Looks like Matt Meiser and I have been up to some of the same stuff. Seems like cutting boards have become my second occupation.
Here are a few pics of my latest cutting/serving board attempt, finished last night. I've been calling it an experiment gone right (or a chess board gone wrong). It's made of walnut, yellow heart, and satine. I based the design on a grainy little picture I found on the web, with some of my own ideas thrown in for kicks. I was trying for a 3-D effect, and although the pictures don't really show it, it really does jump in and out (like an Escher drawing) when you're looking at it.
The board is about 10" by 10" by 5/8" thick. I used biscuits on the diagonal (semi-end grain) joints. I'd like to make some nice thick boards like Matt's soon. I'm just waiting to find a good price on 8/4 stock.
I'm pretty happy with the joinery on this one. Mitered corners have long been one of my weak spots, and although they're not perfect, they came out pretty good on this board. I literally did the final trimming (on the TS) by feel. I used a sacrificial fence on the miter gauge, and made the initial cut a inch or so from the end of the fence. Then I trimmed the lower part of that last inch off the fence, leaving a notch with the 45* surface exposed. Then I cut the frame pieces a little proud, then did the final trimming by moving the frame piece forward on the fence (into the cut area), feeling the difference between the cut in the fence and the 45* cut on the frame member. My fingertip is a lot more sensitive than my eyes, so I was able to trim paper-thin bits off the ends of the frame pieces.
This photo comes close to showing the yellow tones of the yellow heart wood. I think the red/brown/yellow color combination works nicely. I'm contemplating adding yellow heart feather splines (I think that's what they're called) on the edge of the corners, both for the look and for the extra strength. I'm working on a jig to do it, and I'll decide after I do some experimentation/practice with the jig.
I'm open to comments or suggestions, including suggested sales prices.
Thanks for looking -
- Vaughn
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