CUTTING BOARD PLAN OF PROCEDURE
1st time students make regular cutting boards
1. Gather 9 strips of hard wood. Use at
least 6 pieces of maple (the white
lumber) other choices include red oak,
walnut and cherry.
2. Check to see if you have a tight fit,
if not; get permission to run the
irregular edge through the jointer at a
steady speed. Look for loose knots or
cracks and position the wood
accordingly.
3. Lay butcher paper on the bench top
and place 2 bar clamps on the paper.
Have a wet paper towel and glue
ready.
4. Lay your wood strips on the clamps,
slide the last piece back and turn the
rest 1/4 turn. Have Mr. Ford okay
the lay out before you proceed.
Repeat students make end grain cutting boards.
5. Squeeze glue over 3 pieces at a
time. Carefully spread the glue along
the entire surface with one index
finger. (Watch for slivers!)
6. Wipe your finger off with a wet
paper towel. Slide the glued strips
toward the screw handles, slide the
clamps tight. Place another clamp over
the top. Tighten all clamps.
7. Carry the paper & clamped boards
to the floor.
8. The next day, unclamp the boards
and replace the clamps and recycle the
paper.
9. Get a bench stop and glue scraper.
Clamp the board to the bench top.
Wear safety glasses and scrape off the
excess glue.
10. Have Mr. Ford run the board
through the planer.
11. Get permission to run the edges
though the jointer.
12. Trim your ends using a miter
gauge on the table saw with Mr.
Ford’s assistance.
13. Trace around a putty can with a
pencil to mark your rounded corners.
14. Trim straight across using a band
saw & sand to the pencil line using a
belt/disc sander.
15. (Optional) Drill a large hole with a
spade bit.
Have Mr. Ford assist you.
16. Use a hand screw clamp to clamp
your board to the bench top. Use a
router to round your edges.
Feed the router counter-clockwise on
exterior cuts.
17. The sanding order is 100-150-raise
the grain-150-220. Get permission to
move between grits.
18. Using vise protectors, sand the end
grain with 100 grit sand paper by
hand. End grain will take the longest
to sand, so display patience.
Remember to break in the sand paper
and fold it in thirds.
19. Sand the edges by hand.
20. Using a bench stop and vise dog
with wood protectors, use a finish
sander to sand the surfaces.
21. Get permission to move to 150
grit. Repeat steps18 – 19 - 20 with
150 grit.
22. Get permission to raise the grain.
Bring your board to the sink and rinse
off the dust. This will bring the bent
fibers back up so you can sand it off
the next day. Place on a paper towel to
dry. Lean it against the wall so air can
circulate around it.
23. Repeat steps18 – 19 - 20 with 150
grit
24. Get permission to move to 220
grit. Sand 220 – ends & edges by
hand, the surfaces with a finish sander.
25. After final inspection from Mr.
Ford, apply mineral oil to the entire
board.
26. Wipe off and rub in the oil with a
rag of dry paper towel.
27. Tell Mr. Ford which woods you
used and get marked off as finished.
28. Wrap in fresh butcher paper and
take home.