I already cut my hole for my cooktop and used a 1" spade on all corners a skill saw for the long cuts and jigsaw. It did the job but it would require quite a bit of sanding to make it look great.

I am now about to cut the hole for my under mount sink. I was thinking a better/cleaner way to do this would be to use a router. I don't have a ton of experience using them so I have no idea if this is a good option and if so what bit would I use??

The butcher block is 1.5" birch.

 

You usually use a hole saw on a mandrel with a drill. No you don't use a router to drill holes.

 

Xsleeper, I'm sorry my title was a little misleading.

By "hole" I mean a cutout for an under mount sink. I am trying to figure out the best way to cut the hole for the sink to give me the best results.

Maybe a skill saw and jigsaw will work if i leave a 1/4 extra inside the template and sand to a finish?

 

Oh, I'm sorry- I understand now. You would do it the same way as your cooktop but stay inside the cutout lines by at least 1/8" or so... then clean up your cut edges with the router. You would want to use a straight bit... with a 1/2" collet.

You would either need to devise a template (jig) for the router to ride inside, or clamp guides onto the top for the router to follow to ensure your sides are straight and smooth. A template would probably work best for your rounded corners to ensure they all match.

 

OK, so I would use both the spade bit, skill saw and jigsaw to cut a hole inside the cutout line and then finish with the router and sanding?

Also, what side should I be cutting from? or does it not matter?

 

Since your cut edges will be visible it might be worth while to make a jig to guide your router. You can make it out of a piece of scrap material 1/4" or thicker. Make sure to account for the size of the shoe on your router and the bit diameter. It's a bit of work to do the ciphering and cut out the jig but once it's done you'll have great peace of mind when cutting out for your sink that the router is guided and it's almost impossible to screw up your counter.

You may want to get a couple bits as you might have to make your cut in several passes. Each pass lowering your router bit 1/4-1/2" until your through. Keep an eye out for burning as that will require sanding or a another router pass to clean up. A fresh sharp bit is less likely to burn the wood than a worn, dull bit.

 

Yep.

....................................

 

Thank you, gentlemen.

I will cut the rough out tonight and head to home depot for a router bit tomorrow.

I have a piece of 4x8 1/8" white compressed board laying around. Do you think that would work as a template?

 

A little thicker would be better but as long as your router plate doesn't jump on top of the 1/8" thick material it should work.

 

Had a couple of mishaps but it looks like it came out fine after sanding.

Would you guys recommend construction adhesive between the sink and the butcher block along with the clamps? Or just silicone??

 

Just silicone. Use rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle and mist the perimeter before you attempt to clean up any silicone that squeezes out.

 

I second the vote for silicone and clamps. I would tape off the sides of your cutout so you don't get silicone on the wood. I would also consider finishing or oiling the top and cutout sides before installing the sink. If silicone does get on the bare wood and into the pores it's won't take stain or oil.

 

Good tips. I will go ahead and tape off my sides before using silicone and mounting the sink.

I planned on putting a finish on the whole slab of butcherblock before installing the sink.

I am going to try this WATCO Clear Butcher Block Oil on an extra piece of wood I have from the cuts. From what people are saying, it's more of a hard finish than an actual oil that has to be reapplied every month or so. It is also supposed to be clear so I'm hoping it doesn't turn the color orange like some other products seem to do.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/watco-clear...oaAqswEALw_wcB