wdwerker Posted June 21, 2014 Report Share Posted June 21, 2014 I have made a few cutting boards recently for friends. Way to much time and effort involved to try to sell them , but I think friends are well worth making them something that should last a lifetime . My neighbor and buddy Dave is from New Orleans and frequently cooks a huge Cajun/Creole feast for quite a large crowd. He recently remodeled his kitchen and got a set of Henkel knives so I thought a large end grain cutting board was appropriate to allow him to show off his skills. I started scouring through my scraps and off cuts . Found some walnut and maple 8/4 strips and glued up a long grain blank. It sat around for a few weeks and when I got back to it I played with some layout possibilities. If I ripped 13 strips they were just under 1 3/4" thick. Ripped and dry clamped a few different arrangements. Tried a checkerboard and staggered layout but I didn't like the results. The maple and walnut strips weren't the exact same width and that threw off the pattern. So I settled on a grain matched row. I carefully numbered the strips and just turned them 90' Glue up is never fun. Used TB3 for the longer open time and water resistance. Cauls lined with packing tape in a pin wheel arrangement initially got all 4 sides smooth and aligned. Then I shifted the side cauls to force the top flush. This is crucial to reduce the sanding needed to flatten the faces on the drum sander. After an hour or so on the drum sander, 80 grit ,150 grit, and 220 grit . Most of the time I only took off 1/128 at a time. Maple can load up the sandpaper and cause burns so I cleaned the abrasive frequently with a crepe rubber block. Then 150, 240, 320 grits with the orbital to erase the drum sanding parallel scratches. Eased all the corners with a 1/4" round over bit then sanded thru the grits again. Here is the board after the first coat of finish. I thinned out Watco's salad bowl and cutting board finish with mineral spirits so it would soak in faster and deeper. After a few coats of that Dave can maintain it with mineral oil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted June 21, 2014 Report Share Posted June 21, 2014 Very nice board Steve! I'm sure Dave will get a lot of use out of that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted June 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2014 I figure it is good practice for a tumbling block board and maybe I will tackle a wavy board like yours TIDOS. I have some paduak , purpleheart and yellowheart that should make a nice combination . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted June 21, 2014 Report Share Posted June 21, 2014 I figure it is good practice for a tumbling block board and maybe I will tackle a wavy board like yours TIDOS. I have some paduak , purpleheart and yellowheart that should make a nice combination . That will look awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Slack Posted June 22, 2014 Report Share Posted June 22, 2014 Very nice work. Sanding is a killer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llama Posted June 22, 2014 Report Share Posted June 22, 2014 Nice work!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted June 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2014 I just found some pictures of a edge grain board I made for another friend. Sanding the finger route is no fun! I always save curly strips cause they add so much wow factor. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boatworks Today Posted June 23, 2014 Report Share Posted June 23, 2014 Very nice Steve! Only thing it needs now is a few cut marks from the yummy dinner you're going to get Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janello Posted June 23, 2014 Report Share Posted June 23, 2014 VERY Nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stahlee Posted June 23, 2014 Report Share Posted June 23, 2014 Looking great Steve. I can't seem to get away from making end grain cutting boards, people keep requesting them after they see one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardA Posted June 23, 2014 Report Share Posted June 23, 2014 Excellent work Steve.... I do a lot of cajun cooking to, and have several cutting boards that I made just for me. I haven't thought about using off cut boards for friends and neighbors, But with another Christmas coming, I just might get a few made! Thank's for the inspiration! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted June 28, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2014 Delivered Dave's cutting board last night. He has an amazing collection of Henkels knives that I thought deserved a bigger better cutting board. And what better thing to cut on a new cutting board than a lime for tequila shots? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted June 28, 2014 Report Share Posted June 28, 2014 Nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted June 28, 2014 Report Share Posted June 28, 2014 Awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stahlee Posted June 29, 2014 Report Share Posted June 29, 2014 Fantastic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted June 30, 2014 Report Share Posted June 30, 2014 Steve, Have you tried Don Julio 1942 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted July 1, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2014 I have had Don Juilo. Is the 1942 a vintage? Tasty but pricey stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted July 1, 2014 Report Share Posted July 1, 2014 I'm assuming it is a vintage. It comes in a tall bottle, unlike the regular DJ anejo and is about $100 a bottle. Fortunately I have a very generous vendor that surprises me w/ a bottle about twice a year. Something you share w/ your special friends Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted July 2, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 2, 2014 He has to be making a fortune off of your account ! I get some good service from my suppliers, my Festool rep is meeting me in the morning with parts for my 7 year old ETS 150 and I called him after 2 pm today ! First time I have had to replace anything other than sanding pads on it ! I was wearing out Bosch sanders every couple of years! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wouldwurker Posted July 2, 2014 Report Share Posted July 2, 2014 Love the inverse stripes on that one board. And what a beautiful piece of walnut for the middle. I've been doing the math, and it looks like, between cutting boards and little toyboxes, I'll need to start my Christmas present projects already! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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