anyways, I want this thing to sit flat. I've been reading about various techniques to correct a warped/cupped/bowed butcher block by adding or removing moisture, and I'm not sure how applicable those techniques are here. This seems to me more complex than warping, as you can see from the edge profile.
So I think I want to remove the excess material, but I'm not sure of the right tool for the job. Belt sander? Random orbital sander? Hand plane? Something else entirely?
FWIW, I own none of these tools. I can easily rent a belt sander or a random orbital sander, but I'm not sure about a plane.
Best Answer
Finding a shop with a large enough planer or drum sander would be your best bet. But I have found when I plane a rough, warped board I end up with a smooth, warped board! To do it properly, you may need to make a "sled" and support the board so it doesn't rock. Run it thru the planer or sander and get one side truly flat, then remove it from the sled and plane/sand the other side. Sounds like a lot of work for an $8 garage sale find. Up to you of course. If it's not badly warped, just planing it might get the job done. Good luck!