Little ridges on butcher block style counter top

Is it end grain or long grain? My guess is long grain. Even if the wood is the same species it my swell and shrink differently. just enough that you can feel the difference but not see it. you can try scraping or hand planeing to make sure all joints are perfectly lever, but as wood swells and contracts from moisture it may continue to do it.

-- Joey, Magee, Ms http://woodnwaresms.com

Thanks, I kind of suspected that might be the cause

-- Glenn, New Mexico

I would scrape it and refinish it. The joints may swell again. but after you have done this a few times, it should be less and less

-- making sawdust....

I have made quite a few edge grain or long grain cutting boards and that is exactly what it is. I sand to perfection and soak them with mineral oil, but once they dry up a little almost always they develop the little edges you are talking about. You cant see them, but you can feel them ever so slightly when you run your hand over the board. Motthunter is right, the ones that I have made and kept for myself, I have re sanded and sealed one twice and the other one once and the one I re sanded twice is fine… there was hardly any at all after the second re finish (that board is 6 years old).

-- David, South Windsor, CT "I love the smell of sawdust in the morning"

Glue line movement like that will happen with yellow & polyurethane glues. They are flexible, unlike urea-formaldehyde glues which are rigid and do not allow glue line creep. Not sure I would use them on a counter top…..

Bottom line: it’s natural; scrape or sand and refinish.

Regards, JM

-- Jarrod, Taos, NM http://jzmurphree.wordpress.com/

Thanks for all the great info Guys

-- Glenn, New Mexico

I have actually run some 400 grit over a board and they dissapear. Try that before planing and refinishing. You might need to put one more coat of finish on top though

-- Childress Woodworks

the reasons this can happen are almost endless.

the lumber wasnt dry enough

the glue hadnt cured before sanding/machining so that the expanded wood due to the application of glue, was sanded off, the glue cures and it leaves an indent or “line”

grain from one piece is considerably differnt orienatation from adjacent wood.

clamped too tight causing too much glue to be removed and therefor joint fatigue

and on and on and on

-- http://www.furnituremann.ca/