Butcher Block Terms

Do you want to dazzle people with your expansive vocabulary at dinner parties? Do you want to impress friends and neighbors with your seemingly endless depth of knowledge? Do you want to win the bet at the office water cooler with your quick witted knowledge of trivial information? Or did you just want to be able to communicate effectively while talking to us on the phone. No matter what your goal is here you will find many of the most important terms used in the Butcher Block world.

Butcher Block

The term Butcher Block has two meanings. The original meaning comes from the blocks Michigan Maple Block and Bally Block manufactured in the late 1800s. These blocks were End Grain construction and were the cutting surface of choice of the commercial meat cutting industry. Every butcher on every corner had a butcher block.

Today the term has also come to mean Edge Grain Construction. Over the years butchers wanted smaller and more portable versions of the solid Maple butcher block End Grain blocks they had used for years. Edge grain cutting boards were developed. These have become very common. With the increase in popularity of these boards the definition of butcher block expanded to include edge grain construction with the appearance of butt joints in some of the laminations.

Double Dovetail

The story of the Double Dovetail starts in 1905 when Muskegon Machine Co. produced a machine called the Linderman Jointer. This machine was specifically designed to join two pieces of wood by way of a tapered Double Dovetail. As you can see in the pictures to the left this process produces a unique and aesthetically pleasing pattern in the face of End Grain Butcher Block. No where in the world today is there a machine being manufactured with this specific goal in mind. The Wood Welded companies purchased this jointer in the early 1900s and has maintained this piece of equipment because we feel there is no better joining technology. In addition to the sound technical reason for the continued use of the Double Dovetail we just believe the appearance of the block is enhanced by the unique pattern the Double Dovetail provides.

This picture shows the two sections of the Double Dovetail as they are being slid together. Two things make this joint the best. First, the Double Dovetail locks the two pieces of maple together because of its shape. This is true not only because of the flared nature of the jointery but because as the dovetail progresses through the block it tappers slightly. This locks the block together snuggly. The second thing that adds significantly to the strength of the joint is the fact that as these two blocks of wood are slid together adhesive is applied thus forever locking or "Welding" the wood together. No other manufacturer uses this unique technique. We feel it important that we provide you the best butcher block in the world and for this reason continue to use this "old" technology. This is the perfect example of how Michigan Maple Block Co. and Bally Block Co. constantly evaluate technology and innovation, only updating our processes when the quality and appearence of the butcher block is improved. Sometimes the old way is the best way.

Finger Joint

The Finger Joint is a splice in a rail of wood which maximizes the gluing surface there by maximizing the strength of the joint. Sometimes called a European Stitch this joint looks like intertwined fingers thus giving it its name. The Finger Joint is a way for the Wood Welded Companies to increase yield and reduce waste. This of course is sound environmental policy as well as good financial sense. By maximizing the amount of the log we use we both reduce the strain on our environment and also reduce our costs which is a savings which is passed on to you.

In most cases you will see only a line across the rail where it looks like two pieces of wood are butt jointed together. In reality as you can see in the picture the Finger Joint is hidden within the rail. In some cases (thicker than 1 3/4") we need to expose the finger joint and in these cases the joinery is visible in the face of the product. This is an important consideration for those not wishing to see the finger joint. For these types of installations we do offer full length laminations for a small up charge.

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Butt Joint

A Butt Joint is a term used to describe wood that is joined end to end. While many Butcher Block tops have what appears to be a butt joint they are usually in reality Finger Joints where the "fingers" are buried.

Edge Grain

Edge Grain construction is where each board is sawed into strips and then each of these sections is flipped up on edge 90 degrees, glue is applied to the face (now the side of each slat) and then put through the Wood Welding process. This takes advantage of the strongest part of the wood. The very term Butcher Block has come to mean edge grain construction. Edge grain is also sometimes called Face Glued.

Plank Construction

Plank Construction is the process where each board is gang sawed into strips and then glued back together producing wide tops with nice exposure of the grain properties of the wood. Sometimes call Face Grain Construction this technique is valued because it take advantage of the aesthetic qualities of many woods. Butcher Block is not Plank Construction. Butcher Block was developed to take advantage of the strength of the wood (see Edge Grain Construction). Furniture manufactures have always prized Plank Construction because of its perceived beauty but over the years Butcher Block or Edge Grain Construction has gained in popularity and is now prized for its unique beauty in its own right.

European Stitch

See Finger Joint

Lamination

Lamination is a term used to describe each strip of wood within a top. It is what gives Butcher Block it's distinctive striped effect.

A laminated top sometimes is confused with a laminate top which is a better term to describe a High Pressure Laminate such as Formica, Wilsonart or Poinite.

Michigan Maple Block Co. P.O. Box 245 Petoskey, Michigan 49770		Bally Block Co. P.O. Box 188 Bally, Pennsylvania 19503
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