Here is another rather large cutting board, this one weighs about 13lbs! This is approximately 13” x 19” x 1-3/4” and is made of Walnut, Maple, and Bloodwood. This color scheme is actually one of my favorites out of the 26 (lol! this is the 26th board) boards that I have made so far. I just think this one came out really nice, it just looks rich in color and will look very nice on a granite counter-top! As usual, I applied the same finish process as I do on all of my cutting boards… General Finishes/Mineral Spirits with many coats and light sanding until I am happy! :)

This cutting board is approximately 17” x 23” x 1-3/4” and is made of Walnut, Hard Maple, Padauk, and Purpleheart. This is the largest cutting board that I have made so far and it comes in at a nice 16.9lbs! This is also my 25th cutting board and this is the first time I didn’t have to fix any gaps! I treated this board with 7 – 8 coats of General Finishes Salad Bowl Finishing Mix (2 parts Salad Bowl Mix/1 part Mineral Spirits) and sanded in between coats with #0000 steel wool.

This cutting board is approximately 16” x 19” x 1-1/4” and is made of Sapele, White Oak, and Yellowheart. I treated this board with 7 – 8 coats of General Finishes Salad Bowl Finishing Mix (2 parts Salad Bowl Mix/1 part Mineral Spirits) and sanded in between coats with #0000 steel wool.

I decided to reorganize my “workshop” so it was a bit more ergonomic. The main change was moving my table saw over to my workbench area and also building an out-feed table to in between the table saw and my workbench. My goal was to be able to mount the table saw, transition (out-feed) table, and workbench together but at the same time not actually mount anything to the table saw. What I did was build a platform underneath the workbench and the table saw and then bolt all three components to that platform. The transition table sits 1/16 of inch lower than the table saw and the workbench sits 1/16 of inch lower than the transition table. At the same time, i decided to also raise the table and saw up so they were about two inches higher than before. This works better for me since I am 6’1” and found myself leaning over the workbench and table saw more than I should have been. I bolted the transition table to workbench and then added to legs to the other end near the table saw. I also built a storage area underneath the left side of the table saw which stores my blades, push blocks, etc… I plan on building another storage side on the right side of the table saw that will hold my fence, miter gauge, etc… Since I have a hybrid Jet table saw and it was on a mobile base, it always had a bit of movement when working on it but now that everything is bolted and screwed down to the platform, it feels more like a cabinet saw now which I really like. I wasn’t going to post this on LumberJocks but my neighbors thought it was a pretty ingenious way to build an out-feed so I thought I would share it with you guys.

Just finished another cutting board that I gave as a Christmas present for some good friends of mine. This board is made from Mahogany, Maple, and Walnut and is about 15” x 11” x 1-1/4”. I treated this with 7 coats of General Finishes Salad Bowl Finishing Mix and sanding with #0000 steel wool in between. I am still saving up for the band saw I want so I basically cut this out with a jigsaw and shaped it with my floor-standing belt sander/handheld belt sander.

I just finished making my first cigar humidor from Walnut, Sapele, and Spanish Cedar. The dimensions are 12” x 8” x 4-1/2” with the Walnut sections being a 1/2” thick, the Sapele that is in the frame of the lid being 1/4” thick, and the Spanish Cedar lining also being 1/4” thick. I finished the outside with Deft Clear Wood Oil Based finish along with some #0000 steel wool sanding in between coats. This is the first time I have used a spray-can finish and the first time I have used an oil based product and I must say that I really like the way the finish came out.

My wife is leaving the nursing industry and has decided to go attend culinary school and she asked me to make a big honkin cutting board for the kitchen island. This is an end-grain mahogany cutting board that is approximately 16×23 x 1-1/2. This cutting board is made from over 160 pieces of scrap mahogany that I put together. I have finished this cutting board with 7 coats of General Finishes Salad Bowl Finishing mix with #0000 steel wool in between each coat. I think it took me about 4 weeks to make and it ended up being very time-consuming but I think she is happy so that is all that matters!

Here are some pics of my first lamp which is made from Sapele and Maple. The lamp is approximately 18” tall and the base is approximately 6” wide. I picked up the lamp shade from Lowes and I think it compliments the lamp pretty well. However, I’m not too excited about the beads that are hanging down but my wife and I think that we will learn to love them over time.

