Cutting Board with a difference

Thanks for posting this interesting piece. It’s kind of hard to tell from the frontal view, is the blade locked into position when open, or do you have to hold it up higher when using it?

-- Debt is nothing more than the 21st Century's form of slavery.

Very different! VERY!

-- Never board, always knotty, lots of growth rings

Unique cutting board.

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon

sharad,
Very interesting cutting board. That wood looks like it is hard as a rock! Is the wood very brittle also? I’m most curious about the balde as well. Did you shape and grind the blade yourself? Now for my biggest interest, can you actually lay the coconut on the cutting board and split it open with the blade? I understand the need for the serations in the blades handle for shredding the meat from the coconut, really neat! Thanks for sharing this with us, I’ve never seen anything quite like it before. Hope the weather moderates soon so you can get back to your other wood working projects in comfort.

Sincerely,
Ken McGinnis

-- woodbutcher north carolina

Sharad, Thanks for sharing a very neat device. I too am curious if you van use that blade to open the coconut as well as scraping it. I am sure the fresh coconut is quite good tasting and useful in the kitchen there, we use very little of it except to bake some things.

CtL

-- Chris L. "Don't Dream it, Be it."

Hi Sharad;

Great job. I couldn’t stand the heat there for sure!

Lee

-- by Lee A. Jesberger http://www.prowoodworkingtips.com http://www.ezee-feed.com

Very interesting cutting board! It reminds me of an early “stock knife” that was used by early woodworkers to cut & trim small pieces of wood. It’s also similar to a “tobacco cutter” that was used to cut “carrots” or twists of tobacco. It’s interesting how woodworkers in different parts of the world come up with similar tools for similar jobs. That’s a cool tool Sharad. Great work!

-- Frank, Florissant, Missouri "The New Show-Me Woodshop"

Thanks all of you for your kind remarks.
TopamaxSurvivor, the blade is locked when open by resting on the metal piece fixed on the front of the board. To avoid toppling of the board while scraping coconut you press the board with your folded leg while doing the scraping sitting. When using it standing, a strip of wood fixed at the bottom of the board ( not seen in the picture) is held against cooking platform to lock the board. from toppling. I will try to send a picture showing how the scraping is done while sitting. I know most of the westerners except those who practise yoga or similar practices find it difficult to do anything sitting. You are welcome to ask any more questions.
Sharad

-- patanjali

Ken McGinnis, the wood is very strong but not brittle. It can warp sometimes in very humid conditions. The coconut cannot be cut into half by this blade. Coconut is so hard that it requires a stronger tool for splitting it. It can be broken by hitting it hard on hard ground but then it may not split into equal two parts making it more difficult to scrape. The shelled coconut has three lines on its surface longitudinally. To cut it into fairly equal halves make the coconut wet and hit hard with a strong metal strip on all the three lines at right angles to the lines in the center of the coconut. A very nice metal tool is available for shelling a coconut which is so difficult to do. I will write about it in some other post.
I have not made the blade. They are available readymade and cost around $2
Weather here will become moderate in the month of June when rainy season starts.
Sharad

-- patanjali

CtL, the shredded coconut is very tasty and there are innumerable recipes made out of it. I don’t know if you have tasted tender coconut water. it beats all tha soft drinks in the world, tastewise as well as nutritionaly.
Sharad

-- patanjali

FJPetruso, you are right. Similar blades have been used for different purposes all over the world. There is one variation of it used here for cutting raw mangoes for various recipes. In this the mango is kept on the board after the blade is lifted and cut into small pieces by pressing the blode against the fruit. But here the blade is not curved. Thaks for your remarks.
Sharad

-- patanjali

What do you call “tender coconut water”? Is that the juice of a fresh coconut? How do you tell if they are ripe?

-- Debt is nothing more than the 21st Century's form of slavery.

TopamaxSurvivor, tender coconut is the watery part of the coconut before the kernel of the coconut has developed.
A tender coconut is greener in colour, heavier than a ripe coconut and does not make any sound inside when it is shaken because it is full of water. Once the coconut starts ripening and the kernel starts forming, the water is reduced and makes noise when shaken. There are different stages of tender coconut. One is when there is no kernel at all, next is when partial kernel is formed at different stages. Even in the fully mature coconut there is some water. Once the water is over the coconut starts drying and then you get what is called copra. The kernel of a partially tender coconut is very tasty.
Sharad

-- patanjali

Hmmmmmmm?? It doesn’t sould like I’m gonna find “tender coconut water” over here in North American does it? :-))

-- Debt is nothing more than the 21st Century's form of slavery.

