Making a Cutting Block the wrong way.

**Mutawintji** · 26th December 2022, 11:52 AM

Hi, long time since I posted here.

I made a cutting board for my grand daughter who is into cooking. I made it out of Crows Ash. My nephew (who is also into cooking) saw it and asked me if I could make one for him. I didn't have anymore Crows Ash, and I'm not really a woodworker. So I thought (stupidly) that I would make it out of the firewood, Red Ironbark. The Crows Ash had been easy, like shaping MDF. Not so the Ironbark, which split, cracked and fissures ran through it endlessly. it weighed nearly 40kg and by the time I milled it, it was down to 10.6kg

I started in August and I just finished now (December). So many many times I nearly gave up.

Chain1.jpg Chain2.jpg

Right from the start it had a big problem. Ironbarks are Lignoforms (or Lignotubers). Which means if the Ironbark is killed by bush-fire, the root ball lives on, resets to the juvenile age, and grows another tree. This second, or third, or fourth tree can sometimes totally enclose the previous skeleton killed in the fire. The piece I had cut not only had enclosed the previous tree, but had enclosed a fork in that tree. I'm not saying that one rattled around inside the other like old bones, but they were separate and that's what was causing all the fissures and cracks, once released from the main trunk.

**Mutawintji** · 26th December 2022, 12:02 PM

Keyed3.jpg Keyed2.jpg Keyed.jpg

**Mutawintji** · 26th December 2022, 12:11 PM

I used marine epoxy, 3-4 teaspoons at a time. Well, before it was finished I ended up using more than 120 teaspoons over a period of 2-3 months. To prevent the major cracking I built an epoxy clamp on each end of the block, and this settled it down in the main.

Epox1.jpg Epox2.jpg Epox3.jpg Epox4.jpg

**Mutawintji** · 26th December 2022, 12:15 PM

Mill1.jpg Mill2.jpg Mill3.jpg

**Mutawintji** · 26th December 2022, 12:19 PM

By the time I finished roughing it out it weighed 10.6 kg. Too heavy and big for a kitchen dish-rack to support.

SemiFinal.jpg SemiFinal2.jpg

**Mutawintji** · 26th December 2022, 12:27 PM

So I thought, I'll make a stand for it, and that will serve as a drain rack as well. I started out with 16mm bright-steel-bar. I don't have a bender, nor a jig. So I bent it by eye using a vice and a piece of 32mm pipe as a lever. No oxy set, so I used map gas. Though very slow to heat it does have the benefit of producing consistent bend-arcs and I actually prefer bending this way instead of the oxy set.

Steel1.jpg Steel2.jpg Steel3.jpg Steel4.jpg

**Mutawintji** · 26th December 2022, 12:32 PM

Steel5.jpg Steel6.jpg Steel7.jpg Steel8.jpg

**Mutawintji** · 26th December 2022, 12:37 PM

Weld1.jpg Steel9.jpg Steel10.jpg

**Mutawintji** · 26th December 2022, 12:38 PM

**Mutawintji** · 26th December 2022, 12:46 PM

N7.jpg N6.jpg N4.jpg N3.jpg

**Mutawintji** · 26th December 2022, 12:53 PM

I wanted the rack to look like 'kitchen ware'. So I took it 300klm east to Brisbane, and had it copper plated by Cook's Electroplating at Arana Hills Brisbane. This cost a mini-fortune, and I had to wait 6 weeks. Evidently steel is very porous to water and it takes that long for the moisture to come out through the copper. I would have baked it dry, but maybe there is a bi-metallic effect between the steel and the copper and if you heat it it may crack the copper. I'm not sure. But at the end of 6 weeks they coated it with transparent 2-pac epoxy (satin finish) to prevent oxidization.

Last3.jpg Last9.jpg Last7.jpg

**Mutawintji** · 26th December 2022, 12:59 PM

Because it's so heavy I milled finger-grips all round. I cut the Latitude and Longitude into it with a 2mm end mill bit and filled it with epoxy.

Last2.jpg Last4.jpg Last1.jpg Last5.jpg

I hope you enjoy. And Merry xmas to all

Greg

**Bushmiller** · 26th December 2022, 01:07 PM

GI

It has indeed been a long time, although it seems I missed a post back in September. Otherwise about five years.

Ironbark is, well, aptly named and your perserverance on this one is something else. It has come up beautifully. Will you use a foodsafe oil on the block or leave it bare.? Probably a cutting block is usually left raw, but oil would enhance the colour and it would look amazing.

I still have to look at the stand a little closer, but got to prepare for visitors.

Regards
Paul

PS: Will send a PM after these "great, big marketing days" (I plagiarised this phrase from another friend) are behind us.

**Mutawintji** · 26th December 2022, 01:11 PM

Hi Mate,

Yes, I used a Bunnings Food Grade oil, flat finish. I used a gloss first, but it didn't look real. I tried satin, but in end, flat finish was the best. I still live in the Bunyas and I see you're still in Millmerran. We must catch up again.

Greg

**Treecycle** · 26th December 2022, 01:15 PM

Very nice result. A great collaboration between wood and metal. The nephew should be very pleased with all the work you have put in.

Thread: Making a Cutting Block the wrong way.

Thread Tools

Search Thread

Making a Cutting Block the wrong way.

Similar Threads

Help with thread cutting - cutting wrong pitch

Block moulds and epoxy resin - where have I gone wrong?

Cutting hebel block on bandsaw

Block Cutting & End Grain Turning

Posting Permissions