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Difficulties with a cutting board design

Project by DuaneEDMD posted 76 days ago 911 views 2 times favorited 18 comments Add to Favorites Watch

Hello everyone,
Have you ever started down a path and put so many steps in down that path that when you hear the path screaming at you that it is the WRONG PATH you just ignore the screams??? Witness the photos above. I wanted to try a “pin wheel” variation cutting board and knew right away the glue up was going to drive me nuts closing all the gaps. I did a fairly good job glueing up two to three wedges at a time until I got to the end and the gap was just too much. So what do I do, JUST CLAMP IT REALLY HARD and leave for the day. I come back 4 hours later and the board had split.

The last picture above is the “second round” you get with these since I need two boards to alternate the woods. Any ideas how to make this work? Should I just scrap the design? Try to glue it all at once with a slow setting glue so I have square edges to clamp? Make the maple strips thinner and easier to bend? I’ll try anything in an attempt to keep this second board out of the “fireplace pile”.

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


18 comments so far

View papadan's profile

papadan

480 posts in 267 days


posted 76 days ago

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.

-- Dan-- Info for all @ http://www.hoistman.com

View degoose's profile

degoose

2023 posts in 253 days


posted 76 days ago

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 once, cut twice. New website up.... lazylarrywoodworks.com.au

View rrdesigns's profile

rrdesigns

63 posts in 85 days


posted 76 days ago

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

View a1Jim's profile

a1Jim

17140 posts in 476 days


posted 76 days ago

Good job

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop, custom furniture ,maker, woodworking school, heirloomwoodshop.com

View poroskywood's profile

poroskywood

198 posts in 263 days


posted 76 days ago

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

View woodman71's profile

woodman71

60 posts in 223 days


posted 76 days ago

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

View degoose's profile

degoose

2023 posts in 253 days


posted 76 days ago

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

-- Drink once, cut twice. New website up.... lazylarrywoodworks.com.au

View DuaneEDMD's profile

DuaneEDMD

70 posts in 251 days


posted 76 days ago

Thanks guys.
Duane

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

View Bob A in NJ's profile

Bob A in NJ

532 posts in 898 days


posted 76 days ago

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

View Durnik150's profile

Durnik150

536 posts in 221 days


posted 76 days ago

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

View stefang's profile

stefang

1656 posts in 233 days


posted 76 days ago

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

View poroskywood's profile

poroskywood

198 posts in 263 days


posted 75 days ago

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

View DuaneEDMD's profile

DuaneEDMD

70 posts in 251 days


posted 75 days ago

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.--

View poroskywood's profile

poroskywood

198 posts in 263 days


posted 75 days ago

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

View DuaneEDMD's profile

DuaneEDMD

70 posts in 251 days


posted 74 days ago

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.--

View degoose's profile

degoose

2023 posts in 253 days


posted 74 days ago

Check out my post.. Frivolity This is a simplified cut and only one species of timber but could be used on two blanks for alternating segments… I cut it on the arc cutting jig and stopped at the center and rotated it… Might be able to adapt the jig to make more cuts. As long as the pieces are aligned on the centre lines.. it should work. Do two cuts and glue back up and then repeat.
If I have time I will give it a go.
This would work for just about any number of segments.

-- Drink once, cut twice. New website up.... lazylarrywoodworks.com.au

View poroskywood's profile

poroskywood

198 posts in 263 days


posted 74 days ago

Bingo!

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

View DuaneEDMD's profile

DuaneEDMD

70 posts in 251 days


posted 73 days ago

That’s it, now I have to construct an arc cutting jig for the band saw. Usually just cut them free-hand but the number of cuts and the repeatibility of a jig will be nice. Thanks for the flow of ideas.

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

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