This is primarily for John Moody as we have been conversing back and forth about cutting boards, but I figured I put this out here for anyone else who might be interested. It is long with a lot of pics.

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I just got done getting four 3D boards run through the drum sander and ready to go for the final trimming, edge routing and sanding tomorrow.  After I got the 4 boards done in the sander, I glued up another set of strips from the wood I had left over. So I took some photos and will walk you through my process.

 

I typcially start with 1" thick material and cut them into 1 1/16" to 1 1/8" strips On these I did them at 1 1/16". I like to make each strip uniform in length at 26" long as it will yield 2 boards approximately 12"x8" using 8 strips when completed and trimmed leaving me 1 or 2 extra pieces incase something goes wrong (which does happen on occasion). So on this board in the photos I used what I had left over so I have some pieces that are shorter than the others, but that's ok as I will be making 1 large board with this for a friend of mine as opposed to 2 boards.

 

Here are the strips for the board. Maple, Walnut, Cherry and Padauk. Everything is 1 1/16" wide except for the Padauk which is 1/4" wide. All the pieces are 1" thick.

 

 

Here is the jig that I use to lay out the strips for the 1st glue up.

 

 

Once I have the  strips lined up with the ends at 60 degrees, I make some witness marks to help me line things up when I do the glue up.

 

 

Here is the first glue up in the clamps. I am usually working with strips that are all the same length, but since this is what I had left over some are shorter. I use "4 way clamps" (which I love) and use them all the time. They clamp and act as cauls keeping the glue up level. Since the boards are set up with the 60 degree angle, it is difficult to clamp the ends and get a good grip with the clamps. So I use a cut off piece from the end of another glue up after it had been cut on the table saw. You can see it on the left side of the glue up as it fits into the gaps on the end giving a good solid platform for the clamp to grab onto. The primary reason for doing the clamping this way with the 60 degree angle is that you have much less waste than on a rectanglular glue up. I will typically only have about 1" of waste on the front end (first piece cut to make the end straight) and about 2" of wast on the back end (last piece cut).

 

 

After the first glue up is dried and out of the clamps, it is run through the drum sander to level it out. Then I take it to the table saw to cross cut it into 60 degree strips. I don't have a photo of this process but you get the idea. I use an Incra 5000 miter sled (which I absolutly love!) and set the angle at 60 degrees (on the Incra set up the protractor head when it is perpendicular to the blade it shows "0" as opposed to "90" degrees. So on the protractor I put it to "30" degrees.) I make the first cut to trim up the one end to make it straight (this is about 1" of waste). Then I measure over from the outside of the blade 1 1/16" and then clamp a piece of wood to the table saw as a "Stop Block". Then I will slide the board over until it is against the stop block and then slide the fence stop on the Incra sled to the edge of the board and then use a "T-slot" clamp in one of the slots on the Incra sled to keep the board from moving. Then I make a cut, losen the fence stop and clamp, then move the board over to the left away from the blade so that it doesn't drag on the spinning blade as I pull it back towards me. Then I repeat the process until I got all the strips cross cut. I do this while the saw is running as I am typically cutting about 18 strips so turning the saw off and waiting for it to stop, then moving the board and starting it back up again takes a long time. So this is done very carefully and methodically.

 

Here is the Incra 5000 sled from an online photo and mine hanging on the back of my table saw. I really love this sled!

 

 

 

 

Once the strips are all cut I lay them out in the pattern (flipping every other strip end for end and rotating) making sure that everything lines up and there are no gaps. Then I will give a light sand to the edges of the strips to get rid of any "fuzz" left from the saw blade so I can get a good fit and can clearly see the joints when I am gluing. I will then lay the strips into the gluing tray and get everything lined up perfectly and then use a clamp from side to side to get the sliding fence perfectly straight and snug so the strips won't move during the glue up. Here are a few photos of the tray and the process.

 

 

The tray is made from white melamine from Home Depot. As you can see some of the melamine peeled up, so I plan on making new ones using formica which the glue will not stick to. But in the mean time, I covered the surface with clear packing tape as glue won't stick to it. I also wrap all of my cauls with the packing tape which works wonderfully. The back and one side is made from solid wood 3/4" thick and 1 1/2" wide glued and screwed to the base. The sliding side fence uses a "T-slot" done on the router table and set up with the bolt and nut fitted into the slot. I will pick up some "T-slot" fasteners and knobs from Rockler the next time I go there for my next generation trays.

