One project that I enjoy making is my Texas cutting board. One of the things I like most about these cutting boards is that they are all made from pecan trees grown in Texas. These cutting boards are about one foot across and range from about half an inch to over one inch in thickness. I normally buy my pecan lumber directly from one of three sawmills; one west of Waco, Texas, one near Bastrop, Texas and one in north Houston, Texas. My shopping trip begins with a phone call to the sawmill to see what they have on hand that day. One day one sawmill was in the process of milling a pecan log so I asked if they would cut some logs to my specifications and they said sure. They told me that they would call me when the boards were dry enough to sell. Talk about good timing and great service! After my boards were cut the folks at the sawmill put my boards into their kiln and began the two-week drying process. Even though I watched them mill the boards I still did not know what the boards would look like when they were ready. Would they dry evenly? Would they be warped? Would they be cracked? Would be boards look good? Well as it turned out the boards came out of the kiln as I hoped, and I was able to make a good number of cutting boards.
My next step in making the boards was to use my template and mark where the cutting boards would be on each board. Then I used a jig saw to break down the eight foot boards into smaller and more manageable pieces. I then used my bandsaw to cut each Texas cutting board out. The next part is the most labor-intensive part, sanding. First I use a drum sander to smooth out the edges and curves. Then I follow with the random orbit sander for the top and bottom and edges. This is followed by rounding over the edges with my router. Followed by – yup you guessed it – more sanding. It takes about two to three hours of work per board (depending on how uneven the boards are) to get them ready for the finish. Once each board is smooth and free of cracks, we apply a finish of mineral oil and bee’s wax.
This cutting board was just cut out on the bandsaw and has not been sanded.
This cutting board has it final coat of bee's wax and mineral oil finish.
I welcome your comments, questions and suggestions.
Thank you for reading.
Donald