My 1st Cutting Board

Sean Wright

Member
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902
Location
WNY, Buffalo Area
Here is my 1st cutting board. Its a pretty basic design. It is made of Cherry, Walnut, and Purpleheart. I glued it up, using TiteBond2, due to it being FDA approved for cutting boards. My new K-Body Clamps made this alot easier. I finished it with several coats of mineral oil.

In preparation for making this board, I watched the video pod cast on The Wood Whisperer site, and watched David Marks on Woodworks (DIY Channel) make a butcher block table.

http://thewoodwhisperer.com/?p=89
 

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Great job Sean

It is an awsume looking cutting board. But I have only one coment as to how much use it will get. I made a similar one (not as large) but with maple and Purple heart for my wife 25 years ago. It has yet to see a knife on its surface.She keeps it on a stand on the kitchen counter top as a decoration. Says it looks to nice to mark up with a knife. You just don't argue with the Boss!
 
Ron, I've seen it go both ways. It really depends on the owner. Some of the boards I've made that were "too pretty to cut on" get daily use. (One of my quilt pattern boards is a good example.) Others that I thought were pretty plain sit untouched by a knife, because the owner doesn't want to scratch the board.
 
You pulled off a really nice job on the different sized rectangles.

I'd be scared to use it though - the rectangles would start "dancing" on me and I'd likely lose a finger getting it confused with the carrots! :rofl:
 
Very nice, Sean!! I've got four just like that one about to come out of clamps. Did you make a jig to cut the side handles? Did you take any pictures? I'm sorta stumped....

Thanks!

- Keith
 
Thank you all, for your compliments! Hopefully I will be making some more as Christmas presents. I'm going to change the design for some, so I'll be sure to post them as well.


Very nice, Sean!! I've got four just like that one about to come out of clamps. Did you make a jig to cut the side handles? Did you take any pictures? I'm sorta stumped....

Thanks!

- Keith

Keith,

I didn't take any pictures of how I made the side handles, but I can try to explain it.

I used a 3/4in straight router bit, in the router table. I adjusted the fence to expose most of the bit. I determined where I wanted to start the cut and end the cut. Then I clamped 2 scrap blocks to the fence. The clamped blocks served as start and stop limits. I put the cutting board up on end and eased it in to the fence, making sure that the end of the board was touching the 1st block. Then I pushed the block along the fence until it hit the 2nd block. Then I eased it out away from the bit. I repeated the process for the other side. I did a lot of test cuts on scrap until I got the right depth and height adjustments that I was looking for.

If this didn't explain it well enough for you, let me know, I can reset up the blocks on the fence and shoot some pictures. Its a pretty quick setup.
 
how much do you want to know.....?

In that this was my first attempt at a cutting board, specifically an end grain board, I made a few mistakes along the way.

If any one is interested in my screw ups on this, I can share. :doh:
 
Sean

Beautiful work.
As far as interest in the mistakes, I'd say yes but I am always more interested in how someone overcomes them.

I think most everyone makes mistakes it is how successfully one recovers from them that is the real valuable learning.

Garry
 
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Sean

Good job I'm just about to put the finish on (5) of mine. (2) designs from the Wood
Whisperer, and (3) designs from Wood magazine. Great way to use up scraps, and
shorts.

Vaughn

My wife saw your quilt blocks design, and fell in love with them ( she's a quilter). I
would like to try yours. Would you care to share any tips or tricks for making them.
Like making perfect 90 deg. right triangles all the exact same size. I'm thinking maybe
a holding fixture.
 
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Vaughn

My wife saw your quilt blocks design, and fell in love with them ( she's a quilter). I
would like to try yours. Would you care to share any tips or tricks for making them.
Like making perfect 90 deg. right triangles all the exact same size. I'm thinking maybe
a holding fixture.
Les, I've had a few people ask me similar questions, so I'll see if I can get something written up and posted here in the near future. I don't really have a great set of progress photos, but I think I've got enough to give folks the general idea.
 
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