 

 

Here is the 2nd glue up in the tray. I start the clamping in the middle and then the two sides. I find that there is less chance of movement doing it this way. Once I get all 3 clamps done tightly I will losen them a bit and then add the cauls to keep things flat and then re-tighten the clamps. I use Tightbond-III glue so you have longer open time than TB-I or TB-II, but you still have to move pretty fast with it.

 

 

Here it is after the clamps have been removed. While the glue doesn't stick to the packing tape, I still have to remove the sliding fence and then pry up the edge of the board to remove it from the tray.

 

 

After removing the board from the tray, the bottom side of the board still has some wet glue due to lack of air flow since it is sitting on the tape. I set the boards aside for an hour or two with the wet side up to dry before I run them through the drum sander. Once that is done, then it is time to do the final trimming, edge routing and sanding. Then onto the rubber feet and mineral oil finish.

 

Here are the 4 boards I got done today. The one on the top left has 1 more strip than the others so it will be about 12"x9" as opposed to 12"x8" when completed. This is a really good size for most folks as I sell very few larger boards due to the weight and limited counter space or storage and that most people put their boards out for display as they look pretty. Most people tell me that they are afraid to cut on something so pretty, but my mother-in-law came up with the answer which I pass along. She uses the back side of the cutting board for use and uses the front side for show.

 

 

And here is what the final product looks like trimmed up and finished with mineral oil.

 

 

So hopefully this gives you a few ideas for your future 3D boards. I first saw these on "This Website". The guy uses biscuits, which will be beneficial for some added strength and alignment. But I have found that sometimes biscuits will swell and can cause some issues as well as being more time consuming. So I do not use biscuits with any of my cutting boards. With the addition of the gluing trays, I can do the 2nd glue ups at one time with up to 9 pieces as opposed to doing 2 strips at a time and then gluing them together again which is very time consuming. Like I said above, I will be making some other trays down the road to make them better.

Excellent job Allen. Nice clear instructions. Nice looking boards too. Might be a good use for small pieces for me. Thanks, bob

 

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Bob Kloes
www.bobkloes.com

Great job Allen. Might have to try this. Thanks for sharing.

 

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Wayne Mahler
God bless and protect our troops that serve so we can be free.

Great Tutorial!! 

 

Really like the glue-up Tray. I have been using an old piece of 1" thick Corian (discarded piece of counter top) as a gluing base. It might work for your tray, just a little heavy.

Allen, thanks for the great pictorial and tutorial. That is awesome. I have got to make a few of those.

 

Great looking boards. I would not have thought about the melamine coming off from the glue up. Glad to know that so I don't go down that path. I think I know where I can get an old Formica counter top and cut it down. I really like that gluing tray.

 

 

 

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John Moody
John Moody Woodworks
http://www.johnmoodywoodworks.com

At church on Sunday I talked to my friend who owns a cabinet shop to see if he had any scrap sheet laminate sitting around his shop. He said that he had plenty so just stop by the shop. I stopped in yesterday and got 2 pieces that will more than suit my needs to build a few trays and have some left over for other stuff that comes up. The melamine that I used was just the cheap Home Depot stuff that they sell as shelving material which has a very thin layer, so it wasn't a real surprise. I also tried putting down a layer of wax paper on the tray which works well but the paper will stick to the bottom of the cutting board and you have to peel it off in pieces. But since it gets ran through the drum sander it is not a big deal. I started using the clear packing tape on all of my cauls a few years ago and that has been great! The glue does not stick to it all so I just have to wipe them off when done. It is cheap (picked up a bunch of rolls for cheap at Harbor Freight) and easy. Once I get around to making the new gluing trays I will shoot you some photos.

John Moody said:

Allen, thanks for the great pictorial and tutorial. That is awesome. I have got to make a few of those.

 

Great looking boards. I would not have thought about the melamine coming off from the glue up. Glad to know that so I don't go down that path. I think I know where I can get an old Formica counter top and cut it down. I really like that gluing tray.

 

 

 

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John Moody

John Moody Woodworks

http://www.johnmoodywoodworks.com

After you trim the pieces are there cut offs that you use to square up the ends are do you make pieces to fit?

 

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John Moody
John Moody Woodworks
http://www.johnmoodywoodworks.com

I do not fill in the zig-zg ends. I cut off the zig-zag ends to bring it to the final dimensions.

Allen, you have done a fine work.  Thanks for the post!

 

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Ron Dudelston
Above and Beyond WoodWorks

Thanks Allen. Gives me some motivation to try it myself

 

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My job is to give my kids things to discuss with their therapist

Allen I keep coming back and reading this.  These boards are so captivating I am going to have to try this.

Thanks again Allen

 

 

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Wayne Mahler
God bless and protect our troops that serve so we can be free.