# Cutting Board Mini Disaster ("Thats gonna leave a mark")



## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

So ya wanted to be a woodworker huh? Well i was in the finishing stages of finishing my first zig zag cutting board and it was comin out pretty good. Not perfect by any means but acceptable enought to place on my own kitchen counter.










I just finished up on a "3 day sand fest" which was a real blast and i wanted to put some handles on the bottom. Slapped the dado blade in the ole craftsman and raised it up into the piece. "Workin well so far lets see how it feels". I shut down the saw and pull out the piece … "a little biit deeper" So i drop down the blade a little, reposition the piece, and fire it up.

The blade grabs an edge ripping it off of my miter gauge and tossing it all over the place. Luckily it didnt shoot across the room or hit me in the ole twig n berries but it did gouge out the bottom of the board about 3/8" which will need to be planed off. I wasnt hurt so thats the good thing and i learned another lesson that i wont forget.










So ya wanted to be a woodker huh?


----------



## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

bummer

but i'd leave it 
if you have to sand 3/8" off
that might make it to thin and 'flexible'

just use it allot
by the time the great grand kids get it
it will just be 'broken in'


----------



## greasemonkeyredneck (Aug 14, 2010)

Glad you're ok.
Any thoughts on what caused the mishap?


----------



## Beginningwoodworker (May 5, 2008)

Bummer, I think that can be sand out!


----------



## fussy (Jan 18, 2010)

We try and try to raise you children and keep you safe and look at you. Bet you don't do that again. Glad you weren't hurt. The board looks ok. I'm with David; leave it as is. Too thin is no good and it will remind you to work safe and smart.

Steve


----------



## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Patron - its over 1 1/2" thick so ive got the room to remove some more material but ill certainly keep an eyes on the thickness. Its the bottom of the board so its not the end of the world either.

William - I know exactly what went wrong. The second time i placed the piece over the dado blade my cruddy old miter gauge slipped and it cocked the piece making the blade take a huge bite as i had the blade rasied up to the kerf i had previously cut. (I pulled it out to see if i could fit my sausage fingers under it.) The blade grabbed it and chucked it, bounced on the blade twice then spit out on the floor. Didnt break though!

CJ3 - its headed back to the router planer sled jammy i built to flatten it originally … then another hour or so of sanding.


----------



## greasemonkeyredneck (Aug 14, 2010)

I agree to leave it. If I understand it correctly, the marks are on the bottom, and it's for your own personal use? Just sand it enough by hand so there will be no rough area to be uncomfortable to hands while moving it and put finish on it. If anyone asks, you got crazy with a meat cleaver one night.


----------



## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

thanks for the parental scolding Steve  and nope i wont do that again, ill premark the height so i can see avoiding me having to reposition it over the blade again … i was rushing things, got into the shop late, and was aching to put some mineral oil on it, dumb mistake, but hey whattayagonnado


----------



## greasemonkeyredneck (Aug 14, 2010)

You posted your explanation of what happened as I was posting my last reply.

When I have to make a cut like the one you describe, plunging cut on the table saw, and I have to redo for depth, I let the blade all the way back down and then back up. I learned this the hard way, as you have now.

Also, what miter gauge do you have?
I think the osbourne gauge is still on sale for $99 if you're interested in getting a good one. I love mine.


----------



## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

well if you do plane it down
and 'fix' it

have the wife whack you with it
every time she uses it

don't want you to forget
and get complacent


----------



## Martyroc (Feb 1, 2012)

Nice Patron, My wife whacks me all the time, but I do a lot of stupid things.LOL


----------



## degoose (Mar 20, 2009)

Nice, apart from the obvious saw marks…!


----------



## 489tad (Feb 26, 2010)

You mean the specifically designed and placed traction grooves. Without them the board could slip and the said operator could end up with injury. You can't have that. Good thinking putting them on.

You still have your ten and now you know your heart works at high speed.


----------



## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

LOL you guys a funny man.

William … That what i SHOULD have done, lowered the blade all the way down and reapproached it. Its the stock gauge with a few pro-mods along the way. Im actually in the market for an upgrade on the table saw.
Patron … she should whack me with it for bein such a bonehead.
Larry - Thanks buddy … itll be just fine.
Dan - Traction grooves thats a good one lol. Ya know it didnt really startle me as much as i thought. I guess the years of doin demolition taught me that when somethin goes wrong just remove all of your body parts from the area and let whatevers gonna happen happen. I didnt try and stop anything except for the power to the saw. My 10 little digits are still in place, not bumps no bruises.

I took another look at it this mornng and the gouges arent as deep as i thought maybe 1/4". Im gonna do the best i can to salvage the board, so its back to the router planer sled and ill make another attempt at the handles. Just another lesson learned and no blood lost.

Thanks for cheerin me up fellas.


----------



## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

I finished up the board this weekend and i took some advice and left a few of the deeper marks on the back as a reminder. No harm, no foul, and the wife really likes it.


----------



## xwingace (Apr 25, 2011)

I think the key phrase you used was "I was rushing things"...
If you're in a hurry, or if you're angry-just walk away for a while until you're not either!


----------



## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

xwing .. im pretty good at not rushing things but im still learnin and i cut a corner this time and i paid for it. Just another one of lifes little lessons.


----------



## Tennessee (Jul 8, 2011)

Well, I was cutting a reclaimed board on my table saw a few days ago, (had done the proper metal detection), and somehow I missed the top of a square nail that was still in there.
My blade threw it - into my twig and berries… Luckily I had thick Levi's on.
Don't feel bad, doggone thing threw it at an angle since I wasn't directly behind the blade!


----------



## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

These are the lessons that we have to learn the hard way …. why does it always have to involve the ole brat n patata's though? Maybe thats the only way we do learn .. pain. Glad to hear that you are ok. Ill be workin with some reclaimed this weekend. MMM 100 year old oak.


----------



## AandCstyle (Mar 21, 2012)

Glad you escaped unharmed! I am getting ready to make a zigzag board myself and yours is a great example (including the traction grips). What are the woods? Black walnut and white oak?? What are the dimensions?
Thanks,
Art


----------



## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Art, indeed it is black walnut and white oak. Measures about 16"x9". Once you get all of your strips cut you can make it almost any length you want. I had enough left over to do a small cheese board. Here's the link to the tutorial i use from LJ McLeanVA … http://lumberjocks.com/McLeanVA/blog/18432. Good luck A&C and welcoem to the gang.


----------



## dhazelton (Feb 11, 2012)

Was the board clamped down in any fashion? Did it throw it despite clamps? That's a lot of force if it did.


----------



## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

no it wasnt clamped down at all it was actually pinched between the miter gauge and stop block, i had a pretty firm grip on it but i wouldnt call these mitts clamps. Im my craftsman saw ever threw a board despite being clamped i would unplug it immediately and mount it above my fireplace as the best damn cheapo saw known to man.


----------

