End Grain Cutting Board

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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.

!0" X 20".

The Other Steven

32 Comments

Dark

Just going thru my own end grain build.

You did great.

Flattening solutions is now on my mind!

Petey

A classic Steven!

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!
Or real slow cranks downward.  Less heat, but time consuming 

Petey

yeah i did about 1/8 turn per pass. sometimes id run it through 2-3 before another turn. burned up two belts on the basket weave board.

working with my hands is a joy,it gives me a sense of fulfillment,somthing so many seek and so few find.-SAM MALOOF.

Pottz

I didi 2 to 3 taps.  Real shallow cuts.

I did not change the paper. Hate that!

Petey

i had to, went too much and burned the belt. 

working with my hands is a joy,it gives me a sense of fulfillment,somthing so many seek and so few find.-SAM MALOOF.

If the grit is still good, try rollign it up and soaking in in a jar full of household ammonia for a week. Works wonders!
They are nice looking boards but are a real pain in the ass to build. 
splint a little late ! but maybe next time ?
a pita yes but damn they look cool !

working with my hands is a joy,it gives me a sense of fulfillment,somthing so many seek and so few find.-SAM MALOOF.

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.

The Other Steven


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

I'd like to see your slab flattening jigs.

Petey

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.

The Other Steven

Dark

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!



Petey

petey what grit were you using ? i started with 60 grit on the drum sander.

working with my hands is a joy,it gives me a sense of fulfillment,somthing so many seek and so few find.-SAM MALOOF.

Yeah, "hours" is wayyy to long.
I start with 36 to get it flat, then work the higher grits to get it smooth.
Nice job! There's something about end grain boards - they always look cool.

A big thumbs up to a drum sander.
I'm embarrassed to say 120 grit.

I will never do that again!


Petey

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.

The Other Steven