Difficulties with a cutting board design

You only had a slight split of the wood. Your glue joint failed in the Maple panel. Yes, glue the whole thing up at one time with equal pressure from all sides.

-- Carpenter assembles with hands, Designer builds with brains, Artist creates with heart!

I see your dilemma and I see your problem. You will too if you look hard enough.
My suggestion to you would be to glue each stripe of maple to the segments making sure to over lap the maple at the central point then shape the maple to follow the other curve of the segment.. this will leave you with a sharp point… thus not changing the geometry of the segment. Hope this helps.

-- Drink twice... and don't bother to cut... @ larrysworkshop.wordpress.com For lovers of all things timber...

It seems that the final piece may have not been sized right to begin with since you were left with a large gap. Did you dry fit the pieces including the maple strips to check for fit or only the alternating bandsawn pieces? Also, you could try lengthening two of the maple strips to run all the way through the piece, interlocking them at the center, then angle cutting the others to meet and/or adding dowels, biscuits or loose tenons to help secure each different piece of wood to the next. Glueing up as papadan suggested is a possible option too. If you do that, make sure your maple spline pieces are the same length and width as the rest so you can use a straight caul to help make your clamp pressure equal.

-- Beth, Oklahoma, Rambling Road Designs

Good job

-- W James Brokenbourgh Custom furniture maker http://artisticwoodstudio.com/

With your two blanks cut the first curve the whole length, alternate, glue strip in place and blanks back together. Two blanks, second curve, alternate, glue strips in place and blanks back together. You will need to do this five times, but each time you will have a solid square to glue back together. Much like the Drunken Alice board. In stead of working with single pieces your working with the whole board. I want to go try it now, but I think my wife would like me to come to bed. let me know if this helps or works, There may be no saving your current progress.

-- There's many a slip betwixt a cup and a lip.--Scott

I like the idea you have don’t give up and post picture when done would like to see them

Scott has the right idea for future boards but try my idea to save this one.

-- Drink twice... and don't bother to cut... @ larrysworkshop.wordpress.com For lovers of all things timber...

Thanks guys.
Duane

-- --It's not how long you live, but how you live that makes it a life.--

Oh wow, you must have said the same thing 106,000 people at Ohio State said last night after USC beat them in the last minute Ohhhhhh, Shuccccckkks!

My old standby for cracks is wood filler but this exceeds normal specs! :-)

I think poroskywood has the answer.

Keep trying. You’re onto something here!

-- Bob A in NJ

My suggestion would be similar to Parosky’s. While doing all pieces at once can be done, unless you are up against a deadline, I would take it a couple pieces at a time so things don’t move all over the place. You’ll be dealing with larger more stable pieces if you go in stages.

-- Behind the Bark is a lot of Heartwood----Charles, Centennial, CO

I don’t have any advice Duane. I’d probably be happy to just get as far as you have. Just don’t give up!

-- Mike, American in Norway

Larry has the right idea for a individual piece glue up. Your center would be nice and tight. and you could clamp it with runners on all four sides. The math to get the individual pieces the right size would be a little trial and error. That’s probably why there was a gap to begin with. How did you plan on dealing with the whole in the center of the one that broke? My thought would be a fostner bit and a plug of a contrasting wood, that might not be a bad idea. It would give the pin wheel board a “pin”. I am interested in seeing how this works out. Good luck keep us updated.

-- There's many a slip betwixt a cup and a lip.--Scott

Hey Scott…that is exactly what I was thinking. I was going to drill a center circle and plug it. I have moved onto another attempt at this design using your glue up suggestion (thanks) and will go back to the old blank and try Larry idea to glue it up (thanks, Larry). I hope to have it posted soon.
Duane

-- --It's not how long you live, but how you live that makes it a life.--

I messed around a little with this tonight. I don’t know. Free handing the blanks through the saw was eehhh.. Maybe I was in to much of a hurry. Maybe if you took the blanks (same idea) and used your arc jig to make the cuts? They would come out more symmetrical and smoother than mine did. More experiment and thought may be required.

-- There's many a slip betwixt a cup and a lip.--Scott

I had the same idea too. I free handed it through the bandsaw both times I have tried this. The second time around was better but still not great. I was thinking about a jig to make the cuts much smoother and then I feel the glue up will be much easier.

-- --It's not how long you live, but how you live that makes it a life.--