Must Be Cutting Board Season

[Vaughn McMillan]

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.

http://tg3k.com/WorkingWoods/Cutting%20Boards/3-D%20Board%201.jpg

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.

http://tg3k.com/WorkingWoods/Cutting%20Boards/3-D%20Board%202a.jpg

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.

http://tg3k.com/WorkingWoods/Cutting%20Boards/3-D%20Board%20Detail.jpg

I'm open to comments or suggestions, including suggested sales prices.

Thanks for looking -

- Vaughn

[Michael Stafford]

Vaughn, that is most spectacular!!! I would never cut anything on a board that decorative and beautiful. That piece would hang on the wall in the kitchen as decorations.... Very nice!!!! :)

[egon reske]

Are not cutting boards supposed to be flat?

Egon:D

[Bill Lewis]

Hey, Just what you need when handling very sharp instruments, something to mess with your depth perception!:) :) :)

[Matt Meiser]

Very cool...

[Richard Wolf]

That looks great. Really nice job. No clue on a price?

Richard

[Mark Singer]

Vaughn,

Great job! Lots of snall pieces and they fit perfect! Beautiful!!!

[Jim Hinze]

Verry cool Vaughn, nice pattern...

[Corey Hallagan]

Great work there Vaughn, that looks spectacular! I love the effect. Miters look great!

Corey

[Jason Tuinstra]

Vaughn, very nice. And you're photography on that first picture is stellar! Very crisp and clean.

[Brad Tallis]

Are not cutting boards supposed to be flat?

Egon:D

Ya, he'll have to start selling the cutting boards with this kind of knife...:D

http://home.comcast.net/%7Estarjumper/images/Untitled-1.jpg

PS. Vaughn, the board looks awesome! I really like it...

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Works of art should not be damaged. Just hang that baby on the wall and call it done. Alan in Md.

[Vaughn McMillan]

Ya, he'll have to start selling the cutting boards with this kind of knife...:D

http://home.comcast.net/%7Estarjumper/images/Untitled-1.jpg

PS. Vaughn, the board looks awesome! I really like it...
Yer killin' me Brad (and Egon, too). That's hilarious! I may just have to put that picture on my website.

Thanks all for the nice compliments. Several of you have hit on the two comments I hear most frequently about my cutting boards: They're too nice to cut on, and they should be displayed as art. I guess that's sort of the goal, although I tell my customers that the boards can indeed be used for cutting, and if (or when) they get scratched, a bit of sandpaper and mineral oil makes them look like new again.

Mark mentioned the "lots of small pieces" aspect. It's 70...I counted. The fabrication is really a pretty simple process. This board (and another like it) were the prototypes, and I'm currently working on another pair. As I build the new pair, I'm photographing the various steps, and hope to create a tutorial to share here on SMC (similar to the one Mike Schwing did a couple of years ago in the Articles and Reviews forum (http://sawmillcreek.org/forumdisplay.php?f=13)).

Richard, coming up with prices has so far been the hardest part of woodworking for me. I've seen prices all over the scale, although anything comparable in looks, finish and wood selection is generally in the $50 to $100 range. I think I've shortchanged myself on the boards I've sold so far at between $30 and $45. They are not this design, but they are very nice in their own right. I'm thinking somewhere in the $70 to $80 range for this one. The next boards using this design will be a bit bigger and thicker, and I'll probably price them a bit higher. I'm open to any pricing suggestions from others here.

Thanks again all -

- Vaughn

[Michael Stafford]

I meant to ask when I responded to your post the first time....What kind of glue are you using? I have made a few with Titebond II with no problems. I have also tried polyurethane glue, messy but strong and waterproof.

[Vaughn McMillan]

Mike, I've been using Titebond II. I wish it has a little longer working time, especially in the hot weather, but I've had no problems as long as I used enough of it. I did a test board a couple months back where I only applied glue to one side of the joint, and it didn't hold as well as I needed it to. (I did the "Incra" style board, and when I cut the ends off to flip them, I had several joint failures.) Since then, I brush the glue on both surfaces and deal with the squeeze out as best I can. (Wet paper towels, then once the glue's cured, a belt sander with a 50 grit belt.)

