The very first butcher blocks produced in Europe and the United States in the late 19th century were made from maple, an abundant and durable hardwood. These first butcher blocks were limited to two styles: basic blocks that sat on top of the counter top and freestanding blocks supported by bases.

As word spread about the benefits of butcher blocks for not only butchering meats, but also for serving as a work surface for other knife work and food preparation tasks, new styles of blocks emerged. Maple butcher block tables were among these new designs. Built on the standing block concept, maple block tables offer a larger maple working surface and room for new features like built-in storage.

The popularity of maple butcher block tables continues to increase year after year with designers responding by continuously introducing new styles. Our Buyers' Guide to Hard Rock Maple Butcher Block Tables was created to introduce you to the most popular styles produced by today's finest manufacturers. The guide also provides information about rock maple and tips for selecting the perfect butcher block table for your home or commercial kitchen. We recommend you read over the guide from beginning to end and then book mark it to return to in case you have questions as you shop.

About Rock Maple

Rock maple wood comes from the Acer glabrum or rock maple tree. This species is found in deciduous forests throughout North America in a band that runs from Alaska and British Columbia, Canada, down through the United States into Arizona and New Mexico. In the United States, its east-west range extends from the Pacific coast to Nebraska.

A plentiful tree with a relatively short growing time, the rock maple has a beautiful, light brown wood that most people consider to be the standard "natural" wood color. Many manufacturers now practice single selection when harvesting trees for butcher block tables. This involves selecting individual trees to be lumbered, rather than deforesting whole sections of wooded areas. This method helps preserve the biomes of rock maple trees and keeps their growth sustainable year after year.

Strength of Rock Maple

The strength or hardness of all hardwoods is measured with a technique called the Janka Hardness Test. To complete the test, a steel ball is dropped upon a wood sample at an ever-increasing force. When the ball becomes completely embedded in the wood, the force that was required is measured. That force then corresponds to a rating on the Janka Scale and is used as a comparative measure of hardness between wood species. The softest woods have measurements under 100 Janka, and the hardest rate in at over 5,000 Janka.

On the Janka Scale, hard rock maple measures 1450 Janka, making it one of the hardest types of hardwoods used for home furnishings. The hardness and durability of rock maple also makes it one of the most commonly used for butcher block tables.

Choosing the Top

Hard rock maple butcher block tables are available with different types of tops to suit you aesthetically and to make them ideal for certain types of use. Before considering the overall style for your hard rock maple butcher block table, it's important to have a good understanding of the options available for the tabletop.

Grain

The first step to selecting the right tabletop for your maple butcher block table is choosing the grain. The grain describes the way in which the rails or pieces of rock maple are arranged to create the butcher block.

There are three types of grains available in today's butcher block tables:

• End grain blocks are the most common for maple tables.
  
  Construction: The end grain consists of rails that run the length of the tabletop arranged one above the other.
  
  Appearance: Since they are made of long, whole rails, end grain butcher block tables have a unified appearance in terms of color across their surfaces. If you look closely, horizontal lines may be evident where the rails meet.
  
  Benefits: End grain maple butcher blocks are well sanded to create a sturdy, even work surface. Many people prefer the regularity of their coloring to that of other grains.



• End grain blocks are produced in some butcher block table styles.
  
  Construction: The end grain consists of the ends of maple rails, which are placed in rows. Each row includes of a number of rail ends.
  
  Appearance: End grain tables have a noticeable checkerboard appearance with large variations in color across their surfaces.
  
  Benefits: The surface created by using only the ends of the rails is gentle on knife blades and preserves the life of cutlery. The ends are also incredibly durable, giving extra strength to the maple butcher block.



• Blended grain blocks are available in some butcher block table styles.
  
  Construction: The blended grain consists of whole rails of maple that are not as long as the tabletop. Manufacturers lay the rails end to end as well as top to bottom.
  
  Appearance: The vertical and horizontal seams where the rails meet are visible in blended butcher blocks.
  
  Benefits:The blended rail grain is similar in durability to that of end grain butcher block tables.

Work tables

Hard rock maple butcher block work tables are designed to serve primarily as working areas rather than for doubling as seating or serving. As a result, the emphasis in work table designs is on functionality and strength, rather than aesthetic appeal. For commercial kitchens, hard rock maple butcher block work tables are the norm, and in homes where the table will be in an out-of-the-way area, they are also appropriate.

Most maple butcher block work tables have stainless steel bases, which provids extra strength. Some styles are made of solid maple wood.

There are five common styles available in today's maple butcher block work tables.

• Backsplash maple butcher block work tables have an extra lip or vertical surface that extends above the work surface by usually around 4 inches or more. This extra riser sits against the wall and protects it from splatters.



• Sidesplash styles incorporate a backsplash with two additional risers on either side of the table. These extra vertical panels are used to prevent spills onto the floor.



• Three-Drawer styles are open below their work surfaces on one side and have an enclosed area on the other. In this enclosed area are three drawers that are used for storing utensils arranged one atop the other.



• Enclosed Base styles feature sliding doors or cabinets that run the length of the entire table. These storage areas are perfect for storing kitchen appliance sand pots and pans, while hiding your clutter from sight.



• Pot Rack styles are mounted with metal poles that support an overhead rack. The rack is pre-mounted with hooks or comes with removable hooks and is intended to hold pots and pans vertically. The pot rack makes it easy to retrieve items while you work without having to bend to open a cabinet or sliding door.

Kitchen Tables

Hard rock maple butcher block kitchen tables are meant to be the ultimate kitchen multi-tasker. The tabletops make durable work surfaces, but arguably more importantly, are designed to look beautiful and blend into your existing decor like any other piece of furniture. Stainless steel, maple, contrasting wood and painted wood bases are all offered in kitchen table styles.

There are four main style categories produced by kitchen table manufacturers.

• Open styles consist of a basic tabletop mounted on four legs with no shelves or enclosures underneath the work surface. These tables are often used to double as seating because their open styles provide ample legroom. Because they may be seen by guests, open style hard rock maple butcher block tables come in a variety of designs from rectangular to oval to even round shapes.



• Caster styles are tables on wheels and are typically designed to be stored in one place and used in another. Like kitchen carts, these types of tables usually offer storage options. Their rolling designs also make them convenient to roll up to the dining area for serving.



• Square block tables were inspired by the first butcher block designs and are square in shape. Typically, these styles feature ornate designs, such as carved legs, that make them resemble more of an end table than a butcher block. Storage options, like open shelves and drawers, are commonplace in square block tables.



• Island tables
are generally the largest hard rock maple butcher block tables. They are usually rectangular in shape and big enough to be used for seating and serving in addition to being used as a work surface. The island style generally features open shelves for storage and includes other storage options to maximize the usefulness of their designs. Common storage elements include:


• Towel racks


• One or two wood drawers


• One or two wooden baskets that fit under the tabletop to be used as drawers


• One, two or three wicker baskets that sit on the open shelf and serve as bins


• Second open shelves stacked above the bottom ones


• Hooks that can be used for utensils or to hang a towel