From: Jay Talbott

Location: Gilbert, AZ

Amateur or Pro: Amateur

Finish Used: Top: Three coats of General Finishes Salad Bowl Finish, diluted 50/50 with mineral spirits, wiped on. The first coat sucked up a ton of finish as it soaked into all that end grain like a sponge.

Base: Three coats of General Finishes Arm-R-Seal (four coats for the shelf), wiped on. Final coat diluted 50/50 with Naptha. Basically followed the process in the A Simple Varnish Finish DVD, and it turned out great.

Wood Species: Top made from hard Maple and base made from Cherry

Project Description:
This is my very first real fine woodworking project. One day a few months ago my wife had put her cutting board on a bar stool so it wasn’t quite so high up like it is when it is up on the kitchen counter (she’s only 5’2″). She said her arms got to tired from lifting them up so high when the cutting board was on the countertop. Right then I instantly knew I needed to make her a butcher block table for Christmas. I looked around the Internet and found this one for inspiration.

However, due to space constraints in our kitchen, I wanted to make it a little smaller (18″x18″) and I wanted it a couple inches shorter (33-34″). And I wanted the base to be made of cherry and stained to match our kitchen cabinets (I was able to order the exact stain from the cabinet company). So then I went to town in SketchUp, and with a little help from a few folks on the WTO forum and some e-mails back and forth with Marc, I came up with my design. I included my SketchUp file with all the details.

The top is 3″ thick and was made using methods similar to those in the cutting board video (Marc’s drum sander shure would have been handy!). I used mortise and tenon joinery for the aprons and stretchers, and a solid panel for the shelf. I had to put notches in the legs to allow for wood movement. The top is attached to the base with 4 #12 screws that go through oversized holes in corner blocks on the inside of the base using fender washers, allowing for any movement of the top. Also, although not shown in the SketchUp drawing, I chamfered the outside corners of the legs.

The stain was water based, so I had to pre-raise the grain on all the parts that made up the base. I also had to pre-wet the parts again when I applied the stain, or it would soak into the wood and dry almost instantaneously, making it hard to get an even color (thanks Marc for that tip). I included a photo with the table next to a spare board left I have from the cabinet manufacturer that shows how well the base ended up matching our cabinet color.

Lastly, I installed a set of bronze colored casters that I got from Home Depot.

The last photo shows my other holiday project entry sitting on top of the table. As if I wasn’t busy enough making this table, I added the serving tray to the mix as a second woodworking gift for my wife.

This project took me a couple of months to build (I just finished it today, only a week before Christmas), and I’ve learned a ton along the way. I want to give an extra special thanks to Marc who answered every one of my numerous questions throughout the whole process (I guess it pays to be a Guild member).

I used an Amana 72 degree V router bit to cut the Purpleheart halves. I set my bandsaw table to 18 degrees, and cut the edge of a Yellowheart board that was face and edge jointed, and planed. Then I used the jointer with the fence at 72 degrees to smooth the cut edge. I advanced the fence on the band saw to give me the correct length facet, plus the width of the blade kerf. The jointed edge of the yellowheart board always registered to the bandsaw fence, so the diamond is really the cutoff piece. I have a 1″ Starrett 2-3 skip carbide blade on the bandsaw, which gives an incredibly smooth cut, so one facet of the diamond is pretty much as it came off the blade. (I couldn’t get any life out of carbon blades, so I splurged for the Starrett. It was only $1.30 an inch from a local distributor, and it resaws so very nicely through hard maple. The only tablesaw work was after the final glue-up to trim and square the sides.

I used a Wixey angle gauge to set the bandsaw table, and the jointer fence, close to the angle I wanted, and then I used a TS-Aligner Jr. to get the angle as close as I could. www.wixey.com and www.ts-aligner.com

I’m fortunate to have some nice tools and measuring equipment, and I actually believe that making the two cutting boards improve my skill set. I was a Navy fighter pilot, and as an instructor pilot would tell a student an altitude, direction, and airspeed that I wanted them to fly. They always thought that was stupid, and they wanted to try some high performance manoeuvers. “After you show me straight and level.” Sometimes it would take 5 to 10 minutes for them to be able to get to the stated conditions. 36,000 pounds of thrust and a high-performance airframe takes some skill, and practice to control. The same with our shop tools. We need to be able to machine boards flat, cut straight lines, and make solid glue joints before we’ll be good at loops and barrel-rolls. But, I know I’m preaching to the choir.