I've used Gorilla glue on a couple other projects, but as you said, it was pretty messy. It also seemed harder to sand off once it was cured.

- Vaughn

[Norman Hitt]

Are not cutting boards supposed to be flat?

Egon:D

Naaah, Egon, that top surface is to mimic the effect that some Saw and other tool tops use,( you know the ..............Grind, that lets the material slide across it easier). With this type of board, you lay the knife down flat on it's handle and then slide the vegetable on the board across the knife to make the cut. :D

Vaughn, Beautiful job. Don't sell yourself short on the pricing though, because there's too much work and talent in that piece, and it is definitely not something that just anyone can duplicate with that kind of result. Finding the right marketing place will have a lot to do with the prices you can command also. I sure understand your pricing delima though, as that has always been the hardest thing for me arrive at.

[Richard Wolf]

Vaughn, you don't say where you are or plan to sell these works of art. I have alot of experience with craft fairs, LOML is a pro crafters for the last 12 years and makes alot of money and at one time I gave it a try as long as I was there anyway.
People, in general don't spend for high ticket items at craft fairs, tops, in general is under $50.00. If you put these items in a gallery, they will take in the 40% range, so the gallery will have to mark them at $85.00 for you to see the $50.00.
My advice to you would be to make these as quickly and "cheaply" as possible and sell them yourself for as much as the market will bare, maybe $45.00. Work on your mass production techniques and jigs and fixtures to accomplish this.
Believe me, I am not
telling you to prostitute your work, but the high traffic, cash sales at a craft fair can make you some money.
There are alot of down sides to craft fairs; long days, bad weather, people trying to bargin the price down even lower. People want something like your cutting boards but don't want to pay a fair price, and most of them don't really know quality when it comes to woodworking anyway.
One of my items was shaker oval boxes from cherry and lacewood, I was trying to sell them for $7.00 or $8.00. Some crafter down the block was selling cardboard ones with a flower decal on top for $5.00. People where buying his, I still give mine away as gifts.
I also made some solid cherry shaker wall clocks that in the end I tried to get rid of for $85.00, I think they cost me about $55.00 to make. Never sold one. You can see why I no longer sell at craft fairs, I only act as cheap (read free) labor.
But you have a nice item that maybe different enough to generate sales until someone notices you and shows up at the next fair with cutting boards like yours for $5.00 less.
Anyway, I'm rambling on here, Best of Luck, go make some money and I wish you well.

Richard

[Vaughn McMillan]

Thanks for the additional advice, Richard. I've checked some of the local craft fairs, and my observations seem to match what you're saying...the people shopping there are not the typical people who would spend big bucks for what's really a luxury item. I'm leaning more towards commission sales at galleries and boutique kitchen/wine/cheese shops in relatively high-end neighborhoods. (I'm in Southern California, so I have access to places like Beverly Hills, Pasadena, and the beach cities like Laguna and Huntington.) I have a neighbor in the art business who has some good connections in these areas, but I have yet to really pursue them. So far all my sales have been word-of-mouth, and although I wouldn't call them brisk, they've been frequent enough to keep me busy in most of my spare time. However, if I could increase the sales volume, I could afford tools (a drum sander, for example) that would greatly speed up the process, thusly increasing the production volume. It's an upward spiral the real pro woodworkers like you get to wrestle with all the time, I guess.

Thanks again for the insight -

- Vaughn

[Steveo O'Banion]

Richard, coming up with prices has so far been the hardest part of woodworking for me. I've seen prices all over the scale, although anything comparable in looks, finish and wood selection is generally in the $50 to $100 range. I think I've shortchanged myself on the boards I've sold so far at between $30 and $45.

First of all, they are very sexy looking boards. Can't wait to try some.

Price depends on your audience. I have a friend from high school that sold his first 10 end grain boards at a show in Chicago a few years back in less than 2 hours. He realized then that $140.00 was too low a price!

Steve