Cutting Board - little help ?

[mr.graham]

Ok so I'm relatively new to woodworking and I was hoping to get some input on the cutting board process. So I'm going to try and build one of Marc's fancy man's cutting boards out of maple and purple heart, I've got a couple of 8/4 pieces and have begun the planning process. Now the 8/4 board measures 1 3/4 inch thick, just as you'd expect, but the plans call for to "flatten" the boards to 1 5/8th , but the finished product will end up to be 1 1/4 inch thick.

My quesion is what tools, minus the planer would be the best choices to get the work pieces flat and 1 5/8 inch thick.

If the final dementions are expected to be 1 1/4 inch thick, why not just use a table saw to trim the 1 3/4 inch stock down to 1 1/4 inch stock and lightly sand?

all responses are welcome, like I said I'm new at this..

--T

[kesac]

You can trim to a closer dimension and sand. A high angle hand plane will flatten your project, but considering all the different grain directions you might have, it will be a chore.

A belt sander works in many peoples hand. I know some people who would flatten it with a router, or you can take it to a local cabinet shop and pay them $10-20.

I have been known to lay similar things on the garage floor and sand them with the floor sander. That isn't something everyone will want to do.

[mr.graham]

You can trim to a closer dimension and sand. A high angle hand plane will flatten your project, but considering all the different grain directions you might have, it will be a chore.

A belt sander works in many peoples hand. I know some people who would flatten it with a router, or you can take it to a local cabinet shop and pay them $10-20.

I have been known to lay similar things on the garage floor and sand them with the floor sander. That isn't something everyone will want to do.

Thanks for your reply Sternberg, I think I'm going get the pieces as close as I can with the Tablesaw before the first glueup and then flatten with a sander.

[rmac]

If the final demensions are expected to be 1 1/4 inch thick, why not just use a table saw to trim the 1 3/4 inch stock down to 1 1/4 inch stock and lightly sand?

I think the problem you'll run into is that it will be very difficult to get all the pieces to line up exactly when you glue them all together. For that reason, you have to leave some extra material in the beginning so you can flatten out the irregularities after the glue up without making the board too thin. Another thing to note is that there's nothing at all critical about the final thickness. It's a cutting board, after all! As long as it's flat and smooth, nobody is going to notice or care how close it is to 1.2500000 inches thick.

-- Russ

[mreubanks]

The 1 1/4" actually comes from the last set of strips you cut at the table saw. You cut your strips then flip those on their side...thus making the cutting board 1 1/4" tall.

[mr.graham]

The 1 1/4" actually comes from the last set of strips you cut at the table saw. You cut your strips then flip those on their side...thus making the cutting board 1 1/4" tall.

Thanks MikeE, you might have just saved me from myself. I need to wrap my head around this from start to finish before turning on any of the saws.

Thanks again!

[mreubanks]

Thanks MikeE, you might have just saved me from myself. I need to wrap my head around this from start to finish before turning on any of the saws.

Thanks again!

No problem. Don't worry...I watched the video every step of the way when I did it. I learned many things from this project. My other suggestion I would make is when you are cutting your first strips at the beginning of the project, cut both pieces of the maple and purple heart (or whatever you use) at the same time. For example when cutting the 2 1/4" piece, cut both the maple and the PH using the same measurement / fence setting...don't move on to the next size until both pieces are cut. I did it by cutting all pieces of the maple, then the all pieces of purple heart. I realized my measurements were off when lining up the checker board pattern...and it wasnt exactly right.

[mr.graham]

No problem. Don't worry...I watched the video every step of the way when I did it. I learned many things from this project. My other suggestion I would make is when you are cutting your first strips at the beginning of the project, cut both pieces of the maple and purple heart (or whatever you use) at the same time. For example when cutting the 2 1/4" piece, cut both the maple and the PH using the same measurement / fence setting...don't move on to the next size until both pieces are cut. I did it by cutting all pieces of the maple, then the all pieces of purple heart. I realized my measurements were off when lining up the checker board pattern...and it wasnt exactly right.

