Woodworking log #9
Hrmpf... well, I stand by my mistakes. And that cutting board project did reveal some details I need to work on. Both in my skills as well as my tools. First off: I like the end result. It's better quality than what I've ever made before and it is very much fit for the task. However, there are two things that bug me to no end.
Number one: I somehow managed to cut down to size at a weird angle, even though I used all rulers/guides/fences available. That needs investigation. Maybe my miter saw needs tuning? You can see the slanted pattern here:
Number two: I need some tool to help me sand a surface FLAT. Not just smooth, but flat. Because the individual pieces were not 100% even after cutting the final stips, they needed quite a lot of sanding... end grain sanding, extremely hard wood... of course it took some time and I managed to get the surface somewhat even but again, not 100% perfect. A drum sander would be awesome but is beyond budget or space constraints. Need to improvise something. *adds to list*
After swallowing my anger about the two hickups, I added a nice roundover on the top side and a barely visible one on the bottom side. I also routed out the "handles" on the bottom side. Here's a pic that shows my improvised setup for router guides and one of the handles finished:
Up next: finishing! I got myself a can of cutting board oil ("butcher block oil") and put on about six coats on the top and about four on the bottom and sides. I might sand a bit more and repeat that after the first week or two of use, so I can see if this treatment was enough:
Finally, time for dinner! Tastes twice as good when you can enjoy the fruits of your labor!
And as a sidenote: I also continued the workbench project. Finally have made enough room to put it down where it should go... I can't finish it on the weekend however since the top boards need some cutting and, well.. you know: neighbors and noise on holidays. Not good. Tuesday it is then...
Number one: I somehow managed to cut down to size at a weird angle, even though I used all rulers/guides/fences available. That needs investigation. Maybe my miter saw needs tuning? You can see the slanted pattern here:
Number two: I need some tool to help me sand a surface FLAT. Not just smooth, but flat. Because the individual pieces were not 100% even after cutting the final stips, they needed quite a lot of sanding... end grain sanding, extremely hard wood... of course it took some time and I managed to get the surface somewhat even but again, not 100% perfect. A drum sander would be awesome but is beyond budget or space constraints. Need to improvise something. *adds to list*
After swallowing my anger about the two hickups, I added a nice roundover on the top side and a barely visible one on the bottom side. I also routed out the "handles" on the bottom side. Here's a pic that shows my improvised setup for router guides and one of the handles finished:
Up next: finishing! I got myself a can of cutting board oil ("butcher block oil") and put on about six coats on the top and about four on the bottom and sides. I might sand a bit more and repeat that after the first week or two of use, so I can see if this treatment was enough:
Finally, time for dinner! Tastes twice as good when you can enjoy the fruits of your labor!
And as a sidenote: I also continued the workbench project. Finally have made enough room to put it down where it should go... I can't finish it on the weekend however since the top boards need some cutting and, well.. you know: neighbors and noise on holidays. Not good. Tuesday it is then...
