PDA

View Full Version : Joining cutting boards?



BoomerangInfo
15th October 2009, 08:04 AM
So,

Those of you who have made cutting board moulds before, how have you joined the sides together?

The old ones I did were about 12mm thick, and I managed to find some small screws and get them joined, although I had some grief with the holes cracking in a few places, as the material is rather brittle.

Well, I've been looking for some more boards everywhere, and these days the thickness has shrunk drastically. Most of them are only about 3mm thick now, but I managed to pick up some that are 7mm thick. I'm thinking if I try and screw these together, I may have limited success.

They're not going to glue together successfully I don't think. I was going to put a silicon sealant bead between each surface, but that was mainly to leak-proof the whole thing. That won't be strong enough to stop it falling apart when removing the resin.

Any suggestions?

Thanks. Russell.

schaf
15th October 2009, 08:44 AM
Russell, I use 16mm melamine board instead of the cutting boards.
The resin does not stick to the melamine. Still use the silicon bead to seal.

Terry

BoomerangInfo
15th October 2009, 08:56 AM
Russell, I use 16mm melamine board instead of the cutting boards.
The resin does not stick to the melamine. Still use the silicon bead to seal.

Terry

Hmm, good idea. Is that melamine coated chipboard, or MDF? That would make joining simpler, although it's going to make the mould a lot larger to fit in the pressure pot.

Russell.

NewLondon88
15th October 2009, 10:08 AM
I used 90 degree corner clamps and pre-drilled the holes. (clear the chips often, they'll
re-melt inside the holes) and then it screws together much easier. A bit of wax on the
screws helps, too.

I also use the silicone sealer on the seams, but a hot melt glue gun will work, too.
Use whatever you can smooth out the best. .. not for the looks, but so that the blanks
don't have anything to grab onto once they set.

MBUMIK
15th October 2009, 04:28 PM
has anyone tried their local cabinet manufacturer??

they would have off cuts of laminex which could then be glued to any material to make boxes out of

the resin should release from laminex easily, at a guess

MIK

schaf
15th October 2009, 04:29 PM
Either or Russell, they both work.

Resination
16th October 2009, 08:37 AM
When I made some, I cut lock joints at the corners and just ran a dado for the bottom. A piece of tape around the perimeter holds it together and no sealant used at all with no leaks or sticking in the mold.:2tsup:

BoomerangInfo
16th October 2009, 10:04 PM
When I made some, I cut lock joints at the corners and just ran a dado for the bottom. A piece of tape around the perimeter holds it together and no sealant used at all with no leaks or sticking in the mold.:2tsup:

Well Joinery isn't my string suit I'm afraid. What's a lock joint? A dovetail?

Russell.

Resination
17th October 2009, 12:19 AM
Even though this isn't exactly like mine because of the material thickness, it should give you an idea.

How To Cut a Lock Joint : How-To : DIY Network (http://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/how-to-cut-a-lock-joint/index.html)

Hope that helps you.

BoomerangInfo
17th October 2009, 07:07 AM
Ahh OK, I see now.

Could be a bit tricky as my table saw kerf is 1/2 the thickness of the cutting board :(

It's given me some ideas though at least.

Thanks. Russell.

texx
22nd November 2009, 02:41 PM
hey russell when i was in toowoomba on wednesday i called into campbells ware house and spotted cutting boards of the thicker variety .
i bought one they are the same as the ones we use in our shop .
they come in white, green , brown . yellow, red , the are 380 x 510 x 13 mm $15.00 each .
i have just made a mold out of some of it . i marked out the cuts , then cut it on my sliding compound saw and just screwed it together using 25mm gyprock screws no probs at all .
pre drilled little hole to help them in .
the boards are quite soft not a sign of a crack while screwing.
i made a mold big enough to get 5 3/4 inch blanks out of and never even used half the board .
if i get brave enough to cop the heat in the shed i am about to have my first crack at casting this arvo
so if you know some one near you that has a campbells card ( you need one to shop in there ) get them to grab you one or 2 of those boards , i would get them for you but how would i get them to you .
let me know if you want to work some thing out

P.S. the boards have a texture finish on them but i dont think that will be a problem i will soon find out anyway.

BoomerangInfo
22nd November 2009, 06:15 PM
hey russell when i was in toowoomba on wednesday i called into campbells ware house and spotted cutting boards of the thicker variety .
i bought one they are the same as the ones we use in our shop .
they come in white, green , brown . yellow, red , the are 380 x 510 x 13 mm $15.00 each .
i have just made a mold out of some of it . i marked out the cuts , then cut it on my sliding compound saw and just screwed it together using 25mm gyprock screws no probs at all .
pre drilled little hole to help them in .
the boards are quite soft not a sign of a crack while screwing.
i made a mold big enough to get 5 3/4 inch blanks out of and never even used half the board .
if i get brave enough to cop the heat in the shed i am about to have my first crack at casting this arvo
so if you know some one near you that has a campbells card ( you need one to shop in there ) get them to grab you one or 2 of those boards , i would get them for you but how would i get them to you .
let me know if you want to work some thing out

P.S. the boards have a texture finish on them but i dont think that will be a problem i will soon find out anyway.

Thanks for letting me know. Don't know anyone with a Campbell's card offhand, but as I have no immediate need for them at the moment, maybe we cna work something out in future if I need them? We do get up to Toowoomba occassionally. Not sure how often you are there, but we'll cross those bridges when we come to them.

Thanks again.
Russell.

texx
22nd November 2009, 06:26 PM
i am there every wednesday , i could buy them and leave them at a mates fruit shop or some where else and you could pick them up from him .
just let me know when you will be in toowoomba .
i just made a mold today and did my first ever cast and i am quite happy with .
was so happy i ripped up to the shed and made another cast only this time in those little ice cube molds the ones from woolies .
the bigger slab is parra colours yellow and blue and the small ones which aint set yet ( cos just done em )are red and white.

dj_pnevans
22nd November 2009, 09:45 PM
Hay Russell try this site I have sent an email. High Density Polyethylene HDPE sheets, cut to size, full sheets, panels (http://allstarplastics.com.au/hdpe.htm)
David

Dorno
23rd November 2009, 08:11 PM
Hey Russell
I found that at target they had some cutting boards that were quite thick and the one I bought cost me around twenty bucks for a decent size board.

Hope this helps Cheers Ian

BoomerangInfo
26th November 2009, 06:51 AM
Hey Russell
I found that at target they had some cutting boards that were quite thick and the one I bought cost me around twenty bucks for a decent size board.

Hope this helps Cheers Ian

$20 is a bit more than I was hoping to pay unfortunately, which is probably part of the problem - I'm cheap :p

I may have a custom order, and have to create a mould to do it, so I guess I'll be out in the shed this weekend experimenting with new designs. As I have some old cutting board still, I'll start there and see how I go. Just hope I have somed small screws somewhere.

Thanks all for the advice.

Russell.