While a bit off topic,  there have not been any foundation benefit auctions in awhile so I thought what the heck.  I have just finished up 5 cherry end grain cutting boards that I make and my wife donates to Hospice for their annual auction.  I had enough cherry left over for a couple more so figured why not help out the fig cause. 

Last time I donated something and had an auction Aaron and DesertDance pitched a fit against it for some reason that still mystifies me so I am hoping this time they remain silent.   I make NO MONEY from this, I LOSE money since I bought the lumber.....hope that clears things up.  

The auction will be run in another thread and will start as soon as I finish the board.  Thought maybe some would like to see how they are made?  A bit of preadvertising for the auction:)

The boards are big, about 18" long by 16" wide and 2" thick, very heavy.  End grain boards are what the professionals use as they are self healing, have anti microbial properties and the knife literally bounces up off the board aiding in cutting while protecting and preserving the knives sharpness.  The board will have feet under it to hold it up off the counter and those feet are NOT counted as part of the thickness.   Not to be confused with the cheaper boards that are edge grain or flat grain. 

The board starts out as 2 6-10" wide and 8' long pieces of raw lumber.  This is not Lowes type lumber this is raw lumber right from a sawmill.  

 

 
 
As you can see it isn't straight so the first thing you do is hook it to a jig that has a straight edge and run it through a tablesaw to get one straight edge.  


You can see the wood a lot of times is not flat either.  So I cut it in half lengthwise and you can still see how cupped it is in the picture below.

 
It is then run through a jointer to flatten one face and one edge.

 

See if anyone spots the anomaly in the pic above:)  

We then put the pieces through the planer which flattens the other side and takes the lumber to the thickness you want.

 

So once cut up it went from that cupped unstraight board to this.....pretty lumber.

 

You then cut it into random width strips and glue them together.  

 

You need two of the glued up panels to make one end grain board.  At this stage if you were making a regular flat grain cutting board you would be done and have two 24"x18" cutting boards.

 

That is the stage they are at now. .....will add pictures as the process moves along.  

I should say....some may be wondering is that really cherry?  Yes.  Cherry when raw is lighter colored but as it ages and is exposed to the light it turns that rich dark red we are use to seeing in furniture.  

To be continued......

Can't wait. This should be a good auction. All positives.

Very cool that you are doing this. Bobby Flay might wanna join us now just so he can bid on this board!

Willis, a very nice project and for an excellent cause. I would think only positive comments.

The panels being cut to width on a sled on the tablesaw. 



 


Standing the cut pieces on their sides just to have a look.  
 

And the board.  Alternated a strip out of each panel.  The edges all need cleaned up so it fits together tightly then glue and trim and lots of sanding.  

 

You're an awesome guy, Wills!

Wills, surly your mistaken. No one would have even a slight problem with money being raised to benefit the foundation now would they? And further more if any one mistakenly did so don't you think they would apologize. Although I do remember one member posting that I had earned a free cutting as a new member but I never received it. Oh well others have certainly made up for it, there are some great folks here.

Willis The cutting board is looking awesome using the end grain for the surface is the way to go reminds me of the old time butcher blocks , can't wait to see the finished product cherry wood is one of my favorites as you said it darkens with age , just gets better looking as time goes on!

Way to go Willis good job and should be a beauty.  Just reminded me I have a pile of Cherry wood in the barn.  I need to come up with some projects and time.  Thank you for doing this work at your own expense for the foundation.

blessings

Sorry Wills, I only purchase cutting boards made out of FIG WOOD. Just send the leftover small branches to me for proper disposal.





Just kidding, I definitely will bid.

Looks like great progress so far, I miss having access to jointers and planers, so much work you can get done with them.  If you include shipping I will bid hahah.

That's gonna look really purdy!  Mahalo, Wills.

Very generous of you, I hope it works out for the best.

Very nice work!  And very generous of you as well.

Would love to have a shop like yours!

Am I missing something?!?

From all the little woodworking I know;
and after all that hard work,
I would have cut the 'final' boards
along-the-grain (not across).

Gorgi Thats how all the old butcher blocks were constructed the end grain is much tougher 

Could you image how many T-bones were cut on this baby? 

 

Dave, I was going to show the same. I remember the butcher block at the neighborhood meat market during my growing years. It looked almost like the photo only larger. I remember a lady neighbor who had a smaller bloc and loved the wearing because she could put certain foods on it (eggs, etc..) while cooking and not worry about them rolling onto the floor. I love butcher blocs.

Gorgi,

Cut the way you describe,   along the grain and stood up would be a edge grain board.  Edge grain is what they use most commonly for roll out boards or pastry boards.  For that purpose they are ideal as they are slick.  End grain is across the grain then stood on end so the end grain is up.  Picture it as a fist full of drinking straws all pointed up.  Those tubes allow the knife to fall between the tubes and not cut them which makes the board long wearing.  On edge grain picture the same hand full of straws held lengthwise so the ends are side to side you would be cutting straight across the fibers which causes much more damage and faster wear.  

