Nice touch keeping the "old-style" kitchen en vogue. I am sure it wasn't cheap, but should last a lifetime. I tried making a few counter tops over the years, ... arborite and ceramic tile seemed to work out the best. You need a pretty big planer to prep a hand-made counter. I have seen people try it with a router sled, but it always has turned out marred in some way. I guess you could spend hours with a good orbital sander, or maybe finish it by