Make an Edge Grain Cutting Board (With Routed Juice Grooves and Handles)

Hi, I'm Doug Farnham DIY and in this video we're going to

make

a couple of walnut and maple

edge

d

cutting

board

s with bumpy Zhu

handles

and screws. I wanted them to have a finished size of 16 inches by 12 inches and be at least an inch and a quarter thick, so I started by

cutting

two

board

s six to seven inches wide to about eighteen inches long at my miter. I saw that these words were already on the surface on two sides, but they had a little crooked dome, so I ran them through the jointer and squared off one

edge

before running it through the planer and to get some practice and exercise, I also decided deliver a couple of boards and it was definitely more fun to play the walnut than the hard maple.

Once that was done I headed to the table saw and squared up the outside edge of two boards that had some damage in the middle that way I could cut strips from each side to get the most usable pieces without having to change the fence then I started The strip is about one and three-eighths inches wide, so I was able to get four strips per six-inch wide maple board and five of the wider 7h walnut boards. After some experimenting with the design, it was time for the first glue. I started cutting. A couple of pieces of paper and applied some paraffin to keep the excess glue off my clamps.

They made a light mark on the top edges to avoid turning a piece the wrong way and after turning them over it was time to put on some glue. For this I used tight. Bond Three is waterproof and has a longer open time. It is also approved for indirect food contact and is their recommendation for cutting boards. This part goes a little faster because all the strips are the same thickness, since it is possible to use a roller to apply quickly. the glue and you may have already noticed that I made a little mistake here. The strip on the right side doesn't need glue, so to clean it I simply scraped off the glue with a scrap piece and wiped it off with a damp paper towel. then I lined the strips on one end and added some more clamps.

After a few minutes I went back and scraped off the worst of the squeezed out glue and once the glue was dry I removed the clamps and started cleaning the bottom with sixty. Next, I was on the cutting board through my plane, giving a very light pass on each side, it's an empty snipe. I tried using some taped scraps on the edges, which seemed to help after one more pass with 60 grit sandpaper. I was finally happy. with help on the top and bottom work and headed to my miter saw to cut it. The final lane. Next up was the

juice

slot as I was a bit pressed for time.

I used a single round nose bit with a bearing on top but a jig guide bushing set would have made routing a little easier and saved a few dollars on the cost of the jig bit. I used a 3/4 inch piece of MDF, since the bearing was quite high on the router bit. I cut it to size. on the table saw and then used a one inch dam on his washer to scribe a small curve in the corners after cutting the corners on the band saw. I sanded the edges to

make

sure everything was smooth. I then made some reference marks after centering the template and attached it to the board with double-sided tape.

I started by carefully doing the initial plunge and then immediately locked the height of the router, then made sure to keep the router flat and receive the template while routing in a counter-clockwise direction, this can be a little stressful and, Although I did it in one pass, it would probably be better to do it in two passes. Any pause will probably leave a burn mark, like when I stop to adjust the cable, so keep that in mind. Okay, but if you end up with some burn marks, you can always place a little lower and do one last pass to remove the stencil.

I very gently used a small pry bar along the top, running it over a piece of masking tape to prevent damage. the board, but by having a bevel on the bottom edge, the jig would have made inserting the lever much easier. Another way to route the

juice

groove is to create a set of four L-shaped pieces that can go around the outside of the cutting board. I made them from a piece of MDF or a different pair of boards and positioned the vertical pieces so that when the router base ran along them, the bit would cut a slot that was centered about an inch inside the board and said everything in its place.

I secured the frame. pieces to another larger piece of MDF and then

routed

the slots clockwise, taking care to always keep the curved piece of the router base against the frame. One nice thing about this approach is that, unlike the template, the frame easily adjusts to a different size cutout. boards and there is no sticky residue to clean up, so with the screws just attach them. I then sanded the boards with my sanding block and a piece of half inch dowel for the boards that used the template. I used the same washer again as a guide and round.

I went over the corners of the cutting board with the bandsaw and then sanded them smooth. I also went ahead and gently ran all the sharp edges along the top and bottom of the board so the entire board was nice and smooth to the touch. It was time to mill the slots for the

handles

. I started marking from the top and bottom edges to mark the start and end T points for a slot about four inches long. I think I clamped the board in my vise and used a flat piece of scrap metal. wood to make sure it was flush with the top of the bench as a guide.

I clamped a 3/4 inch piece of MDF to the bench so that the router bit was perfectly positioned at the beginning and end of the slot, mark one thing. What I wanted to point out again is that the base of my router has a flat section on the back. I like to avoid using it, as any rotation changes the distance from the guide. With everything set up, it was pretty easy to route the handle. although I ended up with small burn marks in the corners, a second light later or a slower router speed may have helped with them after more sanding with 120 220 and 320 grit.

I sprayed the cutting board lightly with water to lift the

grain

once. dried out I came back with 400 sandpaper and sanded it very lightly with the grit until it was smooth to the touch to keep the board from feeling blurry the first time I cleaned it to finish, vacuumed, wiped off all the dust and started. Applying a thick layer of mineral oil which I let sit for a few hours before turning it over and repeating the process on the bottom, after a few more hours I wiped off all the excess oil and it was finally time to call it a day.

Except for a few minor issues, I think they turn out pretty well on a first try and I imagine I'll get some more practice doing more before too long. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below and if you haven't already. Be sure to subscribe for future projects