Here’s what Jarred had to say:

I teach a shop class in rural Wisconsin, and took the initiative to introduce the boys to The Wood Whisperer (someone younger and cooler than me). I walked them through the cutting board project, but showing them your videos. Every time I fired up the laptop they would in unison say, “Let’s get ready to make a cutting board!” Anyway, here’s a picture of a few of them and their cutting boards: combinations of walnut, maple, and purpleheart. The boys had fun with the project and gave the cutting boards as gifts for Mother’s Day.

Well, I have finally grown a skin thick enough to submit 3 project pictures of an end grain butcher block cabinet that I made for my parents recently. It just got shipped out to Singapore; cost me $800 for the freight!! I got the inspiration by watching you build your cutting boards, and have made up to about 20 so far. It’s a great way to use up scrap wood!!! Saw David Marks’ version on his woodworks show that day and thought that it would be an interesting challenge to build one. The top is larger than David’s design; it’s about 3 feet wide by 2 feet deep – a nice size for a single person to work at, and just enough counter space. You are probably wondering why I would put a semi-gloss finish on the top? Well, my parents want it as a piece for a corner in the house, so I thought I would spend a little time practicing my varnishing skills for a semi-gloss look.

I used 7 types of wood on it – purpleheart, black walnut, yellowheart, ash, mahoganey, jatoba, maple and cherry. Flattening the top was a major pain!! I have a 22-44 performax drum sander, but still had to use router rails to slowly but surely flatten one side before drum sanding the other. Touched it up with a Lie-Nielsen 7 1/2 bevel up jointer plane. The face frame is made of purpleheart (a major pain to plane, I might add), and the drawer fronts are made of ambrosia maple. Made a little effort to match the grain on the drawers + doors as well. The cabinet is finished with shellac (3 coats) via my Apollo HVLP spray unit, and rubbed out to a satin sheen with Howard’s feed n wax.

And yes, I did use casters – double locking ones – they put a strong brake on the wheel plus a lock on the swivel. They actually cost about $20 a piece from Linco Casters at Clairemont Mesa Blvd (next to the San Diego Rockler); They really do look a little utilitarian, but those were the best I could find in terms of durability and stability. Those red shop-grade ones at woodcraft were too tacky for my taste. All in all, it was tiring; but I have to give you the credit for the original inspiration via the cutting board! THANKS

I recently made one of your cutting boards as described in Episode 7 – A Cut Above. No problems with the manufacturing or finishing process. I gave this as a present to somebody and about a week later they returned it to me. The board had bowed & buckled in the center, about 5/16″ (big central high spot on one side, and depression on the other. The board was made from Jatoba and Beech, using a water proof PVA glue. OK I thought, maybe the dissimilarity in the woods was too great (beech SG64 & Jatoba about SG80), so I have just made another board this time using Beech and Walnut and using a polyurethane glue. Whilst belt sanding I noticed that this board is also starting to buckle the same way the first board did (1/8″). It is now being clamped and flattened again. I was wondering if you had ever come across this type of problem before? All the timber is kiln dried and between 6-8% , the only common factor between the two boards is the use of Beech, but I have been using this batch of lumber for other projects without any problems.

And here was my reply:

“Hey Tony. It should ease your mind to know that this happens all the time. There are many reasons for it. Moisture, jointing inaccuracy, and of course, the X factor just to name a few. In many cases, these boards cup for no logical reason. The good thing is they can be straightened out to some degree. If you have a cup, you can overclamp it slightly the other way to straighten it out. Also keep in mind these boards will move a lot over the coarse of time depending on their usage and the way they are cleaned and dried (be sure the user is drying the board on its side). In fact, last week my board had a 1/8″ cup to it after cutting a hot piece of meat. I just checked it today and its nearly flat again. Now with any luck, when your board develops a cup, it will face down (looks like a frown). This way the board remains nice and stable on the counter top. If it goes the other way it will spin. So you may want to put the boards in the reverse clamp for a week or so. Don’t be afraid to spray the board down with a little water before you throw it into the clamps. That will help to “reset the memory” of the board. Then hope for the best. As long as the board is sitting with the cup down, 1/8″ is really nothing to worry about. Wood generally does not want to stay perfectly flat all the time. If your recipient wants something perfectly flat, I recommend plastic. :) Good luck!”

Ok so I am generalizing here for fun, but you get the picture. I have noticed as well that many of the people posing these questions may be doing so because of my advice from Episode 7- A Cut Above. To sum up, I said that my favorite finish for end grain butcher blocks is salad bowl finish (aka varnish). But remember my caveat. I said we are NOT trying to build a film. And that’s exactly what the folks in the forums are trying to say. If you build a film, the film will then be cut by a knife. The cut will allow moisture to seep under the finish and become a wonderful home for all kinds of bacteria. I can’t disagree there. But with my method, you never actually build an appreciable film.

