# Some cutting boards



## OneStaple (Jul 22, 2018)

Hey all,

My primary hobby is woodworking, so I thought I'd try my hand at making some end-grain cutting boards. Three are done now (pictures to follow) but I've got another 9 almost done.

Purchased woods for these boards included soft maple, hard maple, black walnut, and padauk. I also used some scraps of purpleheart and osage orange that I had around. All woods were selected to have low silica content and be within a reasonable hardness range for knife edges. Ok, the purpleheart has some silica content, but it was necessary for one of the gift boards and is going to a non-knife enthusiast.

I also selected wood types and orientations (radial vs. tangential wood directions, also described as flat sawn vs. quarter sawn) to minimize stresses as the boards expand and contract with humidity. For instance, some boards use both hard and soft maple to better match expansion/contraction with other woods that they'll "interact" with in a board.

I started this with the intention of making two boards as gifts and 3-4 for ourselves. Well, when you're buying 8'-12' boards and have limits on widths available, you end up with extra wood. So I mapped out what I could make with all the scraps and ended up with 12 boards total, including some that I really like.

I asked some questions on here a few months back about what features people do/don't like. A whole lot of people like feet, so I've been adding those. I'm not sure I'll use them on the smallest boards though (still to be completed). I sourced some silicone feet specifically for cutting boards and am quite happy with them. They're inset 5/16" into the bottom of the boards, making them sit 1/4" proud of the surface. That allows enough room to get your fingers under the edges to lift without making the height ridiculous.

You'll see on the third cutting board that I included an emblem (1.25" diameter) that I recently created for myself. I plan to start adding this to my woodworking projects. Some day I'd like to try my hand at knives and will likely use a smaller version of the same logo.

*FIRST BOARD*

This was a gift for my brother-in-law's wedding. It's made of purpleheart, padauk, and hard maple. The pictures REALLY don't do it justice in terms of colors (sorry, bad cell phone pictures in poor lighting). The red and purple are much more brilliant. Size is approximately 13" x 18.5" x 1.5". I forgot to take final measurements before giving the gift.













*SECOND BOARD
*
Walnut and soft maple board for a gift for my sister and brother-in-law (different BIL from the previous board). Dimensions are approximately 15" x 18" x 2". Again, I forgot to measure before giving it away.











Tyler


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## OneStaple (Jul 22, 2018)

*THIRD BOARD
*
This one is for my wife and I and is the biggest that I'm currently making. It is walnut and both hard and soft maple, one used for the vertical stripes and one for the horizontal stripes to better match the expansion/contraction characteristics of the walnut.

This one is 15" x 24.5" x 2" and takes up almost half of our island. It was made to fit that spot nicely.

This is the first one with my logo/emblem on the bottom.































Tyler


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## Ryndunk (Jul 22, 2018)

They look great. Really like that third one.


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## milkbaby (Jul 22, 2018)

Nice job! 10/10 would cut on. 

And thank you for doing the brick wall style with bricks running horizontally like a brick wall would be laid versus vertically like I've seen occasionally. I know there's probably no difference in performance by those just look wrong...


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## Moooza (Jul 23, 2018)

Really nice. Keep them well oiled and I reckon they'll last ages.


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## OneStaple (Jul 23, 2018)

> milkbaby said:
> 
> 
> > And thank you for doing the brick wall style with bricks running horizontally like a brick wall would be laid versus vertically like I've seen occasionally. I know there's probably no difference in performance by those just look wrong...



On a brick pattern, the direction that the bricks go dictate the size of the planer or drum sander that you need. So, bricks going vertically (short direction) are easier and allow smaller machines. I really debated which way to do mine, as the 25” dimension is bigger than my 20” planer. To do the bricks in the orientation that I used, I had to go to a local place with a big, commercial drum sander and pay to use it. But I’m glad I did, as I like the look/orientation.

Especially in home shops, most people will be limited to a 12”-15” planer or a slightly larger drum sander, if they have one (much less common than planers, I think). That’s why you would see boards with bricks going the “wrong” way. 

Tyler


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## merlijny2k (Jul 26, 2018)

Nice!!! What glue do you use? Been thinking about doing a simple board myself though these are lightyears out of league. Really impressive.


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## OneStaple (Jul 26, 2018)

merlijny2k said:


> Nice!!! What glue do you use? Been thinking about doing a simple board myself though these are lightyears out of league. Really impressive.



Thanks! I used Titebond 3. It's waterproof. And man, did I go through a lot of glue for these 12 boards.

I use Titebond 2 (water resistant) for most of my other woodworking projects (with a few exceptions).

Tyler


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## gunswanted (Jul 27, 2018)

Amazing work. I want to try my hand on a couple for presents. I only have access to a 12 inch planner but it should be fine for my home project. Thanks for the extra info as well.


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## OneStaple (Jul 31, 2018)

Hopefully this doesn't get lost in the replies. Couldn't figure out how to modify the title to suggest update dates.
*
Fourth Board
*
This one is padauk and hard maple, measuring 15" x 18.5" x 1.5". In one picture I included a piece of the raw padauk to show how much the mineral oil darkens the wood and mutes the red color (wish the red showed through better).

Also of note, evidently my table saw blade was not perfectly perpendicular to the table when I was doing the first round of cuts and glue ups (all boards done in parallel, not in series). As seen in the last picture, that meant the lines are slightly skewed as you look down the row of padauk. It's more noticeable toward the edges. I feel like I did a decent job of hiding it on this board, but it's the first board shown on here where it's actually noticeable. Later boards will show it worse (yes, I'll even show my "seconds").

Tyler


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## toddnmd (Jul 31, 2018)

Hey Tyler, remember me? I'm your second cousin, twice removed! Hopefully you've got a board in the works for me.
I'd even be willing to take that one with the not quite perfectly straight padauk lines. Just so you don't have to look at it and have a minor flaw bother you.
Nice work--I'm proud to have you as a cousin!


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## OneStaple (Aug 1, 2018)

Ahhh, my long-lost-second-cousin-twice-removed Todd! I feel like I haven't seen you in...well...forever! 

Unfortunately, all of these boards are only for first cousins, once removed. Maybe a future round of cutting boards will be for all the second cousins, twice removed. Maybe.

(On a side-note, I'm in NoVa too)

Tyler


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## valgard (Aug 1, 2018)

very nice boards, the third is my fave.


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