Cutting Boards

Cutting boards are nice quick projects. A typical board can be finished in 2 or 3 evenings. If it were not for clamping time, it would be a one day project at most.

Layout of the pieces can be quite creative or ornate depending on your desires and whether it will be used as a decorative item, serving tray or utility cutting board.

The cutting boards make excellent gifts. Most recipients proudly display them. A few have even been afraid to cut on them due to the detail present.

Depending on thickness, the edge can also be routed with a dished pattern to be used as a "carving board"

Finish is beeswax and mineral oil. This mixture is applied with an old clothes iron and rubbed in. Use a mix of approximately 2 parts mineral oil and 1 part beeswax. Pour on a little oil and melt the wax against the bottom of the iron, dripping it on the board. Use the iron to heat the board (gently) and rub in the mixture. The wood will buble as the air in the grain expands due to the heat. As the wood cools the mixture will be pulled into the wood. rub the warm mix into the edges witha rag. Let sit overnight and then buff the excess off.

Cutting board One of dozens I have made. This one is a new design. The body is cherry. The accent strips are ipe and hard maple. Also soft maple and white oak are used as well. The curved sections were glued up with epoxy. Wood flour was used to tint the epoxy to match the ipe color. September '02
Carving Board The carving board is laminated from 6/4 stock. This makes for a very substantial board. The ends are cut with a router and a simple circle cutting jig. The ends have a 12-14" radius depending on the size of the board. The groove around the perimeter is routed using a 3/4" core box bit. The groove is cut in 4 steps. The ends are done using the same circle cutting jig as when the ends were cut off, but set for approximately a 1.5" smaller radius. The sides are cut with a router edge guide being used. Normally I cuts the ends first and then the sides.
Paddle board This smaller board is approximately 10x10 to 12x12 ". Having the small "hoop handle" dresses up a small board. a
More Paddle boards These small cutting boards are quick to make and a nice use for those small pretty scrap pieces (!1x1x12") that are too pretty to turn into kindling.

Celtic Knot I made several of the Celtic knot cutting boards as gifts for Christmas 2005. The base board is maple. The knot design is routed into the base board in 4 passes. Each section of inlay is glued in prior to routing hte next quadrant. The inlay is balck walnut. The square pegs are Padauk and mask the indexing holes.

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