Bread Slicer - Ambidextrous

Hmmm… I never thought of using a miter box as a bread slicer. :-)

But as a lefty, I do appreciate being able to use it from either side.

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

it’s a dandy!

-- Thos. Angle, Owyhee Design, Oregon

Hmm…I wonder what would happen if I just used my miter saw for bread? Would I want an 80 tooth finishing blade on it? Or would it be okay to use something with a rougher cut.

If I hook it up to my dust collection system…I’m afraid of attracting rodents.

Two words: Lathe bread.

Okay…I’ll stop.

Cool project by the way. I never would have thought of it….

-- Scott, Austin-Texas...

Scott,
Just think of this as a variation of the breadboard. It is more closely related to the breadboard than it is to the miter saw.

Once you have sliced bread with this little tool, you will wonder how you lived without it.

You are right, bread crumbs in your dust collector will attract rodents (and ants). For that reason, I don’t have food in my shop.

When turning bread on your lathe, it should be in the very fresh stage, otherwise it makes a lot of crumbs. Don’t use the bowl gouge.

-- joejt

Your bread slicer is really tickling my fancy. I think I want to make one with an adjustable stop for slice uniformity. Only woodworkers would think it as funny as I would…but hey….

-- Scott, Austin-Texas...

Great project. A interesting angle on slicing bread.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

What a neat gift idea. Nice design of what appears to be a very useful kitchen appliance. By the way, does it have a drawer for the box of bandaides us clumsy need when using sharp knives?

-- Smile. Life can be FUN!

Very clever design. I usually just freehand my bread cuts.

-- Bill - "Suit yourself and let the rest be pleased." http://www.cajunpen.com/

Actually, this is the perfect gift for someone who has everything, because nobody has one of these! I think this project is pretty cool and shows some real inventiveness. Would I buy one? Naw. Would I use one? Sure! You could get some pretty thin slices out of one of these. It would also make a unique bagel slicer by just adding some kind of bagel holding jig. I’d also go one step further by adding something “cutesy” to the backboard. Like tiles, or cut out heart shapes. Chicks dig “cutesy” stuff.

-- Bob Vila would be so proud of you!

Great idea from someone who loves homemade bread. mike

-- Mike. Profisher50@yahoo.com

I usually buy my bread pre-sliced, then I can eat and go back to my sanctuary. But for those who use a micrometer to gauge the portion control of their carbs, this is the tool.

-- so much wood, so little time. Bradford.

Thats a novel idea Joejt. I will keep it in mind for something for the relatives down the track or have you got it patented?.

-- Grumpy - "Always look on the bright side of life"- Monty Python

Wow ! This is just the gift that I can make for a bread lovin’ friends of mine birthday present ! Thank you for the great idea…..now all I need is to get a measurement from their breadknife as to the proper blade kerf to avoid as much tear out as possible and maybe that stop block that was mentioned earlier isn’t such a crazy thought after all : ) Thank you so much and have a wonderful day…..ps: is there a secret compartment that you stow the angle guides in when not in use ?

-- Dusty56@comcast.net

Dusty56
You could make the base tall enough to hide the unused guide underneath. There is only one guide to be concealed. The 30 degree guide is flipped when going from left-handed use to right-handed use (so make only one of these).
I didn’t make a secret compartment, but a sliding dovetail channel can be made underneath or on the back side. Probably the easiest could be a sliding dovetail holder vertically on the back. That way a quick changeover would be facilitated.

Rather than a stop block, inlay a contrasting wood strip at 1/2” on each side of the slot. (Probably on the insert). The inlay also could be across the base. If the inlay strip is 1/4” wide, this creates a guide for 1/2” and 3/4” thick slices depending on which side of the inlay you line up. Also, it doesn’t compicate the use.

Creeping elegance can destroy the usefulness.

-- joejt