Made an end grain cutting board for my wife for xmas 2017. Hard maple. I won't be making another unless I find someone with a big drum sander. Ended up building a router sled and then using my belt sander. That wood is too hard to have a reasonable expectation of level, when sanding by hand! Coated with Watco Butcher Block finish.
I've drum sanded several end grain boards and learned that the heat will cause it to warp slightly. Plenty pf "cooling" time needed before going from the 36 grit to the final 120. Then the ROS sanding. A real workout!
Thanks, folks! I can post pics of my humble router sled if there is any interest. I'm a cheapskate and didn't think I'd get that much use out of it beyond the cutting board. Thus, just angle aluminum. It also worked well making the walnut tool chest. The glue-ups squirmed under the clamps, so I had to surface the back and sides. Cheap? I used a spoil board bit in the router.
Changing out belts is always a PITA, but most people I know usually cringe at having to buy a new one... belt maintenance is paramount with regular scrubbing with "desert boot sole" material. Bulk buying rolls is economical and if you can split the cost it's even more... just make yourself a cutting jig and the only PITA is opening, closing and finding a resting place for the jig.
If your first cut is too short... Take the second cut from the longer end... LBD
OK, here's mine in all its glory. For some reason the full on pic is 8 MB and the site won't load over 5 MB pic. Don't know a method for reducing file size. The sticks define the size of the last item I flattened. The frame sitting on the floor slides on the bottom rails. It's a little wider than the base of my router. I use Bostik Blade-Cote for lube.
Thanks. I bought the woodpeckers board flattening jig. (and bit with replaceable cutters.) I'll post a review once used. 5 hours at a drum sander is bad for my back!
Sad to say last project (unfinished) I used 40 grit paper and it took forever to get it smooth. I switched to 120 grit and will use the planer unless the wood is highly figured. I'm also going to buy wood that doesn't need a reduced thickness from now on.
