# New knife block



## OneStaple (Nov 4, 2019)

All,

I just completed a new knife block and wanted to share. Other than doing google image searches of tons of knife blocks to see what concepts are out there that I do/don't like, this is totally my own design. For now, I'm just sharing final photos, but can post some WIP pictures too if others are interested.

Details of note (no particular order):

1. This is made of some scraps of crotch/flame walnut, scraps of curly maple, and some hard maple. One piece of walnut had a significant crack due to drying that couldn't be easily put back together (thus the resin).

2. Each side and the top are magnetic. Three vertical rows of continuous 1/2" round rare-earth magnets on the sides. One continuous row of 1/2" magnets down the middle of the top for paring knives. All magnets are backed by a bar of steel.

3. Each knife slot has one or two small 1/4" magnets (one in the center of narrower slots, two spaced out on wider slots). It provides just enough downward pull on the blade to keep a handle-heavy knife from being tilted in the slot. They provide almost unnoticeable resistance to inserting/removing knives.

4. The base dimensions are about 12" x 6". The top dimensions are about 8-1/4" x 3-5/8". The height is about 15". This takes up only slightly more room than my previous, generic, piece-of-junk knife block (see picture of knife blocks on the counter). I also couldn't fit all my knives in the previous block and had to keep about 8 of them in sayas (mostly the nicer ones) in a drawer.

5. This sucker is HEAVY, being essentially solid wood. No threat of tipping over when you grab a knife. There are also rubber feet on the bottom to give an air gap and keep it from sliding on the counter.

6. The slots vary in width from 35mm to 102mm. The bottom slot is sized specifically for my cleaver.

7. I spaced the slots/sides such that it's comfortable to grab a handle, regardless of location.

8. The side walnut pieces are attached to the center maple pieces with a flexible epoxy (West System G/Flex) to allow for some differential expansion/contraction of the woods through the seasons.

9. I wanted something that could hold a lot of knives without taking up a lot of room. I also wanted at least some magnetic holding capabilities for my carbon knives.

10. I probably have room to fit about 9 more decent sized knives (~50mm tall) in/on the block. Seems like justification to get more. I also plan to get rid of some existing ones (especially if I ever try my hand at making knives).

11. My only concern is that now my nicer knives aren't hidden in sayas in a drawer and may be tempting for guests to use. I'll likely be reinforcing the concept that I'm a knife snob when I instruct visitors on which knives they're allowed to touch.

12. Also displayed in the pictures is my meager knife collection. Some are cheap and specifically for visitors to use (don’t judge!).

13. Forgive my poor photography skills. I tried using some tips from online, but photography isn’t my forte.

Tyler


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## OneStaple (Nov 4, 2019)

Two more...


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## Michi (Nov 4, 2019)

OneStaple said:


> Two more...


I absolutely love that design! It looks very classy, and the idea of making the outside of the block magnetic is just brilliant! This would have to be the most space-effective knife block I've ever seen. Congratulations!


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## MrHiggins (Nov 4, 2019)

Yeah, really nice!


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## mc2442 (Nov 4, 2019)

Very cool and functional! Well done!


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## IsoJ (Nov 5, 2019)

Excellent work!


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## fewlio (Nov 5, 2019)

Is this for sale and how much?


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## OneStaple (Nov 5, 2019)

Thanks for the compliments. And no, not for sale. 

A few WIP pictures...

1 and 2. Pictures of the rough walnut, including the cracked piece.









3. Pieces rough cut to size.





4. Cutting matching angles on the sides. This took tape "shims" to creep up on it. Very tedious.





5 and 6. Cutting the end angles to match. Again, tape shims. The knife slots have already been cut at this point (after the side angles were done).







7. Dowels were used to keep each piece in the stack aligned.




8. Dry stacked parts with all angles and slots cut. Only the top walnut/maple pieces are glued at this point.





9. Small magnets in each slot (with blue tape on top in this picture) to hold handle-heavy knives parallel in the slot. The other two holes are for dowels.


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## OneStaple (Nov 5, 2019)

10. Initial epoxy pour.




11 and 12. Slots routed in back for magnets. And magnets caulked in place (to allow for wood movement vs. the metal bar behind the magnets). This walnut will be trimmed significantly on one side and the top.









13. Using hand planes and a random-orbit sander to flatten/clean up the maple after gluing pieces together.




14. Glue up of the sides to the main body. A special jig was necessary due to the angles to keep the clamps from sliding.





Then just final trimming, sanding, and finishing!

Tyler


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## Ryndunk (Nov 5, 2019)

This looks great!


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## toddnmd (Nov 5, 2019)

Great design and execution!


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## M1k3 (Nov 5, 2019)

Lots of ideas! Like the work!


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## AT5760 (Nov 5, 2019)

Holy craftsmanship Batman! That thing is sweet. Functional art!!


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## mc2442 (Nov 6, 2019)

After seeing your WIP (thanks for that), I am curious on how much it weighs.


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## OneStaple (Nov 6, 2019)

mc2442 said:


> After seeing your WIP (thanks for that), I am curious on how much it weighs.


Based on my bathroom scale, about 18 pounds (8 kg).

One more picture of my emblem on the bottom. About 1.25" diameter.

Tyler


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## Beanwagon (Nov 7, 2019)

Epic!


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## Barashka (Nov 7, 2019)

This is gorgeous, magnets are an amazing idea too. Great work!


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## John Loftis (Nov 8, 2019)

Wow, well done! Great craftsmanship and really innovative design. That was a labor of love, for sure.


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## Tim Rowland (Nov 9, 2019)

Outstanding work. 
Love the design and planning that went into it.


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## Matus (Nov 9, 2019)

Very impressive. Cool design and perfect execution.


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## ACHiPo (Nov 9, 2019)

OneStaple said:


> Two more...
> View attachment 64104
> 
> View attachment 64105


This is a fantastic design and very nicely executed! Nice job!


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## Guss2 (Nov 10, 2019)

Fantastic! How much time do you figure it took?


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## Bill13 (Nov 10, 2019)

Very beautiful. Made me think a bit of the movie 2001.


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## OneStaple (Nov 11, 2019)

Guss2 said:


> Fantastic! How much time do you figure it took?


I always have trouble answering that on projects. This one was done over the course of roughly a year with lots of breaks and other projects worked on in between, including having a kid. That's a long way of saying that I have no clue. A bunch of hours but not too many?

Tyler


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