Here are a couple boards I made recently that were gifts.  The smaller ones are cheese boards and are edged in live oak.  They are soaking in mineral oil which is what makes them resist water and protects the wood.

 

 

 

Beautiful!

That looks nice Wills.
I'll have to get with you about making some coffee tables.

[QUOTE=pitangadiego]Would love to have a shop like yours![/QUOTE]

Hershells is nicer:)  I love vintage machinery.  That tablesaw in the picture is an old unisaw, 450ish pounds)  It was built just before WWII.  Drove 6 hours one way to get it. You can stand a nickel on edge next to the blade and turn the saw on and it never even wiggles.  They just don't build quality like that any more.  Scroll saw from the 1930's, jointer and planer are from the early 1960's, Drill press from the 1950's same with the bandsaw.  The only modern tools I own are ones they didn't make back then like the cordless Dewalts and compound sliding miter saw.  

OK.
Wood is one of the most natural resources we have on this planet earth.
And it can be used in many different ways.
Thanks for the explanation.

Looks good wills, wish I had the know how to do things like this.

Looks good wills, wish I had the know how to do things like this.

[QUOTE=WillsC]......Last time I donated something and had an auction Aaron and DesertDance pitched a fit against it for some reason that still mystifies me so I am hoping this time they remain silent.   I make NO MONEY from this, I LOSE money since I bought the lumber .......[/QUOTE]

That was a classic train wreck....

I am glad you showed the finished product, it is really nice. Can't wait for the auction.

Wills,
I appreciate your knowledge and skill coupled with a nice collection of classic tools. Very interesting and more to talk about. Excellent thread and an even better gesture for the foundation.

Wills, I'm sure the cutting board you auction off will provide a lifetime of use to the lucky bidder.  I'm also impressed with your tools.  I have a craftsman table saw that I purchased used for one project.  It worked well but needs a better fence.  I have been planning on doing more woodworking projects but another hobby is taking up most of my free time...guess which hobby that is?

Well done, very beautiful result, thanks for showing your process Wills. Whoever wins your finished work has a treasure to pass on to the next generation. Mike in Hanover, VA

Wills, you are a man of many talents! Very generous of you, too.

This cutting board is going to be a unique piece for someone's kitchen. Wills, those are beautiful.

Wow Uncle Wills! Jack of all trades are you? Very impressive work! My oldest son made me a cutting board in wood shop this past school year out of Walnut. It came out very nice;)

Beautiful workmanship! This will be a nice addition to anyone's kitchen.

Beautiful. Thanks for showing the whole process. When's the auction?

Thanks all.  The auction will be when it is finished, should be by the weekend.  Like Rewton said other hobbies interfere.  It is something nice to do when it is raining or in the afternoons when it is so hot.  

To be clear the boards I posted above is not the board I am building now, just showing what the finished project will look like.  

Very nice work !

Aaron will probably create a new name for your wood this time around.

very nice indeed

[QUOTE=hungryjack]

Very nice work !

Aaron will probably create a new name for your wood this time around.

Great job and thanks for showing the turtorial.

Is the guard on your Powermatic jointer original?

Do you have any thoughts on the suitability of chestnut for a cutting board?

What did you treat the gift boards in the photos above with?

Beautiful craftsmanship! 

Harvey,

Good eye on the guard, it is not original.  That is not the anomaly I meant but still impressive you knew it was not the right guard.  

Chestnut can be used as can most all nut woods.  Some are more neutral than others and some have tighter pores making them a better choice like cherry, black walnut and maple.  Lumber from live oaks and water oaks I have found make very nice boards and as long as you keep them maintained they work perfectly and chestnut would be in that same pore type.

The liquid on those boards is mineral oil, it is applied until the board won't soak any more up.  It fills the pores and protects the wood.  It is the only oil to use on one.   I use something called spoonbutter to maintain mine, it is a mix of mineral oil and beeswax.  Rub in, let sit, wipe off and done.  If you do that monthly the boards will outlast our grandchildren.   

Final glue up is all done, tomorrow can take the clamps off and start the sanding.

 

Have you ever sawn your own lumber?  I have a chestnut tree that died last year for some reason and it's about 8-12" in diameter and I've thought of sawing it into lumber.  I just haven't got around to cutting the tree down but don't believe it's split at all yet.

I'm in trouble...I want that board. :-)

I'll take that as a $200 bid, Sue.

Harvey,

I have used a bandsaw mill in the past.  In Alaska and other places they use chainsaws to cut rough boards from trees, they sell a guide just for that purpose.  

Beautiful!
will be curious as to what the one you are auctioning brings.
I am just getting into wood working and have recently purchased an old Wallace 6 ''Jointer that I am trying to learn to use.

LOL, you guys are just too funny.

Greg, don't practice on your fingers, you need those to pinch figs :) Woodworking is something one should only do after a full night's sleep.