I recommend diluting the finish sufficiently so that it immediately gets absorbed into the wood’s wide open pores. Think of it like a vertical bunch of straws that you are filling up with finish. Within a minute or two, you will notice that finish is actually seeping out of the bottom of the board. This is exactly what we want. At this point, I usually set board on its side and allow it to dry overnight. I do this 3-4 times with a light sanding in between each session. By the final coat, you should start noticing that the finish doesn’t really absorb any more. You are now starting to develop a film. One last wipe with a clean cloth and call it DONE.

So how does a board like this fare in the kitchen? There are two main concerns here: safety and maintenance. A butcher block treated this way will resist water all day long. In fact, on my boards, water tends to evaporate faster than it absorbs. Mineral oil boards will actually take on moisture much more readily. Adding wax to your mineral oil can certainly help in this area if thats the route you want to go. Now the fact that it is so water resistant is a major plus in terms of sanitation. Remember that the bacteria like the moisture. So the less moisture in the board, the better.

So how about knife marks? Well like with any board, knife marks will happen. If they don’t, you must not be using your board properly. So what happens to my boards? They get knicked up. They get dulled a little more in the middle where the most action occurs. But after about 18 straight months of usage, my cutting board looks pretty darn good. Check out the pics below. Now if there were a thick film on that board and that film were to crack, the moisture would certainly seep in and create problems. In fact after 18 months of that type of abuse you would probably expect the finish to start flaking off or exhibit more physical damage than what you see. But when a knife produces a deep cut on my board, it just cuts into varnish-filled pores. There is nothing to flake off.

Now let’s talk about maintenance. I haven’t done anything to that board other than a light soap and water scrub after each use, and an occasional white vinegar rub down. And I suspect that in another month or so, I will take the board back in the shop, give the top a nice thorough sanding, reapply a light coat or two of diluted varnish (monitoring how much it takes up), and the board will look brand new. What kind of maintenance does a mineral oil board require? Monthly, and possibly more frequently if used heavily. Maybe I’m just lazy but one of those maintenance schedules sounds a whole lot more fun than the other.

I am by no means trying to discourage people from using mineral oil. After all, its the classic cutting board finish. Use whatever floats your boat. Personally, I have had great success with my method and will continue to use it. The feedback from other folks who have tried it has been great as well. I think its safer, easier, and looks better. Of course my results are not backed by scientific tests. If I still worked in a lab I might be able to test it properly. But I can’t, so all I can do is speculate and bring a little common sense to the table. Finishing is, and probably always will be, one of the most over-complicated and misunderstood areas of woodworking. I only wish there were more scientific resources out there so that issues like this can be resolved effectively without speculation. Until then, do your research and never count on my advice or anyone else’s as cold hard fact. Gather as much information as possible from your trusted resources and then add the final ingredient: YOUR experience, opinions, and common sense.

Viva La Varnished Board!

One of my favorite woodworking projects is a butcher block end-grain cutting board. Im not sure if its the “back to basics” simplicity or just the fact that it is one of the most useful projects a woodworker can make, but something keeps bringing me back for more. A custom cutting board makes a great gift and many woodworkers make them in batches every Holiday Season. And if you are relatively new to woodworking, this is a great project to hone your milling, glue-up and tablesaw skills. I’ll cover the preparation and construction of the board itself, as well as the various finishing options available. I’ll also discuss how to maintain the board and keep it looking fresh for years to come!

Update (9/25/10)
I never thought when I made this video that so many folks would find the plan useful and make their own. I think its safe to say this is the video that launched a thousand cutting boards! So you may already be very familiar with this design. But what you may not know is the fact that this design came about almost by accident. Once of my first cutting boards was a very large board made of purpleheart and birch (left). It turned out to be far too large for our kitchen. Nicole asked that I cut it down. So instead of just cutting trimming the length and width and calling it a day, I decided to have some fun with it. I sliced it into pieces, flipped the pieces 90 degrees, alternated their direction and glued them back together. The end result is the cutting board you see in this video. Quite a transformation! And I am so glad that so many of you were inspired to make your own, and even make some amazing variations on the concept.

Helpful Links

Learn more about my cutting board finish.
Download the PDF plan!
Purchase a materials kit for this project.
Read this before running your board through the planer.
A Custom Program for Designing Your Own Cutting Board