Cutting Board Blood Groove

[Joe Unni]

Hey all,

I've got a request for a couple of cutting boards and the customer would like a blood groove included. I suspect a core box bit (I've got a 1/4" on hand) is in order. I just don't know how to get the groove evenly spaced from the edge all the way around.

Any thoughts, experiences and/or suggestions are welcome.

Thanks in advance,
-joe

[Steve Jenkins]

I'll try to splain.
Fasten the cutting board to your bench with double stick tape or with some small sticks thinnner than the board tacked to the bench. Next you will need 4 pieces of straight scrap a couple inches wide and about 1/4" thicker than your cutting board.
Set your router with the core box bit on the cutting boaerd where you want your groove. measure from the edge of the router base to the edge of the cutting board,(the router will be overhanging). Tack the four strips to the bench at this distance all the way around the cutting board. Now you have a fence for the edge of the router base to ride against.
You will want to go in a clockwise direction as you rout around the board.
a 1/4" bit is pretty small for that though.

[Doug Shepard]

Well it shouldn't be a whole lot different from doing an inlay channel around the edge of something. First pencil in lines to match the inside and outside of the cutter path (an Incra T-rule works really well for this). You can actually skip lines in the middle. You need them at the corners so you can see the intersection and know where to stop. You're going to need an edge guide of some sort - either a store bought one or something simple from scrap ply or hardboard with a fixed offset from the edge. You can do the corners in a couple of ways. Either locate the router bit at the intersection lines on each end of the cut and clamp stop blocks to the board at either end and cut in one pass. Or, you can clamp the router in place at the corner intersections and do a plunge cut to make all 4 corner holes, then skip the stop blocks. You'll be able to hear as well as see when you've met the hole at the corner - Just go real slow at the corners so you don't blow past the hole.

[George Grubaugh]

How about a template taped to your cutting board & a router bit w/ bearing to go around it?

George

[Keith Outten]

Is 1/2" the proper size for a blood groove?
What is the normal or average size of cutting boards?

I have a need to create a drawing for making cutting boards on my CNC router that would be used over and over to make cutting boards as gifts. I would like to get the size right the first time and maybe some dimentions would be beneficial to Joe as well. Maybe Joe has the dimentions since he is already working on his cutting board.

[Joe Unni]

Is 1/2" the proper size for a blood groove?
What is the normal or average size of cutting boards?

I have a need to create a drawing for making cutting boards on my CNC router that would be used over and over to make cutting boards as gifts. I would like to get the size right the first time and maybe some dimentions would be beneficial to Joe as well. Maybe Joe has the dimentions since he is already working on his cutting board.

I don't know if it's standard, but the boards I'm making are 13" x 18".

With regard to the 1/2" blood groove - is THAT the standard? I've got a 1/4" bit on hand - will that be too narrow?

-joe

[Bill Lewis]

I think the 1/4" would be too small.

My mother has has for years a really neat cutting board with a blood groove, and an inset spiked metal ring that would hold the meat in place. The grooves were at least 1/2".
Now if there were some place to find those spiked rings, that'd be cool.

[John Hart]

I don't think there's a "standard" size, but I like mine at 1/2"....seems to look better. It'll also hold more juices.

I frame my butcher block with a temporary rabitted "fence" for the bit shaft to ride on. Then, in the center, I place a sheet of plywood at the same height. (just tacked down to hold it secure. This creates a nice level surface for the router to ride and the fence ensures a good stable environment. This takes a few minutes but after all the work to make the cutting board, I want to guarantee my depth and smoothness.

[Kurt Aebi]

With the 1/4" bit, you could always take 2-passes. It doubles your chance for errer, but if you will be unable to get a 1/2" (or 9/16" - Whiteside makes those and I use one for Pen & Pencil Set Boxes) it will work. You will have to do a little finish work on the groove, but it will work.

I would suggest even getting a cheap 1/2" core-box bit, it would be easire if it were larger.

[Andy London]

I made a bunch of these for a steak house last year, I used a 5/8" core bit and made a template for the piece...first couple were touch and go but once I had the template just right they were a breeze...

http://www.picframer.ca/steakplate.jpg

[Keith Outten]

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.

[Dennis McDonaugh]

I just made an island cart with cutting board top and used the router edge-guide and 1/2" core box router bit. Didn't really require special jigs or templates for a square table.

[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... :D

[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

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