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Butcher Block Cutting Board Take II

Vaughn McMillan

Vaughn McMillan

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As I mentioned in this thread, I have a nephew in culinary school who needs a real chef's chopping block. My first attempt didn't meet my standards (so I'm using it myself), but I just finished up the remake...bigger, better, stronger. These pics leave a bit to be desired -- the board's too big to fit into my photo tent -- but it's what ya get.

JJ Board 3.jpg

This board is about 20" x 15 1/4", and about 1 3/4" thick. This one's the biggest I've made so far; I had to take the back rail off my crosscut sled to trim the long edges. Hard maple, walnut and cherry, sanded to 400 and slathered in mineral oil for a couple days. I still need to build a crate to ship it to my nephew in, but it'll be faster and easier to build something out of wood and staples than trying to fabricate something strong enough out of cardboard and tape. (BTW, the orange was picked from our backyard tree yesterday. It's orange juice season in our house.)

JJ Board 2.jpg

Although I had originally planned on staggering the joints, I decided to be gutsy and do it with the joints aligned at the corners, even though that's one of the things I'd messed up on the original attempt. (Plus, everyone seems to be building boards with staggered joint these days, and I wanted to be different.) As discussed in the earlier thread, I used plastic resin glue this time, so I've had no creep issues.

JJ Board 4.jpg

The edge grip indentations were just done with a 1" core box bit on the router table with a pair of fences (front and back) to keep things aligned, and a couple of stop blocks to keep things consistent.

JJ Board 1.jpg

This one's also not perfect, but it's close enough to pass muster and get sent out into public with my name on it. ;)

Comments, questions and suggestions are welcome -
 
That is really really nice, I'm going to have to add that kind of thing to my list of stuff I want to make :thumb:

I think even the Dolphins like it! :D

Yep, a cut above :rofl:
 
Wow Vaughn, that's one gorgeous cutting board! I really like the way the pattern came out.

But, aren't you worried your nephew will be afraid to use such a nice looking board? It looks like it belongs 'on display' somewhere, not in a kitchen getting beaten up! :eek:

- Marty -

(BTW, is that a Global I see next to the orange? I bought one on a whim when Amazon had them on sale, and after using it, wound up buying more...)
 
I keep reading about everyone making cutting boards and I usually skip through them. After seeing yours Vaughn I have to look at cutting boards a little bit differently. This may have to be added to my list of things to do.

My wife is wonderful cook and keeps a cutting board on the cabinets at all times. My sister is a Chef. Glad they didn't see this or it would be on top of my list. :)

Of course you know what happened last time you posted a project Vaughn. :rolleyes: Must resist this time! ;)

Very nice, I am most impressed. And as a side note, the one thing I am envious about you guys that live in Cali, (and it's the only thing :) ) is the fruit trees. We just can't grow lemons, limes and oranges here.
 
Vaughn

Great looking piece, I really like the pattern.

But......... are you just going to try to slip the dolphins buy in the post? Is this a stealth gloat? That is a wonderful table, give us more details!

Jay
 
Very nice, Vaughn. When I think of a cutting board, it's usually just a bunch of strips of maple laminated together. Your board is a piece of art! I can't imagine running a sharp knife across the top of that board.
You do beautiful work. I'm sure your nephew will appreciate it.
 
Thanks for the comments, guys. To answer the questions and comments...

After the first few scratches, I don't think there will be any hesitation to use it. It'll eventually get a nice 'patina' from use, and knowing my nephew, he won't be afraid to work on it. (Plus, a bit of sandpaper and time, and he can return it to like-new condition.)

Yeppers Marty, the knife's a Global. I was raised around good knives, but the first time I used a Global I was blown away. I've got three, and will eventually have more.

Jay, the dolphin table is something LOML and I picked up at the LA County Fair (of all places) this past summer. It's carved out of a single piece of what was billed as mahogany, and I'm guessing the artist is some guy in Indonesia (based on the other items the seller was offering). The glass top is simply resting on the beaks of the lower two dolphins and a slot cut into the "wave". As much as I'd like to use my shop to add to our household furniture, this is one piece I seriously doubt I could make for us.

DSC_0864 TC 600.jpg

Thanks again for the kind words -
 
Vaughn---That is fantastic, love the pattern of the grain on the walnut. He will be proud to use that for sure. Just curious, how did you sand the endgrain--belt sander, drum, by hand with a block?

Dan
 
Dan Forman said:
Vaughn---That is fantastic, love the pattern of the grain on the walnut. He will be proud to use that for sure. Just curious, how did you sand the endgrain--belt sander, drum, by hand with a block?

Dan
Click to expand...
Thanks for the compliments, Dan. I started sanding the board with 120 grit on a belt sander, mostly to get the excess glue off (things were already pretty even on the surface because I was careful during the glue-up), then went to a 6" ROS, starting at 80 grit and working my way up to 220 grit. It's not "machine flat", but it's pretty close and the very slight variations in the surface make it feel handmade.The edges were done with my 5" ROS and by hand (after the roundover bit, of course). I also hit it lightly with 400 grit while it was soaking in mineral oil.

Also, someone mentioned something earlier about not wanting to scratch it up. After my experiences this weekend using my first attempt at this type of board, I'm confident scratches will be a non-issue. I've used the "reject" board a lot this weekend (with good sharp knives), and I can't see any scratches. I tend to forget how self-healing end grain can be. By the time you rinse it off in hot soapy water and dry it, the scratches tend to disappear.

The board was crated and shipped Priority Mail this past Saturday, so he should be getting it tomorrow or Wednesday at the latest. I'm looking forward to hearing his comments. ;) I think he'll be using it at home as opposed to at school, but he'll put it to good use. He's apparently doing real well in class...he recently won both the Gingerbread House and Roast Turkey competitions at school.
 
That's a beauty, Vaughn. Thanks for posting it.

I'm grateful to Wood magazine for it's article on end grain cutting boards, but I much prefer more subtle versions, like yours, that just let the wood speak for itself.

My next one will ape yours and be glued up with the boards squared, rather than offset.
 
Vaughn,

What a fantastic array of color!! I'd say I'm going to put that on my "honey-do" list but instead when the shop is operational I'll look forward to making one myself!! We need a good cutting board.

Thanks for sharing!!

Denise
 
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