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Normally I have a lot more pictures of a project than this but I started it so long ago, I don't think I ever took pictures, if I did then I can't find them.

My Dad's girlfriend got some really great knives for christmas last december and I thought it would be good to make her a good endgrain cutting board to make those super nice knives last. I really liked the cutting board video at http://thewoodwhisperer.com/butcher-block-cutting-board/ and I originally wanted to follow his plans exactly. Unfortunatly I couldn't get my hands on some 8/4'' purple heart, and I really wanted to make it out of purple heart and maple so I went with 4/4 of both.

Back in January I milled up a 4/4 purple heart board and a 4/4 maple board. The boards where cut down to a little over 4 feet and I cut the board into 1'' strips. Then I cut the strips to 12'' length. If/when I do this again, I would cut the board into 12'' long peices first, then cut the 1'' strips. The main reason is I had a hard time pushing a 4' board of maple or purple heart through my thick kerf blade on my 1 3/4hp jet proshop saw. Don't get me wrong, I love my saw and it cut the wood just fine. A thin kerf blade my have helped, but I think it was mostly inexperience. I just got a lot of burning and blade marks and not glue line ready cuts.

That was the major problem, I wasn't sure what to do about those strips. I had a pile of 12'' long 3/4''x1'' strips and I wasn't really comfortable running them over the jointer to try and smooth out the edges, and I didn't own a handplane to speak of. Since I wasn't sure what to do with the peices I ended up tossing them into a box and it got tucked away until a few weeks ago.

Recently I was flattening the soul of a cheap handplane I bought off ebay using some adhesive backed sandpaper that comes in rolls. It dawned on me that this would be a great way to clean up and flatten out those strips. I dug through the box and picked up 18 or so of the best strips and sanded each glue edge smooth.

Over the past two weeks I've squeezed in enough workshop time (in between VPNing into work ><) I was able to glue everything together, clean it up make another set of cuts, flip and glue again. I finished it with General Finishes salad bowl finish. I believe the general notion that just about any finish is food safe once it cures, mostly I used it as an excuse to try out another finish. I totally applied way too much and have had to keep wiping it down with paper towels as the end grain kept oozing finish. That stopped a few days ago so I'm pleased to say it's all done.

-jeremy

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Comments

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Nice job on your first board.

Did you thin the SBF at all? I've found that if you thin at least the first couple of coats of it with mineral spirits, that it tend to absorb deeper into the wood. I cut it between 50-70% with mineral spirits. I put the last coat or two on at either full strength SBF, or close to it.

Wait until you get some thicker stock. You'll feel spoiled on the glue-ups as it's a lot less work.
 

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That is some crazy purple purpleheart! Good job!
 

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nice board-but do you guys really use mineral spirits on cutting boards??
 

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@ElmoSr,

I have used mineral spirits to cut the Salad Bowl Finish, yes. Others use the same practice as it allows for deeper penetration of the SBF into the wood. It doesn't have to be done, and I know the instructions say not to thin the SBF, but some thin it for the better penetration into the wood. There are solvents in the SBF itself, right out of the can.
 

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i reckon that is why i use only mineral oil-scared of solvents in my stomach--LOL--i put enough other stuff in my inerds
 

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I think the idea is the mineral spirits evaporates away leaving a smaller amount of actual finish on the object, allowing for thinner coats. At least this is the idea when mixed with polyuerethane.

I read that mineral oil can go rancid on you, and I also read that most finishes are safe once they're cured.

All in all I just played it safe due to my inexperience.
 

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the evaporation theory makes sense but from what i have read/seen vegetable oils go rancid,,,mineral oil doesnt,also mineral oil is non toxic, and putting poly on a cutting board IMO isnt good i want nothing but very safe products going to my clients
 

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Nice cutting board looks great hope to try and make some my self .
 
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