# Crazy cutting boards and Chess board



## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

A while back I got carried away,and started making crazy cutting boards. even made a crazy chess board and gave it to my sons boss Ole Harry. I ran into Harry a couple of weeks later and he was a frazzled creature, now he is crazy Harry.

Herb


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

Sorry it got posted twice. Crazy things happen around them.

Herb


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## Jack Wilson (Mar 14, 2010)

Hi Herb, I really like those, nice work!


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Man, those boards without _any_ straight lines are unbelievable. 
You're not going to tell us are you...


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

Very neat . But I gotta ask , how the hecks it done?


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## rwl7532 (Sep 8, 2011)

Twice as crazy!


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## Rogerdodge (Apr 24, 2014)

Smoke and mirrors.


Rog


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

Hahahaha I gave one to my elec. engineer brother in law for Christmas and when I went the following year he still hadn't figured it out. 
It is quite simple really. A little bit of careful hand work putting it together to get the points of the squares (pieces) to meet is paramount in assembly.

1. Glue a wide board up a little larger than the finished piece,of dark wood. 
2. Do the same with light wood.
3. Make a random curvy template as long as your piece, and another as wide as your piece .
4.Stack the two boards on top of each other and stick together with crosswise strips of double back tape. Works best with the light board on top.
5. mark the stack with the long template lengthwise in a random spacing that pleases you.
6. carefully cut out on the bandsaw.
7.Separate the pieces and lay them up on the bench alternating color.
8.I used a spindle sander to fit them tight. A drum on a drill press works too. When fitted glue them back together,making two striped boards .
9. Stack them on top of each other again aligning the strips and stick together with double backed tape going lengthwise of the boards.
10. Mark them this time with the short template,and carefully bandsaw them out. It doesn't matter if you wander a little from the mark on your cut as long as you don't have a dobobble in your cut, don't try to correct just keep going in a smooth curve it is all random.
11. Separate them, lay them up into two boards alternating pieces to make the "checkered" pattern. 
12. Sand them to fit back together,being diligent to match the points on the "squares"
and glue them into separate boards. You will find out quickly that sanding an outside curve makes it smaller and sanding an inside curve makes it larger,and when they are put back together you have doubled the error. hmm that make sense? 
I sanded them with my drum sander, a belt sander will work too.

If you notice in the pictures the pair of bloodwood/maple bread boards, they are a matched set. looking closely you will see the same pieces dark in one and light in the other. You will always end up with two boards that are opposite . the same with the chess board.
On the chess board the boarder is cherry and the field is purple heart and maple. for the corner miters I just continued the curve of the field cut around to make a curved miter. after I had the board made I laid it on the border and scribed the outline onto the cherry boards then fitted them to the contours. I finished them with water based poly.

Makes a fun project for Christmas presents.

Herb


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## Cabbie41 (Nov 28, 2010)

*video*

Herb-Cool projects! I read your description of the process, but a step-by-step video would be much more instructive. Any possibility of seeimg one in the future?


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

Sorry,no possibility of a video, Jim, this is done over a period of several days and I can't work and do a video at the same time, might cut off a finger thinking about the video and working too. Then I would have to edit out all the the cuss words and I don't know how to do that, and don't know if I even have a program to do it. if you have any questions on what to do, please ask, I will be happy to answer as best as I can.
Thanks for your interest,
Herb


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

Thanks Herb...


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## tbahorski (Nov 11, 2014)

Herb,
Nice job. I can see why Ole Harry went crazy, probably trying to figure out how you made the boards.

Tom B


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## Marco (Feb 21, 2009)

All of the work that you have posted Herb has been impressive and this is right up there!


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

Marco, I like the things you and your wife do. The spalted wood boxes and the Tenn. cedar boxes look great. 
Herb


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

Herb I'm quite amazed at how perfect the pieces fit as I can't see any gaps . That has to be time consuming !


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## jw2170 (Jan 24, 2008)

Amazing work, Herb.

Thanks for posting a "new" concept...


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## VisionationWW (Nov 19, 2014)

Outstanding project Herb - thank you for sharing your gifts and processes!


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## rwl7532 (Sep 8, 2011)

"If you notice in the pictures the pair of bloodwood/maple bread boards, they are a matched set."
Creating an odd number of "stripes" and that won't be so obvious!!


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## xplorx4 (Dec 1, 2008)

Really well done I must say, one day I shall try that in the mean time I shall just do the basic pattern that I just started doing. I will say they are fun to do, I did one using four types of wood.


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

Heres some more ideas ,Jerry,

Herb


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## MT Stringer (Aug 15, 2012)

Wow!


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

Herb Stoops said:


> Heres some more ideas ,Jerry,
> 
> Herb


*"" YOWZER!!!"*
that is some premium work Herb...


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## Dimitri M (Oct 4, 2011)

Herb, the style of your work is amazing, and equally amazing is the amount of different boards you showed here, and obviously the many hours of work. Congratulations, they are all unique, immaculate, and bright with joy, as a pleasant ceremonial cutting board should be. I would hesitate to grease them with cheeses and dressings - perhaps only the finest french desserts should complement them.
I am eager to show them on Pinterest, but this forum is closed to registered users only - have you published your pics anywhere else?


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

Dimitri, and everyone thanks for the compliments, No I have not shown them anywhere else that I can remember. If you want I can send you a gallery of pictues of my projects and you are free to publish them to give other people ideas on what can be done with wood. 
I seldom work from plans, the projects evolve as I build them.and I try to showcase the woods natural grains.

Herb


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## Dimitri M (Oct 4, 2011)

Talking about Herb's cutting boards, I would like to ask all people here, especially the managers of RF, if and how it will be possible for common mortals (i.e. non-registered / non-carpenters) to see our stuff in galleries. Please forgive my ignorance of direction in the electronic corridors of this site, but I lack the time to sit down and spend an evening trying to go back and fore. It took me quite a while to learn how to find my list of subscribed threads, and for me this is enough for now.

with best wishes to all


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## MT Born (Oct 29, 2014)

All I can say is I want one!


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## bendrum (Mar 21, 2014)

The first set of pictures you posted were spectacular. The second set of pics were like the grand finale at a 4th of July fireworks display. Absolutely overwhelming!!!!


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

bendrum said:


> The first set of pictures you posted were spectacular. The second set of pics were like the grand finale at a 4th of July fireworks display. Absolutely overwhelming!!!!


you got that right...


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## oldwoodenshoe (Nov 28, 2011)

> The first set of pictures you posted were spectacular. The second set of pics were like the grand finale at a 4th of July fireworks display. Absolutely overwhelming!!!!


+2

Those boards are absolutely beautiful!!!

Glenn


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## papasombre (Sep 22, 2011)

MT Born said:


> All I can say is I want one!


Me too, Herb. And as someone wrote, I won´t use it as a a cutting board. Each piece is a jewelry.


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## Chilton88 (Feb 16, 2015)

Awesome pieces! I feel like I see more and more custom wood cutting boards these days, and I have always wonder are these equally (or more or less) as "safe" from a hygienic stand point? I would love to build one but I can already hear my wife saying she isn't eating anything that comes off a board I made in the shop 

I would assume they are with as many as I see out there, just didnt know how they hold up, clean off, etc.

Either way they look awesome!


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