Many of us are thinking about end-of-year and Christmas gifts around now. A cutting board is a relatively easy gift that will always be useful in most homes and appreciated by those you make one for, personally, a lot longer.
Our resident worker in wood has been salvaging tree cut offs, letting them 'season', and making this version lately.
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There are more complicated ones though which will delight the eye as well as being useful in the kitchen, alongside the barbecue, and even be great for the table for placing under dishes straight out of the oven.
The following is for a more square or oblong version that will fit into a storage cupboard more easily when not in use and if you spend a little time making these now you will be ready to hand them out as unique gifts and have escaped the last minute rush to find something for everyone.
Making your own cutting board is an easy D.I.Y. project. They look great in any kitchen and can protect your benchtop from knife cuts and scratches.
Choosing Good Wood
We source our timber from Johnson Brothers Mona Vale store in Darley street.
The best timbers for cutting boards are closed-grain hardwoods that have a moderate hardness, naturally resist moisture, and do not easily blunt kitchen knives.
You could also try a tree offcut like those we've been salvaging - Australian Hardwoods good for this are Spotted Gum, Blackbutt (if you can get any) and Red gum.
Timbers which aren't good for making these are those that are too porous (trapping moisture and bacteria), too soft (denting and splintering), too hard (dulling knives), or naturally toxic/irritating. For example, Camphor Laurel is popular in Australia for its lightweight feel, attractive grain, and natural antibacterial properties, but its strong aroma can taint food, and its dust/timber contains natural toxins.
Ironbark is a beautiful hardwood but far too dense and hard; it acts like a rock against knife edges and will dull or chip your blades very fast.
Talk to the Trained friendly staff in JBH Mitre 10's about which one you should select from their stock. Their timber is already dressed so you won't have cut slices as we did for the example above, to keep part of that tree (from up the road) around.
First assemble your tools and materials:
Tools and materials
Tools
- Clamps
- Combination square
- Dowel
- Drill
- 10mm drill bit
- Dust mask
- Earmuffs or earplugs
- Hammer
- Measuring tape
- Pencil
- Sander
- Safety glasses - Mask
Materials
- 240 grit and 40 grit sandpaper
- Dressed timber
- Disposable latex gloves
- Food grade oil or stain
- PVA glue or Wood glue
- Rags
Cut your timber to size
You can make your butcher block/ chopping board any size you like. We cut a 2.4m hardwood timber into 4 x 600mm lengths. Pick the best two pieces of timber for both ends of the cutting board.
Measure and mark for the dowel
Starting with an end piece, measure and mark for the three pieces of dowel on the 90mm side of your hardwood. Measure in 60mm from each end, mark the centre holes for two pieces of dowel and mark one point in the centre.
Drill the holes for the dowel
Use a 10mm drill bit to drill holes for the dowel. A handy tip to make sure you don't drill too deep is to measure half way down the dowel to get the depth. Wrap tape around the drill bit at the required depth. This way you'll know when to stop drilling. Drill three holes for the dowel in the timber.
Mark for the other dowel holes
An easy way to line up the dowel holes on each piece of timber is to use a dowel marker. These are the same size as the dowel and fit in the holes you have already drilled. Then line up your two pieces of timber, making sure they're square, and tap them together with a hammer. This marks the timber at the point you need to drill. Repeat this on all the pieces of timber and you're ready to drill the rest of the dowel holes.
Join two pieces of timber together
Put some PVA glue or wood glue into the dowel holes and insert the dowels. Use the hammer to gently tap the dowel in place. Apply glue to the side of your second piece of timber with dowel holes. Place it onto the dowelled piece of timber and gently tap the pieces together with the hammer making sure it's snug and the dowels are all the way in. Repeat the process for all the pieces of timber.
Clamp the timber
Now clamp the butcher block together with two clamps. This will keep the timber in position while the glue dries. Make sure you wipe off any extra glue and leave it to dry.
Sand the cutting board
Remove the clamps and sand back all of the surfaces. Use the 40 grit sandpaper first, then switch to a finer grade sandpaper, e.g. 240 grit, to round off the corners to create a nice, smooth finish. Wipe away any dust when you're done.
Oil the cutting board
Use a rag or paint brush to apply food grade stain or oil to all surfaces of the cutting board. Wait for it to dry and lightly sand it. Apply as many coats of stain or oil as is necessary.
Looking after your block
The finished cutting board looks great. To make it look brand new again after you or whom you've gifted it to has been using it for a while, all you need to do is sand it back and apply more oil or stain.
Johnson Brothers Mitre 10 'Spring's In Full Swing' catalogue - on sale until October 25:
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Johnson Brothers Mitre 10 Recycling Batteries: at Mona Vale + Avalon Beach
Over 18,600 tonnes of batteries are discarded to landfill in Australia each year, even though 95% of a battery can be recycled!
That’s why we are rolling out battery recycling units across our stores! Our battery recycling units accept household, button cell, laptop, and power tool batteries as well as mobile phones!
How To Dispose Of Your Batteries Safely:
- Collect Your Used Batteries: Gather all used batteries from your home. Our battery recycling units accept batteries from a wide range of products such as household, button cell, laptop, and power tool batteries.
- Tape Your Terminals: Tape the terminals of used batteries with clear sticky tape.
- Drop Them Off: Come and visit your nearest participating store to recycle your batteries for free (at Johnson Brothers Mitre 10 Mona Vale and Avalon Beach).
- Feel Good About Your Impact: By recycling your batteries, you're helping support a healthier planet by keeping hazardous material out of landfills and conserving resources.
Environmental Benefits
- Reduces hazardous waste in landfill
- Conserves natural resources by promoting the use of recycled materials
- Keep toxic materials out of waterways
Johnson Brothers Mitre 10: Serving Our Community Since 1955
The Independent Hardware Group has awarded Johnson Bros Mona Vale the best in state Store of the Year at the IHG state awards again in 2023.
Johnson Brothers say; ''Thank you to all of our amazing staff and customers for being awesome!''
IHG is Australia’s largest home improvement wholesaler supplying more than 1,500 stores nationwide. These stores cater to a broad range of Trade and DIY customers and range from large format warehouses to convenience operations and Trade centres, as well as frame and truss sites in two States.
Under the IHG network, there is a clear mandate to support the growth of Independents within the hardware sector in Australia by helping them to be ‘The Best Store in Town’.
The culture of IHG is built on being a low cost and transparent business partner to members, with an unwavering commitment to protect and grow a sustainable independent hardware sector for the long term.
JBH Design Centre
JBH Design Centre is a tool for builders and DIY'ers to assist in the fit out of houses. It has displays of kitchens, Bathrooms, Doors and Storage as well as knowledgeable staff to assist in making house fit out painless.
Visit: http://jbhdc.com.au/
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/design.centre.jbh/
