Cutting Board Blood Groove

[Andy London]

Nice Job Andy,

I like the reservoir idea, it makes the size of the blood groove less of an issue. I also like the oval shape as compared to the more traditional rectangle.

It was a good excuse to buy a pin router arm, I had always wondered what they were for and this was a great project for it.

I used template bits for the outside also, just did a rough cut on the bandsaw, the resturant wanted them all to be exact.....which reminds me I should call and see if they want some more

Andy

[James Carmichael]

No one told me this was cutting board month on the Creek. I've seen more posts on making cutting boards in the past 3 weeks than all of time.

Mine is about 1/2"-wide with the resevoir. I agree with the earlier post about using a template guide: use a guide whose OD is 1/4" larger than your router bit, then the template just needs to be 1/8" larger than the outside edge of your blood grove.

If you've got a good template bushing, or one that's been cut to just under 1/4" height, you can just carpet-seam-tape 1/4" mdf, masonite, or plywood to the workpiece as your template.

[Joe Unni]

Thanks everyone for all of the responses.

I think I'll try the bushing/template route as I've a set of bushings that I've never used. I look forward to the new adventure.

Please let me understand:

Create template using 1/4" material ensuring its inside outside edge is 1/8" larger than the groove's outside edge.
I gather the template is created with care using jigsaw and sandpaper.
Once perfect - tape to cutting board surface and route.
Clockwise?

Am I missing anything?

Please excuse my ignorance.

Thanks,
-joe

[Joe Sahli]

Rule of thumb...

If you are routing a groove inside a template, than move the router in a clockwise direction. If you are routing outside a template, then move the router in a counter-clockwise direction. This tip will help to prevent wander and helps to keep the router against the template.

[Alan Lightstone]

No one told me this was cutting board month on the Creek. I've seen more posts on making cutting boards in the past 3 weeks than all of time.

Maybe tis the season, with Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Channukah coming up.

(so spoken by one who has posted a cutting board post).

[Mike McCann]

I have a store bought cutting board that my wife had. I measured the bood groove it is 1/2" wide 1/4" deep

[Art Mulder]

Hold on, hold on... this is a SEVEN year old thread, folks. I suspect this problem was solved a while ago...

[Matt Zettl]

Joe,

I make a large cutting board with a blood groove and reservoir that I sell at a local kitchen store and a local craft gallery. The board is 22" x 16" x 1 3/4". When I originally designed it, I wanted a large blood groove that would hold the juice from any large roast, turkey, etc., with no risk of spilling over. I decided to use a tray bit. The one that I currently use is 1" bit from Onsrud. Also, I made the entire groove sloped toward the reservoir, and if you look closely at the photo, you can see this. The first ones I made required a complicated two part jig. After I got a CNC machine, the process became much more simple. I'm not suggesting that you do the same thing, but I would recommend making it wider and deeper than you think might be necessary. If it is shallow and narrow, and becomes completely filled, then there is an issue with emptying it. Carrying a large board with a bunch of juice sloshing around the edges may not be easy for some folks, and then you have juice all over the floor. I realize that mine is probably overkill, but it is one of the things that makes it unique. By the way, this one is made of jatoba.

Hope this helps.

Matt

Gourmet Cutting Board-1.jpg