Had an amazing evening last night with storms around us but no precip unfortunately. This is actually a restroom at what is called "Entrance Park" in Los Alamos.
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Had an amazing evening last night with storms around us but no precip unfortunately. This is actually a restroom at what is called "Entrance Park" in Los Alamos.
You should add photography to your list of interests.
LOL I wish I could take credit for this but this was taken by a local photographer. I just wanted to share.
Gosh, I hope I did not mislead anyone! The “trick” is that I start with S4S and/or SLR1E (aka S3S) wood. This is already smooth and uniformly 3/4” thick. Then I rip that on the table saw into strips (about 1-5/8” wide in this case). These strips are then glued into a composite maple/alder “board” that is the same width as the eventual cutting board (21” in this case). It is at this point that a thickness planer would be useful (although most planers are not 21” wide). Instead, I used a belt sander to flatten this “board.” You must be careful not to take material off unevenly, however, as the errors add up in the next stage.
Then you crosscut this composite board on the table saw into strips that are the thickness of the eventual cutting board (1-3/8” in this case). I say “crosscut,” but the fence is better for this purpose. Then these strips are glued together so that the endgrain is exposed. The surface of the cutting board is NOT flat at this point, so again, I flattened it with a belt sander. Again, a large thickness planer would have been nice (although there is some controversy about whether planing end grain is a good idea). Then you clean up the ragged edges of the board using a crosscut sled on the table saw, sand the sides, and use a router to ease the corners.
The result is acceptable, but not perfect. If you run your hand across the surface of the board, you can feel some small hills and valleys. One difficulty is that maple is much harder than alder, so it is easy to take too much off the softer wood. But this is a cutting board we are talking about, after all, not a piece of fine furniture!
Thanks again for your kind comments! Here is one I made a few years ago.
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Paul,
That looks amazing! So the cutting surface of the board is composed of end-grains?
I was thinking of doing that when I made my big board (or portable chopping block as my wife calls it). My thinking was that the board was going to be washed and dried over and over again resulting in a lot of swelling and shrinking. I was afraid that the board would most likely split along the end-grain. I do not know if that fear was well placed.
For my board, I went with cherry and used biscuit-joinery to ensure "no splits". I used cherry wood to match the cabinets in my kitchen. It measures 4 feet by 3.5 feet and is 1.75 inches thick. The two clear cherry wood cost me a small fortune, but this was to be my board to end all boards.
My wife hates how big it is and the fact that it weighs about 20 pounds, but when I cook, I like to perform mise-en-place. This is where you have all of your ingredients prepped and ready to go before you start cooking. With a 4' board, I can prep all of the ingredients, have them in piles on the board, and then start cooking.
The two sides of my board serve two different purposes. On one side, it is smooth. This is the side I use to dice and chop. On the reverse side I have some deep scroll work for catching meat juices when carving a roast.
Talk about soaking in the oil!!! This one took two whole bottles. Every 6 or 8 months, I give it another soaking. It has rally help up well. I made the board about 2.5 years ago, have used it just about every other day, and it is still in great condition.
Here are some pics. In the first picture, you can see the scroll work on the meat carving side. In the second picture you can see the nice flat chopping surface.
That looks amazing! So the cutting surface of the board is composed of end-grains?
I was thinking of doing that when I made my big board (or portable chopping block as my wife calls it). My thinking was that the board was going to be washed and dried over and over again resulting in a lot of swelling and shrinking. I was afraid that the board would most likely split along the end-grain. I do not know if that fear was well placed.
For my board, I went with cherry and used biscuit-joinery to ensure "no splits". I used cherry wood to match the cabinets in my kitchen. It measures 4 feet by 3.5 feet and is 1.75 inches thick. The two clear cherry wood cost me a small fortune, but this was to be my board to end all boards.
My wife hates how big it is and the fact that it weighs about 20 pounds, but when I cook, I like to perform mise-en-place. This is where you have all of your ingredients prepped and ready to go before you start cooking. With a 4' board, I can prep all of the ingredients, have them in piles on the board, and then start cooking.
The two sides of my board serve two different purposes. On one side, it is smooth. This is the side I use to dice and chop. On the reverse side I have some deep scroll work for catching meat juices when carving a roast.
Talk about soaking in the oil!!! This one took two whole bottles. Every 6 or 8 months, I give it another soaking. It has rally help up well. I made the board about 2.5 years ago, have used it just about every other day, and it is still in great condition.
Here are some pics. In the first picture, you can see the scroll work on the meat carving side. In the second picture you can see the nice flat chopping surface.
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I just reviewed my last post here and realized that it might seem that I am trying to one-up you Paul. Not my intent!
