Solid wood top vs. butcher block glue-up which holds up better long term?

I had to pick between a single slab of oak and a DIY butcher block from 2x4s for my 6 foot desk. I went with the glue-up and its been 8 months but the joints are starting to show tiny gaps. Anyone else deal with wood movement issues after picking one over the other?

2 comments

2 Comments

reese_anderson4312d ago

Went with the glue up myself and learned the hard way that 2x4s from the big box store are basically gambling. Those little gaps showed up around month 10 for me. Figured I'd just handle it with some wood filler and a prayer but now I'm three tubes deep and it looks like I filled the cracks with spackle on a drywall patch. Solid wood top would have saved me some shame.

perry.karen11d ago

Watched my buddy do the exact same thing last year with his workbench. He used those cheap pine 2x4s and by month 8 the gaps were big enough to store spare change in. Ended up ripping the whole thing apart and starting over with some oak from a local mill. Guess we both learned that "I'll just glue it and pray" isn't a real woodworking strategy, huh?