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For mine I used end grain, walnut/maple/cherry, and mineral oil. (I've made several like this and they hold up very well.)
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online at http://www.theFrankes.com
while ( !( succeed = try() ) ) ;
"Life is short, Art long, Occasion sudden and dangerous, Experience deceitful, and Judgment difficult." -Hippocrates -
Well, after doing some work in getting the shop back up to snuff, I decided it was time to try this again. Rather, my wallet decided it was okay.
Picked up about 10 bf each of purpleheart and maple in 8/4, planed away, the did a rough cut and ripped them through the table saw. Took my caliper to the pieces and found that the ends were either perfect, or no more than five one-thousandths different. I think that will be as close as I get without a couple of digital readouts.
I also need a digital readout for my planer. One of the sections of maple I did is a bit taller than the rest. I wasn't too terribly concerned, seeing as how the assembled boards would go through again before the final cut. Doesn't help with glue-up, though, and the first one is to test that.
We'll see how it goes. But I think I've eliminated a lot of the errors simply getting the rip fence aligned.Comment
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A few questions as I'm mid-project:
1) would it be safe to run one set of the cut-up strips through the planer to reduce the height to the rest of the strips for glue-up? We're talking the .75" wide strips of maple. My planer was the wrong height when I cut those up, and I can't really use cawls to make sure it's flat.
2) I accidentally did the first glue-up of the first board with Titebond I. Is it doomed to just being a looker now? Could I use it for dry goods? This is the prototype mark II, but I'd still like to use it for something.
3)I ran that first glue-up back through the planer because all the heights of the pieces were not the same. I obviously spent more time on one side than the other. AFAIK, this should have zero effect on being square to the sides, and conversely, not put any of my crosscuts after the flip out of whack. Correct? I know that sounded confusing.Comment
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CocheseUGA,
Based on my own experiences (which will hopefully be corrected if they are wrong),
1. I have run glued strips through the planer, but you must take very small cuts and do not try it with end-grain boards (they will tear out) unless you can cut off about an inch or so from the ends. I have smoothed down end-grain boards with successive sanding from about #80 down to #180 or #220. Takes a little longer, but the boards turn out very well.
2. Titebond I should be fine. I have read that it has been used for cutting boards. If it were me, I would not worry about it.
3. I don't think that will be a problem. You could put the good side face down and trim off a tiny amount (say 1 kerf). Alternately, if you have a jointer, you could run it through that, again, good face down.
Good luck, regards, Steve.Comment
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I have made a few of the cutting boards featured on woodsmithshop.com at http://www.woodsmithshop.com/downloa...tingboards.pdf and found them to be well-received. Cherry and maple or walnut and maple make nice contrasts. I also like the way the wood looks without going to the extent of alternate contrasting woods on the face of the cutting board. This method just gets too busy for my taste and most of the grain patterns that show with single species are very attractive in themselves. Two coats of boiled linseed oil and it is ready to use.Comment
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1) was just worried about putting something so small and narrow through the planer, didn't want it to shoot out. Putting the glued-up board through hasn't been a problem. I did read about not putting in an end-grain board through it just before I was going to try it. Lucky timing.
2) I had read that it wasn't approved for wet contact. That's where I'm hesitant. With the price of T2 so low at Home Depot, I'm considering switching to just that. A gallon for $15 will work just fine, even if I can't use it within the year.
3) Both sides are now 'good', I suppose. I think I'll be okay, but I'll check for 90 degree angles. If I have those, I don't see any reason why I shouldn't be fine. No jointer, unfortunately, and my efforts to do so on the router table met with less than success.
The issue I'm dealing with now is one that it looks like a majority of members have already - the SMT. I'll be posting a thread on that shortly.Comment
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Sorry if I wasn't as clear as I should have been. Titebond II is certainly the preferred glue -- and the one I use. However, I wouldn't toss a board if one of the pieces was glued on with TB I. After all, it will be treated (sealed?) with mineral oil and wax.
I'll look for the thread about the SMT. FYI, I don't use mine very much at all. Although the SMT is plenty adequate, I have one of those INCRA miter fences (#1000 SE) that I think is more accurate.
Regards, Steve.Comment
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I've given up on end grain. I can't seem to get things lined up and glued together correctly, so people will just have to deal with getting stripey face grain boards.Comment
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Project has gone on swimmingly after I retired the end grain. I've got seven glued, planed and squared up ready for finishing this weekend. I quickly glued up #8 after my wife reminded me I was one short (the one that broke apart). I'll have that one planed and squared and ready for finish at the same time.
Picked up some GF Salad Bowl Varnish and some 320-grit pads and hopefully everything turns out well.Comment
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Don't give up yet. I had the same problem until someone on this very forum suggested that I NOT try to line them up. If you design the board without straight lines you can get some very dramatic effects and you don't have to worry about alignment. Some pictures are attached.
The first photo is one of my attempts at alignment that didn't work. The second is one of my designs with cherry, maple and walnut with a padauk border. The third is a picture sent to me by the chap who offered the suggestion. (I don't remember who he was and I apologize for that.)
I think I mentioned earlier that the biggest problem I had was getting a nice flat surface on the end-grain boards. It took lots of sanding, starting with #80 and working up to #180 or #220.
Good luck and best regards, Steve.Attached FilesComment
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