# Post Christmas cutting boards



## difalkner (Jan 3, 2012)

There really isn't much to this but I haven't posted anything recently so I figured 'why not' post just *one more* cutting board thread... (I've been out in the shop too much to post anything). Decided to make a couple of end grain cutting boards, one for us and one for our daughter who moved to her own place back in August. I didn't have time before Christmas so she doesn't know it's being made for her. Got hers glued up tonight and will glue ours up tomorrow. Both boards are unsteamed Walnut, Maple, and a little Cherry thrown in for good measure. They'll be 12" square and 1.5" thick.


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## Jack Wilson (Mar 14, 2010)

I see, "post" as opposed to "pre". I thought you were asking people to "post" pictures of THEIR Christmas cutting boards.


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## difalkner (Jan 3, 2012)

Jack Wilson said:


> I see, "post" as opposed to "pre". I thought you were asking people to "post" pictures of THEIR Christmas cutting boards.


LOL! I didn't think about it that way. Yes, 'post' as in 'after' - I'll try to be clearer next time.


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## JFPNCM (Dec 13, 2009)

Very interesting arranegement of the final grain patterns. Well done.


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

David you did an excellent job on those. Not to be negative ,but I like the Pre pattern the best. Not so busy. ( 2nd pic)
Maybe when it is finished I will change my mind. Your workmanship is top shelf.
Herb


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

Seems to me that final results on these depends a lot on milling the scrap pieces to exact dimensions first. It also must require thinking in 3 dimensions. Really interesting boards.


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## difalkner (Jan 3, 2012)

JFPNCM said:


> Very interesting arranegement of the final grain patterns. Well done.


Thanks, Jon! Sandy and I played with the variations for about 30 minutes until we decided to just take one from each stack and make the two boards - a very scientific and creative approach!! LOL!



Herb Stoops said:


> David you did an excellent job on those. Not to be negative ,but I like the Pre pattern the best. Not so busy. ( 2nd pic)
> Maybe when it is finished I will change my mind. Your workmanship is top shelf.
> Herb


Thanks, Herb, I can't disagree! The thing is there wasn't enough of each stack to make a 12x12 board and to add two stacks together with each in its own sequence just didn't look right (if that makes sense). Busy and somewhat random is what we were going for but I plan to make some more that aren't so busy. I also want to try some of the 3D boards - now that is going to be a challenge!



DesertRatTom said:


> Seems to me that final results on these depends a lot on milling the scrap pieces to exact dimensions first. It also must require thinking in 3 dimensions. Really interesting boards.


Yes, Tom, it helps to *sort* of know what you're going for but in this case I cut scrap boards at 3/4" and 1" and sort of mixed those up to keep it from being too uniform. We succeeded in the 'not too uniform' category! :wink:


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## JFPNCM (Dec 13, 2009)

@difalkner

David: Is your wife a quilter by chance? Mine is and really enjoys opining on wood patterns. 

Cheers
Jon


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

David I went through a cutting board phase several years ago. Those were all 2D and uniform as that was the trend at that time. Since then I have noticed the random pattern trend emerge and become popular along with the 3D trend. 
I do think that the 2 bottom boards in the 2nd picture you show look very much like 3D boards,the way the dark/light grain shows a 3d effect.
I understand too how you arrived at the patterns you did as to make 2 boards out of 4. You are doing good, when You are working with scrap it dictates what you can do too.
Keep them coming they are great projects to learn on, and fun to make.
Herb


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## difalkner (Jan 3, 2012)

JFPNCM said:


> @difalkner
> 
> David: Is your wife a quilter by chance? Mine is and really enjoys opining on wood patterns.
> 
> ...


She sews, Jon, and is pretty good at that but I've never heard her mention quilting. She loves all the exotic wood out in the shop and especially the highly figured pieces. She has a better eye at this than she gives herself credit for so I ask her opinion often.



Herb Stoops said:


> David I went through a cutting board phase several years ago. Those were all 2D and uniform as that was the trend at that time. Since then I have noticed the random pattern trend emerge and become popular along with the 3D trend.
> I do think that the 2 bottom boards in the 2nd picture you show look very much like 3D boards,the way the dark/light grain shows a 3d effect.
> I understand too how you arrived at the patterns you did as to make 2 boards out of 4. You are doing good, when You are working with scrap it dictates what you can do too.
> Keep them coming they are great projects to learn on, and fun to make.
> Herb


Thanks, Herb! The Walnut is left over from the plaques I just recently cut but the Maple is truly scrap from a local cabinet shop. They were going to throw it all away or burn it in their fireplaces. Now our arrangement is that I'll go by every two weeks or so and they'll give me all the Maple I can load up. Btw, I'm ok with that arrangement! :wink:


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## old55 (Aug 11, 2013)

Really nice David.


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## difalkner (Jan 3, 2012)

Very busy today on other projects so all I could do on this one is to cut it to size. I thought about putting a Maple border around it and also toyed with Walnut but in the end we liked it better with the edge as it is. I ordered silicone rubber feet and SS screws for cutting boards, enough to do 8 if I recall, and those came in today. Since I don't have a spiral cutter head in my planer my plan is to level this on the CNC and follow up with the drum sander. But it will probably be next week before I can get to that. I may glue some scrap pine to the perimeter before cutting it on the CNC so I don't run the risk of tearing grain and wood fibers near the edge. I'll round the edges anyway but it would be my luck I'd tear a huge chunk off.


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## honesttjohn (Feb 17, 2015)

My daughter got a fancy cutting board (breadboard ends, design and name put on) as a gift. They hung it on the kitchen wall --- no way were they going to cut on it!!

HJ


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## difalkner (Jan 3, 2012)

Got a little time in on my daughter's cutting board today. It's ready for mineral oil and beeswax but I'll do that tomorrow. Here it is with just Naphtha -


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## WoodBurningMan (Jan 3, 2017)

Look good awesome job


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## difalkner (Jan 3, 2012)

Got two coats of mineral oil and one coat with beeswax on my daughter's board and one coat of mineral oil on ours. That's some slippery stuff!!!


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## honesttjohn (Feb 17, 2015)

David,

Not to burst your bubble, on #2, the fourth row, blocks 6 and 7 should be switched to give it a more flowing look. lol

That's a heck of a gluing job.

HJ


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## difalkner (Jan 3, 2012)

honesttjohn said:


> David,
> 
> Not to burst your bubble, on #2, the fourth row, blocks 6 and 7 should be switched to give it a more flowing look. lol
> 
> ...


No problem, John - that's what Photoshop is for - LOL!
============================================
Here's the finished board ready to package and ship - 









Engraving on bottom side - I talked to my laser guys about doing this so it would show up better but they said on end grain with various woods it won't show up any better, it would just be different.









And the pair, Abbye's on the left and ours on the right -


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## honesttjohn (Feb 17, 2015)

I repeat .... too good to use.

HJ


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