How To Make A Wood Cutting Board: Whale Cutting Board Plans

How To Make A Wood Cutting Board: Whale Cutting Board Plans

The whale silhouette is patterned soon after a sperm whale. The prolonged, lean proportions of the sperm whale fit ideal on to the narrow piece of ash hardwood, and the streamlined physique shape operates nicely for this cutting board project.

I began by sketching the whale on paper and when I was satisfied with the picture, I cut out the paper whale and traced the outline on to a piece of tempered hardboard (a piece of cardboard performs just as properly). The whale template is about two-1/2″ higher and almost 13″ lengthy. Use the 1-inch grid in the photograph as a manual to draw your whale template.

Soon after cutting out the template, I smoothed and rounded the edges of the pattern using a sanding drum in my drill press.

The whale cutting board is made from a piece of light colored ash wood that is sandwiched amongst two dark brown pieces of teak. The tight grain of these hardwoods make these great alternatives for producing a wood cutting board, but you could also use maple, oak, mahogany, walnut or other equivalent wood.

Place and trace the outline of the whale template on the piece of ash. A sharp pencil offers a effectively-defined line to stick to when cutting out the profile of the whale.

Ash and teak are extremely tough woods. Cutting boards made from these woods will resist knife cuts and stand up well to everyday use, and the completed board will look excellent. The characteristics that make these wood very good selections for cutting boards also tends to make them challenging to minimize and sand into shape — especially when striving to fit varied shaped pieces with each other seamlessly.

The instrument of decision for this occupation is my band noticed. Taking it slowly, minimize along the outer edge of the pencil line. Cutting by means of the challenging wood was slow going, even with a sharp blade. Time spent in cutting out the whale as cleanly and shut to the line as possible will conserve time later in attempting to sand the pieces for a tight fit.

Use the whale silhouette as a template for tracing the lower lines on the upper and reduce pieces of teak. Start by setting the teak pieces on a function bench, and putting the whale silhouette in place in between and on leading of the teak pieces.

A thin piece of scrap positioned temporarily between the upper and reduce pieces of teak aids to orient the whale silhouette in the correct place.

When you are pleased with the placement of the pieces, trace the outline of the whale silhouette on to the pieces of teak. Pencil lines do not present up effectively against the teak’s dark grain, so I used a white crayon. Rubbing the crayon against a scrap of sandpaper designed a sharper level for a cleaner tracing line.

Right after meticulously cutting out the pieces, the whale cutting board ought to match with each other reasonably effectively. Do not be alarmed or discouraged if there are minor gaps amongst the pieces. A small sanding and shaping will improve the fit and near the gaps. Seem at the pieces closely and employing a pencil, mark the “large” places to take away. Sand off just a little wood at a time, testing the match typically to gauge your progress.

With a minor persistence and selective sanding, you can reduce the gaps around the whale inlay and boost the match in between the pieces of wood.

When you are happy with the fit between the whale silhouette and the adjoining pieces of teak, it’s time to glue up the cutting board. Use a waterproof glue that is meals protected I desire a wood glue although you could use a polyurethane glue.

Soon after spreading the glue evenly along the two edges of each piece, very carefully align and place the pieces for clamping. I employed several pipe clamps, and I added sacrificial cauls among the cutting board and the metal jaws of the clamps. Soon after the photo was taken, I extra a third clamp to the topside of the clamping assembly to even out the clamping strain. I also inserted a piece of wax paper amongst the wood and the metal pipes.

Apply company and even clamping pressure, but do not over-tighten the clamps. Wide gaps amongst the boards are not able to be squeezed collectively by cranking down on the clamps.

If the seams along the whale silhouette have small gaps and imperfections, consider spreading a little bit of sawdust from the sanding into the wet glue along the glue line and press the sawdust mixture into the gaps. Wipe away any excess glue with a damp paper towel, and set the cutting board aside for the glue to dry and remedy.

Following the glue dries and the cutting board is removed from the clamps, it is time for sanding. If essential, use a paint scraper or putty knife to take away any harden beads of glue.

I started out the sanding approach with a belt sander, moving the sander continually to smooth out the surface of the cutting board, specifically along the glued seams. Soon after a bit of sanding, the cutting board was smooth and clean.

The following phase was to round off the sharp corners. Making use of a coin as a template, I marked off an outlined and sanded the corners with the drum sander. I eased all of the edges on the two sides of the cutting board utilizing a router outfitted with a one/4″ round-over bit.

Following a final sanding with progressively finer sandpaper, the cutting board is prepared for finish. A coating of foods-secure mineral oil fills the pores of the wood, and brings out the wealthy shade and grain of the wood. The whale silhouette just “pops” right out of the darker teak. The wood cutting board is prepared for years of services in the kitchen.