Great tip ! Thanks a lot!

[tonywill]

Great tip ! Thanks a lot!

I'm also new to woodworking, and I'm also trying to wrap my head around this. I understand that each piece will be turned after it is cut so that dimension will be determined by accuracy of my cut.

But I'm trying to understand how exact the boards have to be before any cuts are made. I'm about to purchase the kit from Bell Forest

(http://goo.gl/eIMgu). Like Mr. Graham, I don't own a planer. The wood from the kit is rough cut, so I am assuming there is no guarantee that they will have the identical thickness.

I assume the two pieces must be the same thickness and absolutely flat(otherwise there would be gaps in the finished product). This brings me back to the original question. What tools, minus the planer would be the best choices to get the work pieces flat? I'm leaning toward Stenberg's suggestion of a belt sander, is that sufficient? Or, do I need to buy a plane and learn how to use it (which is okay, like I said I'm a newbie and have much to learn)?

I apologize if my question seems redundant, but I really need to understand how this will work before I drop $50 on material.

Thanks!

[jHop]

Marc has a couple of videos on how to flatten wood if you don't have the luxury of all these wonderful tools. If you don't have the tools mentioned, it's time to get creative.

The ideal tool for this is the aforementioned planer. If you don't have room (space or budget) for the large floor model, I'd consider the bench-top "lunch box" models. (it's what I did...) Keeping in mind the Jointer and the Planer are a great 1-2 combo to have, and also keeping in mind the previously mentioned restrictions on space or budget, I'd seriously consider saving up for the lunchbox. But since that's in the future, and not now, on to other tools.

The next best option, in my opinion only (others probably have better) would be the router and sled. If you have access to 1/2" ply, set two or three layers down and screw them all together to create a flat shelf. (I state 1/2" because you can pick up 4'x4' sheets, or even 2'x2' squares, from your local DIY center. Cut these at the table saw into strips at least 6" wide, and you have the basis for your router sled. Plus you can use the process to verify how square your table saw fence and miter slots are.)

Next option I'd go for would be a hand plane of some sort. I mention this because I feel it's a skill that will get a lot of use in your wood career, and it needs to be learned/practice. (I speak from experience on this matter. Too often I pick a more complicated route simply because my hand plane skills are so woefully inadequate. I'm trying, though.)

After that, I'd look into your sanders. Quarter sheet, third sheet, random orbit, belt sander, floor sander, scrap block of 2x4, whatever. The biggest reason you want the belt sander is for the larger "surface area." But not of the sandpaper; you want the larger reference area of the platen (between the wheels). Think of it like embedding bricks into sand: if one brick is lower or higher, it stands out. Levelling the bricks can be done by pushing individually on each brick, or you can put a sheet of plywood over them, and push evenly over the entire area. The larger the sander you use, the more the sander gets all the high spots and brings them down to a "common denominator."

as far as what tools to purchase, if the budget is severely restricted, I'd opt for 1: borrowing the best option you can off people you know who have that tool, 2: saving up for a while to purchase what your shop and budget can stand (not everybody needs a floor planer, or even a lunchbox), and 3: picking a tool you know you'll use more than once.

So, to wrap up this long-winded reply...

in decending order, I would purchase:

1 Planer

2 Lunch box

3 Router (nothing fancy required, but plan ahead on this purchase. If you already have one, great!)

4 Number 6 plane

5 bench Plane (#3, #4 1/2)

6 powered sander (non-belt)

7 belt sander

8 scraper

Keep in mind, these are based off my opinions, and experience. (Having purchased some of these in reverse order for this project...) And remember, opinions are like onions: hard to spell, hard to stand the smell of, lovely to look at in the store, but you wonder why once you start to follow them.

[tonywill]

A J, this is great stuff. Thanks for taking the time to write it up. I suspect for, for this project, I'll invest in a hand plane. In the mean time I'll be saving for the lunchbox.

Thanks again and Merry Christmas!