"Dave" wrote in message
hlink.net...
I happen to stumbled across an inexpensive source for a wood called IPE
http://www.woodfinder.net/woods/ipe.htm and am considering making a
butcher
block table top out of it. It's slightly dark for my taste, but SWMBO
really likes it for some reason. The sample I have is very hard and very
dense - it barely floats. I'm considering an end-grain top with
dimensions
somewhere around 22x34x10 inches glued from 3/4 stock. I've never worked
with this stuff (IPE) before, but it seems *plenty* hard and very fine
grained - a good combination for a butcher block top. BTW, the sample I
have comes from a deck supply wholesaler.

The top alone would be heavy (around 300 lbs), which implies very stable
if
the base is constructed correctly g. No problem, other then moving it
around when it's finished...

(1) Does anyone know what the toxicity of IPE wood is, or care to comment
on
it's suitability for this application?

well you're going to quite a bit of trouble to make a huge end grain butcher
block top. i would make a small cutting board (say 8x10x2 or so) first and
see what happens. maybe feed the stuff to your dog first to make sure its
not poisoned g that said, only maple is FDA approved, but just about any
wood will work as long as you keep it well oiled.

the fact that i cannot find a single instance of anyone using ipe for a
butcher block by searching the web says something also...

so in short, make a small cutting board first.

randy