TopamaxSurvivor, is there any part of US where you get coconut?
Sharad

-- patanjali

I just supposed by the time they get in the grocery stores in Washington they would be too ripe for “tender coconut water”.

-- Debt is nothing more than the 21st Century's form of slavery.

TopamaxSurvivor, it depends on how long it takes to ship it from its source. If handled properly tender coconut can remain fresh for a few days (4 to 5) until they are shelled. I wish you get a tender coconut soon to quench your thirst.
Sharad

-- patanjali

I’ll try to find a quiet one :-)) I thought they might be too old when they are picked. Guess not, eh?

-- Debt is nothing more than the 21st Century's form of slavery.

Very nice!

Suits the job perfectly.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

A similar version is used in Hawaii to scrape the meat from the coconut. My uncle made one by using a 1” x 3” x 15” long plank and screwing on a metal grater at one end that extends over the wood that is like a flat donut with serated teeth along the outer diameter. After opening the ripe coconut ( See “How to open a coconut” below), you straddle the 1”x3”x15” board, using your body weight to hold it down while you lean forward and scrape the inside of the coconut along the metal of the serated donut. The meat grates easily and the donut hole allows the grated coconut to fall down into a bowl placed underneath. Be careful not to grate too deep, as there is a woody skin between the white flesh and the hard shell that you want to avoid cutting into.

We use the freshly grated coconut to make haopia (how-pee-ah), a coconut pudding. You have to steep the grated coconut in hot water and then place in a linen type towel, wring out the milky juices until the pulp is dry. Discard dry pulp. The milky juice is then thickened on the stove with cornstarch and sugar until pudding thick. Placed in a flat pan and refrigerate. Cut into 1 1/2” squares and serve. YUM!

For all those who have not been raised in the tropics and in the event you need to survive on an island that has only coconut trees, well, this is for you:

”How To Open A Coconut:
Find a mature coconut (brown husk) and shred off outer protective husk by using a sharp pointed stake or pick-axe that has been firmly anchored in the ground. With the sharp end up, hit the coconut husk against the blade/tip until the fiberous husk starts to shred. Continue until all the husk has been removed.

To open the coconut shell: (You can poke the “eyes” out before hand to save the water.) Using the head side of a hammer, hold coconut in one hand, gently hit with the hammer along the center diameter, turning the coconut as you go. Each wack should create a crack in the shell, keep turning until you complete the circumfrence and you will hear a hollow sound when the shell has broken in half. You now have 2 halves. (Unless you have obliterated the poor thing and have more than 2 pcs.)

We call the green coconut meat that is still gelatine like “spoon meat”, as it’s quite delicate and tasty.

Okay, Sharad, now you need to send all of us coconuts!

-- "They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night." ~ Edgar Allan Poe

Thanks mmh for the information supplied. For removing the protective husk we have a domestic implement used when only few coconuts are to be shelled. For commercial scale a bigger version of what you have described is used. You have nicely described how to open a coconut. We however don’t use hammer but a type of sickle instead. Many delicious preparations are made from grated coconut as well as green coconut meal. I am thinking of writing a blog on coconut.
Sharad

-- patanjali

I only just saw your post I love this a great idea for removing coconut from the shell.I know in your culture you use coconut a lot in cooking well done again.Alistair

-- excuse my typing as I have a form of parkinsons disease

Hi Sharad,

Good of you to keep tradition alive. We are losing so much knowledge due to so-called ‘better’ technology which is only better because it is more efficient (read profitable) to produce millions of the same thing but not necessarily the best tool for the job. This was a fascinating project. Thanks for making it and posting it.

-- Steve, New Zealand, www.steveracz.com

Sharad, what is the function of the curved knife?
Do you split the coconut shell under this?

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

Bob, The coconut shell is too hard to split on this blade. The function of the curved knife is to cut, slice or skin vegetables and fruit. The adnatage is you can use both hands for cutting unlike using knife. Even bigger fruits can be cut very easily because of the longer cutting length of the blade. This can be done with the blade open. When not in use the blade is closed for sefety. For splitting the coconut shell a sickle like tool is used to hit the coconut or it is banged on the ground(A crude way).
Sharad

-- patanjali

Thanks Sharad. I understand it now.
I’m off to my dungeon to work on a coconut splitter!

We’ll be rich! <g>

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner