Progress on the Pinstripe Cheese Boards

Spent some more shop time this weekend routing the recessed handles and sanding all boards to 320 grit in preparation for applying the finish. Once they were smooth and polished they all got blasted with the air compressor to remove all of the layers of dust.

The photos below show each board in the set drying with two coats of finish. This week I plan on adding a few more coats and reaching out to those who claimed boards to schedule a pickup. They really turned out nicely and I think they are really going to make great additions to any social gathering.

A few of you have already claimed boards from this batch. If you are interested in any of these boards, please contact me ASAP so that I can reserve one of your choosing.

Board #1: Large bread board made from curly maple and black walnut. Recessed handles on short sides. This is the largest of the set and will pair nicely with board #2 and board #7.

Board #2: Cheese board made from black walnut and curly maple. Full recessed handles along short sides. Will pair nicely with board #1 as a set.

Boards #3 and #4: Twin cheese boards made from cherry, walnut, curly maple and sapele. Full recessed handles along long sides. Will work nicely as a pair or as individuals.

Board #5: Cheese board made from cherry, bloodwood and walnut. Recessed handles on short sides. Wider than the other cheese boards from this batch. SOLD.

Board #6: Extra long cheese board made from sapele and maple pinstripes. Recessed handles along short sides. This one is my favorite due to the simplicity and shape. Really cool looking board.

Board #7: Cheese board made from black walnut and curly maple pinstripes. Recessed handles along short sides. This board will pair nicely with board #1 as a set.

Board #8: Cheese board made from black walnut, cherry and bloodwood. Recessed handles along all four sides.

Board #9: Cheese board made from cherry, walnut and curly maple. Recessed handles along short sides. SOLD.

Board #10: Cheese board made from sapele, walnut and curly maple. Recessed handles along short sides. SOLD.

Board #11: Cheese board made from cherry, bloodwood, maple and walnut. Recessed handles on all 4 sides. SOLD.

Pinstripe Cheese Boards

Upon returning from the family vacation last week, I immediately began my next round of cheese boards. I got to spend some time playing around with my new bandsaw setup and was able to dial it in to rip some thin pieces of hardwood. These pieces then went on to the drum sander to make sure they were of equal width and silky smooth. Just last night I finished up the basic shaping of the boards and have them stacked up waiting for recessed handles and intense sanding. They should look really cool once I start applying the food-safe finish.

Species used on this round of boards include Black Walnut, American Cherry, Hard Maple, Curly Maple, Sapele, and Bloodwood. The boards in the photos below are a bit dusty, but if you look through some of my previous projects, you'll get a better idea of how the woods darken when the finish is applied.

As always, please shoot me an email or contact me via Facebook if you are interested in purchasing one. I will post more photos after the finish is applied so that you can see the wood tones come to life.

New set of Cutting Boards for 2011

In the final stages of putting the finish on a set of 5 cutting boards. I wanted to experiment with some new patterns and wood combos. Each one of these boards takes on a very different tone. All sanded to the smoothness of granite. It's amazing what hours of sanding will yield.

Should only be a few more days until they are ready for new homes. As always, please let me know if you are interested in purchasing one for yourself or a gift. They make great wedding, house-warming, and chef-of-my-life gifts.

Made from Padouk, Sapele, Black Cherry and Bloodwood.

Made from Padouk, Mahogany, Rock Maple, Bloodwood, Black Cherry and Sapele.

Made from Black Cherry, Bloodwood, Sapele and Walnut.

Made from Rock Maple, Walnut and Sapele.

Made from Black Cherry, Walnut and Sapele.

A photo of all five boards on the drying table. Still a few coats of finish to go.

First set of Boards for 2011

Still cranking away in the wood shop. I started 5 new cutting boards using some of the recently purchased Sapele, which is very similar to Mahogany and should work really well with the reddish tones of Cherry, Bloodwood and Padouk. I have tweaked my methods a bit on this batch, to hopefully reduce the amount of scrap wood that it taken off in the later steps.

I'm headed to the Woodworkers Show in Baltimore this weekend to browse the latest in tools and to learn from the experts. Looking forward to finishing these boards in the coming weeks.

The photo below shows some of the sticks that will eventually be glued together to create endgrain boards. I took a lot of extra time to run these through my drum sander to make sure they are all finessed down to equal thickness before taking the next step. Hoping that the payoff is worth it.

Four of the five boards before the final glue up. Woods include Bloodwood, Walnut, Maple, Padouk, and Sapele.

Final Cutting Board for 2010

I snuck out to the garage this morning to work on some Sapele boards I purchased a month ago. It was a little rough, so after blocking it down to size with the chop saw, I ran the pieces over the jointer a few times to get a straight edge before sizing them down on the table saw. Should have enough to make 8 boards.


The photo below shows the first glue up on a new board I'm making from bloodwood, sapele, black cherry and padouk. As you can see, this board should be a really warm accent piece. Lots of orange and red tones. All of the colors really start to come to life after final sanding and once the finish is applied.

Last glue up of 2010. Should be dry by 2011 and off to the planer. I think the colors are going to be awesome.

On the Finishing Table - Whew!

Spent a LOT of sanding time this weekend, Monday morning before work, and Monday evening after dinner. I am proud to say that I have seven cutting boards on the finishing table. I put the first coat of finish on the tops. This is one of my favorite parts of the process as they really come to life. The dusty, opaque woods that have been covered with fine layers of saw dust for the past several weeks are now glossy and rich in tone. I snapped a few photos this morning before work. You are looking at the bottoms of the boards with the recessed handles.

These babies will make perfect Christmas gifts, and I will begin contacting folks that are on the official list to see if they are still interested. 

Foreground is maple, bloodwood, walnut and the one on the right is cherry, bloodwood, walnut.

Seven cutting boards, belly up and soaking in the first coat of finish.

One coat down, four more to go.

December Boards

Still working like a mad man to get these 7 boards finished. I have 4 boards ready for final sanding/finish and three boards that were just rough-shaped last night. Hopefully by this weekend, I'll have all 7 ready for the finishing table. It will be such a relief to have these babies ready for new homes.

I am going to start running down my master list and contacting folks who are waiting for good news. The prices vary according to wood species and dimensions. I always like to give folks the opportunity to choose a board that suits their needs and budget.

A stack of 7 in various stages of final shaping.