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How to make a Wild 'n' Crazy two-tone board

26K views 33 replies 24 participants last post by  MatthewM 
#1 ·
How to make a Wild 'n' Crazy two-tone board

Sometimes the finished project looks harder to make than it really is.

By request, here is a quick tutorial on making a two-tone pattern board.
All you need is a bandsaw… or maybe a scroll saw.

Start with two boards of contrasting woods squared and surfaced on all sides.


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Use double-sided tape to align and stack them. (carpet tape works great)



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Cut random curvy lines through both pieces on the bandsaw. This was my first test of the Carter Stabilizer - works great by the way - but I'm sure it could be done with any thin blade. The key is to be sure your saw table is flat and the blade is set to a perfect 90º. I'm looking forward to seeing if anyone (Sheila) attempts this with a scroll saw.



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Your stack should look something like this.


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Separate the pieces and put them back together again, alternating the woods. You may need to do a light sanding on the joints to get a perfect fit for your glue up. Glue and clamp them together.


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Missing photo here, but once the glue is dry, stack and tape them together again, and do another round of curvy cuts. This time from the short side. Take them apart and alternate the pieces again and you'll end up with two cool boards that look like this.


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Clean them up, put on a finish and turn it into your next fun and useful project to share with your friends… freckle-footed and otherwise. :)


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There is no reason to stop with two woods. Try it with 3 or 4 or more layers and make several different multi-colored Wild 'n' Crazy boards at a time.

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My blog for creating the cheese slicer is here .

SPalm's original cheese slicer project posting and instructions are here .
Check it out!

And have fun!!
 
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#8 ·
This looks GREAT! Thank you so much for posting it, Mary Anne! I think I can have some fun with this. The only thing that I can see that limits it on the scroll saw is the thickness and hardness of the wood. However, with the proper blade, I am sure I can manage this.

What type of glue do you use with this? I love using Mineral Oil finish and I saw you used that in your other board. However, which glue is best that will hold up to the cleaning of the boards as well as the oil finish?

Thanks again and I am looking forward to your answers.

Sheila :)
 
#10 ·
Mary Anne, thanks for revealing your "patented secret" . I can see that this would be a lot of fun and has almost endless possibilities. I may have to try this when I make my next board.
 
#14 ·
scrollgirl,
How thick of a board can you cut on your scroll saw? I can see no reason why you couldn't do this with wood slightly thicker than veneer and glue it up on a solid piece.

I use TiteBond III on all of my boards for its resistance to moisture.
As far as cleaning, wash with soap and water. No soaking and no dishwasher; the glue might hold up, but the wood won't.
 
#18 ·
Thanks, Mary Anne! I think you could go about an inch or so total depending on the wood or blade and they you would really be struggling and it won't be any fun. You would burn the heck out of blades no matter what on some wood.

I could probably make them half inch thick and they would be fine - especially if I put little feet on them.

Now you have me thinking . . . !

Sheila
 
#21 ·
I look forward to seeing what you come up with, Sheila. If the 1/2" final board ends up being too thin, you could glue it to a backer board. Or you could even glue two of them together back to back; that might come out pretty cool too.

Now I am thinking of different projects that I could make use of a scroll saw. One of the fun things about not knowing what is a "normal" project is that it is easier to think outside of what everyone else does.

lumberdustjohn,
I look forward to your creative twist and improvements to the design, John.
If only it were "Dear Season" and everyone made an extra effort to be kind to critters! ;)

Thanks, Randon. It's a great fun project for a relaxing afternoon. And yes, the cheese is good too!
 
#22 ·
MaryAnne, you are my hero of the day. For a long time, I thought this technique was unreachable. Until today, when your blog explanation with the additional links, lead me down the road of improvement. i love you…..thanks.
 
#24 ·
From all the comments and 'favorites' on this blog, it looks like we are destined to be a bunch of Wild and Crazy Guys. Gotta love Steve Martin… and TopamaxSurvivor Bob for naming the design.

Thank you all for the positive feedback. It just goes to show (again!!) that even newbie woodworkers like me have something of value to share. Sometimes it is the little tips, the little light bulbs (Bradford, you cracked me up!) that flash that make all the difference.
 
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