Quilt Pattern Cutting/Serving Board

[Vaughn McMillan]

Sorry, but I feel compelled to remove the text and pics in this post. I cannot publicly explain my reasons for doing so, but if you would like more information about the project or the reasons why it was removed, I can be contacted at SMC -at- tg3k.com.

[John Hart]

It's just dazzling Vaughn. The colors are complimentary with just the right contrast, and the pattern in captivating. You are a master! I really like the finish too.:)

[Keel McDonald]

Vaughn,

Breath-taking! That's amazing work and craftsmanship. Thanks for sharing.

[William Lewis]

That is a Beautiful board, did you put some kind of hanger on the back so they can hang it up? Way to nice to let a knife touch it.

William Lewis

[John Miliunas]

Nope, that ain't no cuttin' board!!!:eek: Holy smokes, Vaughn, you've gone and outdone yourself on this one!!!:D In the past, I've made what I felt were some pretty nice cutting boards but, this one is over the top! I'd understand seeing mine end up in someone's fireplace compared to this bad boy!:D Incredible. Yeah, definitely want the diatribe and pics for "how to" on this one! Great job, Vaughn!:) :cool:

[Kent Parker]

Vaughn,

Great job! I hope your also making a stand to display it. This is no cutting board, this is artistry!!

Cheers,
Kent

[Ralph Barhorst]

That is awesome. I would really like to see how you did it. My wife is a quilter and I know she would love to have one.

[Jason Tuinstra]

Vaughn,

Good grief! That's excellent! Once again, you're the man! You should send one of those to Emeril or Rachel Ray or one of your favorite Food Network cooks (don't tell me you don't have one! :p ) and see if they use it. It could be the end of your free time :p

Looks good! Keep up the good work.

[Andy Hoyt]

But it is Wicked Good!

A real beauty, Vaughn. Congrats

[Lee DeRaud]

Great stuff, Vaughn. And from this point on, you can use Al Ladd's web site for pricing guidelines...it's in that league.

[Don Baer]

You've realy outdone yourself on this one Vaughn.

[john whittaker]

OH MY...:eek:
Some say foo foo...some say fru fru....but we all agree...this is fab fab fabulous. Great work and please post progress pics. I too have admired this technique and would like to make an attempt at it....your help is most appreciated. I should copy some of your moves.
Now let see....where can I buy some green shop carpet:rolleyes:

[jerry cousins]

really very nice - great use of the woods

jerry

[Travis Porter]

You are obviously a cutting board master.

[Frank Chaffee]

Vaughn,

Terrific board! Nice endgrain, and fantastic color selection for your woods.

It has been really wonderful watching the rapid development of your skills over this short period of time. Now that you have shared the site of the woodworker who is inspiring you, I really really look forward to seeing more of your work!

Frank

[Zahid Naqvi]

Vaughn, I'd love to see something which qualifies as perfect in your book, I can't see anything wrong with this board. Superb, as usual.

[John Bailey]

You a major boarder, Man!! Put some handles on it, that puppy's a serving board.

John

[Vaughn McMillan]

You a major boarder, Man!! Put some handles on it, that puppy's a serving board.

John
You mean like this? ;)

http://workingwoods.com/workingwoods/Cutting%20Boards/Tutorial24.jpg

Thanks all of you for the kind comments. I get a lot of my motivation from the SMC gang. I delivered the board today to the co-worker who ordered it, and she was pretty blown away. I think one of my biggest thrills when it comes to woodworking is seeing the reaction people have when they see it.

Kent, I like the idea of making a stand for the board. I'll have to ponder that one for a bit and see what I could do that'd be neat, fast, and not too pricy.

Thanks again -

- Vaughn

[John Bailey]

Vaughn,

Naw, up here in Northern Michigan, we'd use that one for snow shoes!:D

John

[Jim Becker]

Excellent design...very unique for a cutting board. Beautiful!

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

Hey Vaughn....................That is great!!!!!!!!!!

BTW. If people want PERFECT, they aren't looking for "Hand Crafted." I'll show you what I mean in several days, when I post my sons New Chess Set.

Bruce

[Michael Stafford]

Vaughn, I have said it before and I'll say it again. Your work is art not just for utilitarian use. People smart enough to buy one of your works of art will display it and would shudder at the thought of a knife touching it. Me, I would hang it on the wall and decorate my world... Just wonderful work!:D

[Nate Rogers]

I have been whipping up few cutting boards for gifts...I hope nobody who is getting one of mine see's this...Holly Cow that is just gorgeous!!!