Here are some pics of my first attempt at making a table. I tried to go simple and just keep it clean with only a top shelf and no bottom shelf. The table is Walnut and Maple and the top is 20×40 x 1-1/6 with 5 inch squares for the checkerboard pattern. The legs are 1-3/4×1-3/4×27-1/2 with 32 oak dowels joints connecting the legs to the aprons (i think apron is the right word!) and 8 pocket screws with glue connecting the top to the legs. I finished the table with 6 coats of General Finishes PolyAcrylic Semi-Gloss with sanding in between coats using #0000 steel wool. Overall, I think it came out pretty good, I did burn some of the cove corners when I was routing and I couldn’t seem to get them out with sanding so I just let it go. Now I just need to figure where to place it in the house!

This is a cutting board made from Walnut, Padauk, Maple, and Purpleheart. My neighbor asked that I not do the whole thing in a checkerboard pattern but just part of it so I came up with this. It’s about 11 inches by 14 inches and is coated with General Finishes Salad Bowl Finishing Mix.

I made this lap desk so I can write code and hang out with the family instead of being in the office all of the time. I’m not a big fan of placing the laptop on my lap and I prefer to use a mouse as well so this lap desk will work out great. This project is made from Walnut and Pecky Cypress and is about 38 inches by 15 inches and is coated with General Finishes Satin PolyAcrylic.

This serving tray is made from Mahogany and Maple and approximately 18×9 x 2 and the handles are 4-1/2×3-3/4. The base is 1/2 inch thick while the sides and handles are 1/4 inch thick and has been treated with 6 coats of General Finishes High Performance Polyurethane Water Based Top Coat.

This remote control caddy is made from Mahogany and is approximately 8-1/2×7-1/2×6-1/2 (the highest point of the arch). The larger opening (3-1/2×6-1/2) can be used for a large remote control or an eBook reader such as a Kindle or Nook like the two shown in the last picture. The three smaller openings are 3-1/2×1-1/4 and 3-1/2×2-1/2 and should accommodate most normal size remotes. The caddy has been finished with 7 coats of General Finishes High Performance PolyAcrylic with 320 grit sanding between the first two coats, 400 grit for the next five coats, and #0000 steel wool for the last coat.

My first serving tray is made from Mahogany and Maple and is approximately 20×11 x 3-1/2 with the sides being 1-1/4 tall and the overall thickness being a 1/2 inch thick. Once again, since I don’t have a band saw yet, this was cut with a jig saw and cleaned up with a belt sander. Both holes were made using a 1-3/4 forstner bit and this tray has been treated with 6 coats of General Finishes High Performance Polyurethane Water Based Top Coat.

Two more cutting boards that are made from Cherry, Maple, and Bloodwood. The left cutting board is 10×9 x 5/8 and is coated with mineral oil. The right cutting board is 12×9 x 5/8 and is coated with Salad Bowl Finishing Mix/Mineral Spirits (2/1 ratio). The curved parts on both boards were cut with a jig saw and the holes with a 1-1/4 forstner bit. These cutting boards were not from same plank of woods so the contrast is partly due to that and the fact that they were coated with different solutions.

I literally just finished making this tea box which is made from Walnut and Maple. The box is approximately 12×8 x 4-1/2 and feels pretty darn solid. The liner and removal inserts are made from Maple as well. This is my first box where I tried finger joints and ended up really getting into it so I made the handle and base with those as well. I also cut the lid at an incline towards the center which I then shaped with the belt sander. So far, I’ve only made a few boxes but I would have to say that this is my favorite one!

I just finished two more cutting boards, the chevron pattern marks my 15th cutting board!!! The zigzagger is 11-5/8×97/8×5/8 and is made from Lyptus, Paduak, Purpleheart, and White Oak. The other board is a little bigger which is 15/1/4×9-3/4×5/8 and is made from Lyptus and Purpleheart. I treated both with General Finishes Salad Bowl Finishing Mix with some sanding in between coats.

I am in the process of making a large amount of cutting boards that I plan on selling at the winter festival in our local town. Since I already have 6 made, I decided to make some displays to show them off at the festival. I used poplar which and is 24×5-1/2×3/4 with the dowels being 1/2 in diameter and 8 inches tall (expect for the two front which are 5 inches tall). This display leave about 3 inches in between each row and can hold 7 cutting boards.

This checker board cutting board is 13-3/4×10-1/4×5/8 and is made from Bloodwood, Maple Ambrosia, and Curly Maple. I really didn’t want to use the Curly Maple, I wanted to keep it all Maple Ambrosia. However, I accidentally grabbed the wrong wood and glued it up and then realized it it was curly… oh well! :)

My wife asked me to make her a trivet to be placed on our dining room table… so I did! The size is 34-1/4×7-1/2×9/16 and is made out of Mahogany and Maple Ambrosia. I applied 5 coats of General Finishes High Performance PolyAcrylic with 320 and 400 grit sanding in between coats. I also used my brand new Bosch ROS on this project which worked out very well, loving this Bosch stuff!