My father was a GC and I literally grew up with our professional wood shop 20 feet from our house. Most nights, weekends, and entire summers were spent working with dad either in the shop or at a jobsite. I have received more splinters and breathed in more sawdust by the age of 12 then most do in a lifetime. I swore that I would never cut a piece of wood again!
As I grew older, I began to feel nostalgic and now look forward to woodworking project every now and then.
My father was a GC and I literally grew up with our professional wood shop 20 feet from our house. Most nights, weekends, and entire summers were spent working with dad either in the shop or at a jobsite. I have received more splinters and breathed in more sawdust by the age of 12 then most do in a lifetime. I swore that I would never cut a piece of wood again!
As I grew older, I began to feel nostalgic and now look forward to woodworking project every now and then.
That is really beautiful work, John! (No worries -- it didn't even cross my mind that you were one-upping. We can share!) That is quite impressive!
End-grain cutting boards are quite common, as they are easier on your knives. Most of the "checkerboard" boards you have ever seen are end-grain. They ARE subject to splitting. Here is a picture of a board I bought (not made). I was quite surprised that it split: I swear I oiled it sufficiently, but must have grown lax. I still use the board, and barely notice the split any longer (which has closed up a bit as the board relaxed).
I am like you, liking to do my mise and leave the little piles on the board. A larger board would, indeed, be nice for that! I often do a couple of piles on one board, then a pile or two on another board, if I am too lazy to pull out the ramekins. (Incidentally, I just bought 6 more ramekins over the weekend.)
End-grain cutting boards are quite common, as they are easier on your knives. Most of the "checkerboard" boards you have ever seen are end-grain. They ARE subject to splitting. Here is a picture of a board I bought (not made). I was quite surprised that it split: I swear I oiled it sufficiently, but must have grown lax. I still use the board, and barely notice the split any longer (which has closed up a bit as the board relaxed).
I am like you, liking to do my mise and leave the little piles on the board. A larger board would, indeed, be nice for that! I often do a couple of piles on one board, then a pile or two on another board, if I am too lazy to pull out the ramekins. (Incidentally, I just bought 6 more ramekins over the weekend.)
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When I do that, the wife throws a fit and claims that I am making more of a mess than is necessary.
When I do that, the wife throws a fit and claims that I am making more of a mess than is necessary.
Well, in MY house, I do what I please -- and I found a way to quiet the little missus about making a mess in the kitchen....
...she makes me do the dishes.
Mark73
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John T
I will probably do an 'A Ha" here, But what is an "GC" ?
I to have made a board out of Maple but it's not for cutting. It's a bread board/ pizza board. No complaints here when I cook. My wife is more than happy to watch and help clean up LOL
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General Contractor.
He realized early on that he could make a lot of money by doing his own mill work, so he built a shop (a barn) that was fully equipped with industrial table saw, radial arm saw, band saw, surface planer, shaper, drill press, and the whole works. It is unheated so I used to freeze when he had me working in the winters.
He claimed that the shop made back all he invested within just 2 years.
Larryh86GT
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Spring is here. Last year this apple tree had very few blossoms and no apples. This year it is in full bloom. 
Sunset, Organ Mountains near Las Cruces, NM
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A few photo's from the other day
Boatboy24
No longer a newbie, but still clueless.
@Runningwolf: If I'm not mistaken, wine making is your second career. I have a suggestion, should you ever find yourself looking for a third. Great pics.
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Thanks. Wine making is my career. I have taken a break from home wine making though. Doing it all day long, I no longer have the ambition to go home and do it all night long. I thought about going into consulting after retirement but changed my mind and sold all my professional test equipment to another member here who is starting up his own winery. Wildlife photography is my new passion a way from work.
jswordy
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Pastoral scene in the backyard.
Spent Saturday getting our '90s plaything ready to sell. It's a 1972 model. Hoping it goes to someone who wants to freshen it up again. One of those, "I'm going to get to it" things, where I finally realized, "No, you're really not." Cleaning out our stuff made me want to go camping again.
Spent Saturday getting our '90s plaything ready to sell. It's a 1972 model. Hoping it goes to someone who wants to freshen it up again. One of those, "I'm going to get to it" things, where I finally realized, "No, you're really not." Cleaning out our stuff made me want to go camping again.
olusteebus
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What is in that area fenced in with a picket fence?
@jswordy, I'm sure you're aware that Restoring and buying Vintage trailers has become a "thing". Enough so that there are Magazines and websites dedicated to the subject. That might be worth a few dollars if you advertise in a wide enough area. Bet you had a lot of fun over the years in it.
Mike
Mike
"previous owner was Walter White, aka Heisenberg. Used as mobile pharmacology laboratory".
