Let's finish up those end grain cutting boards

There are too many posts just dangling  out there - I still need to post pictures of that tall dresser I built and blogged about a couple of months ago, as well as wrap up the cutting board post. 

So - let's finish up these end grain boards.

After cutting and gluing the boards a second time, you end up with a wooden blank that still needs to be crosscut to form the small vertical pieces that will form the top of your end grain board. There were eight people in the class, and all eight made a blank, which was sawn into 1 1/4" strips. 

Cutting the board is easier with two people.

The cool part about this being a group project is that everyone put their strips on the table, and then we mixed and matched everyone's pieces together, making amazing boards. Here they are, grouped by each person's board blank. 

And here we are, grabbing for cool pieces of wood!

Now I've read in forums and magazines that say you can't run an end grain cutting board through a planer, but that's just not true. Sure, the tail end of the board can blow off, once it passes the cutter head unsupported. But the key to minimizing that is to glue a scrap board on the back end of the piece. I keep some 2x4s in the shop that work perfectly for this. Here's a board ready to be glued together.

Here are all the boards, awaiting the planer. 

This is another one of those "it takes a village" projects, with several people pushing the board into the planer, and someone on the back side, catching it as it exits the planer.

We still have to square up the board, as the ends are uneven. If your board is too big to fit on the miter gauge, just flip the miter gauge around and cut it the other way. 

One thing is certain - these boards need a lot of TLC - much more sanding than a regular cutting board. But - wow, they're worth every bit of the effort. I don't think you'll find a more gorgeous board out there!

 Congratulations to everyone for a job well done on these boards! These were a terrific team project, and everyone walked away with a masterpiece!