Nice Work

Nate

[Mark Stutz]

WOW. Didn't need my morning coffee to open my eyes for this! Hard to find another adjective to describe it.

Your method of glueing up logs and cutting off the squares is very nice...and true to the actual method of quilt construction. As a child I watched my grandmother make many quilts. She would typically sew very small scraps into blocks about 6 in. square, then sew the blocks together.

I note you flattened it with your belt sander. Sounds like you were les than satisfied with it. You should give some thought to using a low angle jack plane. One of the original uses for the low angle Stanley was to flatten butcher blocks! Sort of a big block plane. It should work well for this purpose, though neeeds to be SHARP.

Keep up the good work.

[Shelley Bolster]

Wow Vaughn.......outta the ball park with this one! :D I am torn however, between these two great suggestions.

Jason wrote.........
You should send one of those to Emeril or Rachel Ray or one of your favorite Food Network cooks (don't tell me you don't have one! :p ) and see if they use it. It could be the end of your free time :p
What fantastic exposure for you - great idea Jason.


On the flip side of the coin is Big Mikes reply.......

People smart enough to buy one of your works of art will display it and would shudder at the thought of a knife touching it. Me, I would hang it on the wall and decorate my world...

Man Mike, me too! With regards to the part about not touching it with a knife.:eek:

So am I understanding your idea right here Vaughn? You are planing on gluing up a long piece with the segments and then slicing off the cutting board akin to slicing a loaf of bread? It is the same technique they use when making polymer clay beads and such.....have you ever tried it using it with segmented glue ups before? If it works to your liking, your time spent would be "sliced" drastically! ;)

[Todd Davidson]

Fantastic work Vaughn. LOVE the mandala / Escher-esque feel.

[Russ Massery]

What can I say that hasn't been already said but other than, MOST EXCELLENT!:D

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Vaughn.....your skills have come a long way friend! Superbly done!

[Dan Forman]

Did anyone say magnificent yet? What kind of glue do you use for cutting boards?

Dan

[Doug Shepard]

...
but you still won't find anything like it at your local Wal-Mart.


Awesome! I want one! When do you think Wal-Mart will start carrying those?:D

[Corey Hallagan]

Nice work Vaughn, Great looking board! I wouldn't cut into that board either!
Corey

[Vaughn McMillan]

Thanks again for all the encouragement. I appreciate getting positive comments from folks I look up and whose work I admire. In response to a few of the questions and comments...

I didn't know a low angle block plane would be useful for flattening end grain. I really need to learn to set up and use a plane, and which ones are for what. I own a few planes, but I can't figure out where to plug them in. ;)

From what I've read on the web, Emeril uses boards and chopping blocks from several different sources (including John Boos), and there is one small board maker that also claims to have boards on several of the Food Network shows. (I had a link to their site, but can't seem to find it. They do nice work as I recall.) I think ideally I'd like to make two types of boards -- users and lookers. Users would have less ornamentation and get a deep mineral oil finish, and lookers would be more elaborate and get something more like salad bowl finish...still safe for food but not intended for knife work.

Regarding glue...I used plastic resin glue (the DAP/Weldwood powdered stuff) for the initial "log" glue-ups, since I wanted the longer working time to get things lined up as straight and square as possible, and Titebond II to glue together the 9 squares that make up the center section, as well as on the border pieces.

I will indeed post some in-progress pics in a day or so with a description of the things I learned not to do on the next one. And just for grins, I put bigger versions of the two pics here (http://workingwoods.com/workingwoods/cutting%20boards/Quilt%20Board%201a%201200.jpg) and here (http://workingwoods.com/workingwoods/cutting%20boards/Quilt%20Board%201g%201200.jpg). You can see the imperfections better that way. :o

- Vaughn

[Jay Knoll]

Super job!

[Mark Stutz]

Vaughn,
I'm not sure a block plane is big enough. Low angle planes do work well on end grain. What you would need is a low angle bench plane. Both Lee Valley and Lie-Nielsen have them. LV has several models to choose from. Lots of info on the Neander side. Check out Derek Cohens (SMC member) site for reviews of these.

Mark

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I'm sorry to tell you this Vaughn. You must go see your eye doctor.....There are no imperfections there my friend! Fantastic work!

[Vaughn McMillan]

Thanks for the tip, Mark. I need to drop in on the Neander forum more often to get more up to speed on planes, and I'll look up Derek's site.

- Vaughn

[Dick Parr]

Wow Vaughn, sorry I missed this thread earlier. That is a challenging project, and a beautiful one at that.

Really Great Job.:)