Serious cooks do serious chopping — and they need a cutting board that’s up to the task. Luckily, making a seriously sturdy board just happens to be a pretty fun woodworking project. It not only gives some real pizzazz to the kitchen, but also teaches several great woodworking skills.
In this class, each student will make a round end-grain cutting board out of their choice of hard Maple or Cherry. At up to 18 inches in diameter, and a burly 3 inches thick, this cutting board will find a happy home on the kitchen counter.
By using the end grain as the cutting surface, you will not only create a beautiful “checkerboard” effect, but the board will naturally absorb cuts and scratches to keep looking good, and will preserve your knives, too.
We will start by selecting wood and gluing up strips into two sections for each board, then flattening them with the jointer. Next, we will glue the two halves together so that they are properly registered. Then we will smooth them on the planer, use a special jig to cut them round on the band saw, and run them through the drum sander before sanding them smooth by hand, and finishing them with food-safe oil.
As an extra touch, you will also have the option to personalize your board with your name, initials, or inscription of your choice.
You’ll leave with new confidence in your woodworking abilities — and a seriously impressive cutting board.
Prerequisites: None. Open to beginners.
You will learn:
- How to glue up wood in sections
- Safe use of power tools including jointer, planer, band saw, and drum sander
- How to flatten boards on a jointer
- How to use a planer to smooth a surface
- How to use a jig with a band saw
- Techniques for efficient sanding
- Techniques for customizing woodworking projects
Tuition: $159
Material: $70
Registration Fee: $35, one time registration fee, new students only
