The pine end boards bonded to the walnut cutting board overnight. I took maybe 5 millimeters thickness from the board all together.
The pine end-boards did great. I’ve processed an end cut cutting board through a planer without the boards and it destroys the end of the board as it exits the planer. You can see here, the chip out is pretty minimal with this method.
Having a router sled might be a better technique for some wood workers, but I don’t have one and this has worked for me. I’d like to expand my operation in the future and I think I will probably consider building one at that time.
I trimmed off the pine with the miter saw. I wrestled with just sanding off the thin layer of pine to maintain the longest cutting board I could, but in the end, it was easiest to just cut it off and make it easier on myself. Who will notice 1/16th?
Here’s a good look of them with the ends clean. They are really starting to show their character and that purple heart is stealling the show.
I hand sanded down both boards with 100 grit.
I round the corners with the palm of my hand. I get good results by cupping the paper in the “head line” of my hand (a palm reading term: https://laurenconrad.com/blog/2016/10/hocus-pocus-the-easy-guide-to-palm-reading-101/ ).
The sides can be tricky because you must sand vertically with little length. I’ve figured out a way to use my vice with 2 of pieces of 1/4″ plywood so that I don’t impress the wood, but can still sand the sides easily.
After the sanding, the boards are looking beautiful. The walnut just keeps getting better.
Unfortunately, there are some spaces that need filled. I mixed up some 2 part epoxy (food safe) and dripped it on the recesses. I popped the bubbles with a heat gun and after 20 minutes it settled. I will let it sit overnight and clean it up tomorrow.
I’m really excited to get some mineral oil on these.
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