Trying to make a waterfall island using home depot butcherblock.  What's the best way to make nice clean 45s on inch and half lumber so I have these perfect edges
I have 3 butcher blocks  48x25
I'm not opposed to buying tools, but large tools are hard to store.  I do not have much of a workshop.

I have a circular saw and tracks for it.
I have a portable table saw
Full size router
Mini trim  router
Jig saw, miter saw.

What would you use.

I also have a neighbor with a real woodshop but I hate asking people for stuff.

Attached File

You could make those 45deg bevel cuts on your table saw, but you'd need to check that the saw is tuned well.  In other words, the blade is at a true 45deg, and is parallel to the miter slots.  Since it's a crosscut, and a big one at that, you'd ideally need a crosscut sled to push it thru the blade.  You could also use a sliding miter saw, if the saw's capacity is enough to cut all the way across the table width.  You could even use a circular saw, and some kind of straight edge clamped perpendicular to the edge of the table.  Again, make sure the saw blade is at a true 45deg.

Not a very sturdy plan. Looks cool but not for anything that will see a lot of use as a kitchen island.

I’d run it through my table saw. Then I’d adjust the outfeed fence on my router table and hit it with a large 45 bit to true it up if it wasn’t after the table saw. Hit the joint with a bunch of dominos and some good clamping cauls for the glue up.  Would still need something to support the structure though for heavy use.

I've only tried one waterfall project, mostly just to see if I could do it. I used my circular saw and a straight edge to make the cuts. Since I don't have a domino, I used dowels to keep everything lined up. I won't say it was the easiest project I've tried, but it wasn't terrible. I am very much an amateur woodworker.
Attached File
Attached File

Will be built around cabinets for support.

That came out great. I'd be real happy if mine came out like that

If it were me and given your tools I would go for the circular saw first if I wanted it to look like the one in your picture.

But...

Keep in mind that those things may not be perfectly flat from front to back and that may cause you issues if you are not checking first / thinking about it before you start cutting on stuff.

With a good blade and a secure guide you could for sure make those cuts come out great if you are taking it easy with the speed and cutting a perfectly flat surface.

(those box store tops are not always perfectly flat (longways or front to back - different box store tops will also vary from box to box in which directions they tend to cup)


You really will want some good glue (proper working time) and a bunch of the proper clamps already sorted out before you start cutting anything.

I’ve used these before. Huge pain in the ass.

+1.  Nice joint once you get it set up, but you have to work at it.

Track saw would be tempting, but I'd probably build a jig for the table saw so I could run a spline down the length of the 45.

You could probably use biscuits also. But a spline would really hold it together.

Use any possible excuse to buy a dominoe joiner.

Water fall is a fad that has already run its course.  Just say no.

I use splines in my own projects.  
And I'm a table saw man.  

Use an angle gauge to verify the blade is at 45 degrees.  Use a sled to run the board through the saw.
Assemble the 3 pieces together with glue.  I use tape on the outside of 45 joints to make sure the points line up perfectly.  And I have some shop made 45 corner clamp braces I made from plywood.

With the thing assembled, turn it up on 1 corner at a 45 and run it through the blade to cut groves for splines.  
Stuff some plywood into the spline groves, trim them close to flush, then hit everything with a sander to even it all up.



Alternately, I have a box joint/dovetail joint jig.  You clamp 2 boards in it and trace the jig with your router.  When you're done, flip the pieces over and they fit together like a puzzle.  

TBH though, if OP is using home depot butcher block for his wood, that stuff is hit or miss.  IDK if I would invest a ton of effort into something using that stuff as the main material.

This is one of the jobs that makes a track saw really shine.

Me personally. I don’t have a track saw. I do have a table saw with a 54” rip capacity and the outfeed table to back it up.

I would use the table saw but I would cut it long. I want to be able to do a slim pass to clean up both edges after it’s cut to length.

Then use my domino to add strength and alignment for gluing.

My big question would be how to clamp it.

For something that size, I would say add a couple DIY right angle clamp braces to keep everything held in relation to each other.  Then just stand the mofo up and put some ammo cans on top.  If you're feeling cheeky, add some pipe clamps to the outside edges to pull the 45 joints closer in the horizontal direction.

For the right angle things, I have some of these I did up on various sizes.  They have tons of miles on them.

A good track saw with biscuits or ideally dominos to keep the joint from moving around, some notched cauls for clamping, and relatively quick setting epoxy for the adhesive.

Cutting that on a table saw is difficult, you'd need one hell of a (accurate) sled, and the size and weight makes those pieces, especially the top, really unwieldly. Impossible? No, but FAR easier with a good track saw.

Since the whole length of cut is end grain, epoxy is ideal. The notched cauls could be clamped at the ends where accessible, and screwed through the back side with trim screws leaving a few small holes to fill. Alternatively, a small amount of epoxy may anchor it enough and can be sanded away more readily since it doesn't soak into the wood like CA or normal wood glue.

A well cut joint with dominos (ideally) won't need a lot of clamp pressure to close, especially if using epoxy as it can fill small (.005" or so) gaps and still be perfectly structurally sound.

As for the lock miter, that would be the best way to secure the joint but as noted, set up is a pain in the ass. Infiniti tools sells a jig, I can't vouch for it as I've never used it but perhaps others have and can chime in? This includes two bits and two jigs. Running those big heavy boards on a router table and not moving them at all during the cut wouldn't be easy though. Power feeder would be nice in this application.
Infinity tools bit and jig