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Lightweightladylefty
1239 posts
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My first end-grain cutting board
I made this end-grain cutting board as a wedding gift. It is approximately 13” x 18½” x 1¼”. The pattern was inspired by Sinister and greenology. [Sinister’s blog gives you all the details on how to build it; I just used different proportions and species.] The board contains 570 pieces of 6 wood species: 1. cherry, 2. walnut, 3. oak, 4. birch, 5. maple, and 6. ash. Some of the wood—especially the birch—had a considerable variation in color, making the pattern appearance less precise. I had less-than-perfect results attempting to chamfer the edges with the router so after cutting off enough to do away with the router’s chip-out, I used a utility knife to add a 45-degree chamfer to the edge. The board is finished with mineral oil.
I thought that gluing up the board would be a nightmare, but it was actually relatively easy. (I used Titebond III.) Getting the “sticks” perfect was the harder part!
I sliced the “sticks” on the band saw (to save material). Then made a jig for gluing up the blocks.
Because of the notch in the block, they all fit together very nicely.
I used CrafsMan’s method of printing on wood to include the couple’s name and wedding date and also my name in the hand-grip area and then used several coats of polycrylic over the printing. 
I wanted to wood-burn the names but the limited area proved too difficult to access on the large board.
I don’t like to waste anything! So, I used the off-cuts to make two smaller boards. This elongated board is about 6¼” x 11¼” x 1” and (in these photos) is unfinished.
The lighter center piece in this 7½” x 9¼” x 1” board (not yet finished in these photos) was less than an inch thick so I glued two pieces together so one side is all the darker pattern and one side has a light-colored center piece. 
The dates on the two smaller boards were wood-burned. 
All your comments, questions, and suggestions for improvement are appreciated. Thanks for taking a look.
L/W
“Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” Benjamin Franklin
23 Comments
Beautiful board, great workmanship, job well done congrats.
-- Soli Deo gloria! ( To God alone be the Glory)
Oldrivers,
Thanks for your comment. Did you ever get the photo problem solved so you could add some of your wonderful projects to this site? I actually have more success with this site than the “other” one — even with my dial-up.
L/W
“Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” Benjamin Franklin
I agree with beautiful but I would add:
Bello! Magnifique!
I attempted this board from Sinister a while ago but one hairline off ruined the hole thing.
You did great.
Abbas, Castro Valley, CA
super build and design, outstanding workgalship,beautiful board.
woodworking classes, custom furniture maker
What a wonderful project and great workmanship. Thanks for all the pictures and commentary.
CarvedArtStudio511
Thanks for all your encouraging remarks. It was fun . . . even though a little nerve-wracking until I knew it would go together without a hitch. I decided to forego the juice groove because I was uncertain about whether it would cause chip-out and I really didn’t want to spoil it after all that work!
L/W
“Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” Benjamin Franklin
Nice work LWLL, really beautiful.
Jack
Very nice board.
—Madts.
Tor and Odin are the greatest of gods.
Great detail! Now that’s art!
Dave
Wonderful! You are a skilled and talented lady L/W.
Mike, an American living in Norway
So many nice comments. You woodworkers are such a blessing!
L/W
“Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” Benjamin Franklin
WOW! that is impressive. great job!
Jonathan
Wow!! If I had a cutting board this beautiful, I would never want to cut on it! What a fantastic job! Congrats!!!
Amor Vincit Omnia
Awesome work! I really like your choices in wood.
L/W are you telling us that you got such precise joints from simply bandsawing the “sticks” and then just glueing them together?
I agree it does look like a work of art for the wall, I only hope the new owners dont put it in the dishwasher!
P.S I have ruined many an end grain project at the final detailing stages, and more than once I tell you!
Regards Rob
Thanks again to everyone for your kind words.
Rob, to make the “sticks,” I resawed the lumber on the band saw (oversized) and then thickness sanded each progressive layer to exact dimensions. Next I cut out the corner down the length of the “stick” on the tablesaw. Then I “sliced” the pieces on the band saw (because of the much thinner kerf, I got an additional two pieces out of my “stick”) and they all fit so nicely into the notched-out corner that the final glue-up was much easier than I had anticipated. I hope this explanation helps to somewhat clarify the steps.
If you have more questions, please feel free to ask. I’m certainly no expert but I can tell you what I did and how it worked for me.
After all the time it took to complete, I was afraid of messing up at the end. Thankfully the chip-out I experienced was fixable. I read of people attempting to level them in the planer and having them virtually explode. I’m glad I had read of their warnings and that I have a thickness sander to use.
I’ll include “care instructions” with the board. I think the couple is brighter than putting it into the dishwasher, but there’s no reason to take a chance! It’s a little big to fit down into the sink so I don’t think that will happen but who knows . . . maybe they’d soak it in the bathtub!
L/W
“Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” Benjamin Franklin
L/W, it may have taken a while, but you outdid your self! I’ve never tried one as intricate, and the juice grooves always make me nervous.
GREAT JOB!
I measured it twice, cut it twice, and it is still too short!
That is an awesome cutting board , very impressive .
Wheaties
Thanks for the reply L/W I kind of figured you did something like that, hence the comment.
I have also attempted planning end grain not realising the danger, and also the planner dosnt like veneer work as well.
Here is an example of my quadrant bookmatching after introducing it to the planner.
Our drum sander is the go for sure!
Regards Rob
Rob,
That’s heart-breaking!
L/W
“Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” Benjamin Franklin
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