: I see some flaws in this idea but yes it can and has been done.
: Basically he is wanting to build a cutting board. First, cedar
: is way to soft! Just a bad idea in my opinion if it is going to
: be used and not just looked at. Pine too, he really needs to use
: hardwoods. Maple is the old standby but most any hardwood would
: work.

: Second I would not use Epoxy because of the the cost. A good wood
: glue like Titebond III is more than adequate and waterproof.
: Plus it is lot simpler to work with on such a big glue up.

: Which brings me to the next big issue. Maintaining it! If it is
: working counter top and not just for looks the finish is going
: to be a big issue. If you Varnish it or use a Poly it is going
: to be scratched up and look bad soon. Water is going to take a
: toll on it over time. So that means a lot of refinishing.

: You could do an oil finish like Mineral Oil. I made a couple of
: cutting boards for my wife and sister (a Chef) and that's all
: they use on them. But they don't look glossy and pretty like he
: probably has in mind. But they hold up well. But they have to
: oiled ever 2-4 moths.

: If it is bartop or an eating area like we use the one in the photo
: below, varnish/poly has held up pretty well. But it doesn't see
: much kitchen duty. We just mainly serve and eat off of it and
: the we are careful with it.

: If the guy is a woodworker he will know this, but building a
: counter top of any size is a big job! It takes lots of clamps
: and the glue up is not going to be flat. It takes a lot of work
: to flatten out. I made a pine benchtop 2.5" thick for my
: shop. I spent a long time with the hand planes and then sanding
: to make it a good flat work surface. It turned out well and I
: use it all the time, but it was not a simple project. If your
: freind is not a woodworker, he may not realize what he getting
: into.

Have done several cutting boards out of hard maple/walnut. I have to agree with the "lot of work" comments. The glueup is an undertaking, and getting it flat is a real bear unless you just happen to be fortunate enough to have a big honkin' planer or panel sander (or a friend with one :-) ). Acrylic might be a surface coating option. Lots of bars have acrylic finishes.