# Present to mom



## 600grit (Oct 11, 2012)

I want to make my mom something for christmas. Not to big but something That will be useful or just thoughtful. Any ideas?


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## tc65 (Jan 9, 2012)

Cutting board, jewelry box, recipe box, step/utility stool, shelf or shadow box for small collectables, picture frames - all of these can be basic or advanced designs depending on your wood selection, tool availability and skill level.


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## 600grit (Oct 11, 2012)

Oh a cutting board seems nice. Thank you.


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## tc65 (Jan 9, 2012)

If you are looking for design ideas for cutting boards, there are many different examples here, do a quick search. Several tutorials have been posted as well. Here is a thread with a link to a software program to help design boards: 
http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f2/end-grain-cutting-board-help-43573/


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## burkhome (Sep 5, 2010)

My Mother is still a letter writer and a card sender. A few years ago I made her a lap desk. She uses it a lot.


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## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

Some pictures for inspiration. Trying to consider your available tools and skills.

Simple cutting board with "bread board ends". If you choose this design, I can find an accent piece to send to you for the middle.









Pattern cutting board. Easier to make than it seems. Just need to plan how to cut the pieces.









Clothes hanger for the bathroom









Key and hat/coat hanger. Can be difficult to get certain females, like my wife to use this. It seems she prefers to lay her keys down anywhere and then complain later that she cannot find them. :thumbdown:

Hardware - coat and key hangers is from Lee Valley.









Do you have a local Woodcraft or a lumber mill where you can purchase nice looking wood species?


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## 600grit (Oct 11, 2012)

There is a lumber Shop that sells all types of wood near my house. What type of woods should I use?


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## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

600grit said:


> There is a lumber Shop that sells all types of wood near my house. What type of woods should I use?


Good that you have a lumber source close-by. 

You are lucky, many people have to drive a long way.

You may want to start by asking them for a price sheet. Many of us need to consider the material cost of a project, even a gift.

Ask the place if they have "shorts" or a cut-off bin.

You will likely not need a "full" board which is at least 6ft long. Some places 8 ft long.

A "shorts" bin will be items typically < 5ft long. At my local lumber mill the shorts have a 25% discount.

I am presently able to purchase a variety of woods, and I like to use the wood with its natural colour. 

The pictures I posted are all the natural colours of the woods.

The local place may only sell domestic woods. 

For hard woods, this would typically include walnut (dark brown), cherry (tan to light brown but gets deeper brown/orange over time), maple (light), hickory (light), white oak (light), red oak (red tinge) and the 

For soft woods this would include pine, douglas fir, spruce. All these are light.

If the local place does not have the exotics, you can consider staining or dying to get any accent colour. Stains are available at the big box stores, but dyes are likely only at the wood speciality stores like Woodcraft, Rockler.

I prefer working with hard woods. You may find it easier to work with the soft woods. Easier to drill, sand, plane, etc.

Once you find the price of the local woods, you can think about a project and what the materials will cost.

We will be happy to help with the planning and estimate of materials.


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## 600grit (Oct 11, 2012)

I'm concerned about stains on the cutting board though. Is there any way the chemicals in the stains can get onto food that's being cut. I've heard of using vegetable oil to darken woods on a cutting board.


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## tc65 (Jan 9, 2012)

If you are going to make a cutting board that will be used for food preparation, I wouldn't stain it, but would choose wood that has the natural color you want. If you look through some of the threads on cutting boards you can get an idea of the type of wood used and which types go together well in color combinations. Not all hard wood species are suitable for cutting boards, so if you are unsure just ask. 

The wood used will darken a little when sealing the board, but it won't really change the color. There are lots of different things that people use on cutting boards, but the cheapest and easiest is food grade mineral oil. Some will use a combination of mineral oil and bees wax, and there are many different "cutting board" treatments that companies sell - usually for a lot more money than mineral oil. I've never used anything but mineral oil and have been very happy with it. 

You should not use any vegetable oils that are used for cooking as those oils will turn rancid over time leaving you with a gunky sticky mess that smells bad.


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## 600grit (Oct 11, 2012)

Ok thanks I will keep that in mind. Where can mineral oil be found? Like at a grocery store?


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## VIFmike (Jul 21, 2012)

Mineral oil can be found at drug stores.


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## Fishinbo (Jul 23, 2012)

Jewelry box! Moms love that.


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## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

600grit said:


> Ok thanks I will keep that in mind. Where can mineral oil be found? Like at a grocery store?


I get my mineral oil from Woodcraft.

If you get mineral oil from a drug store, you want to look for a brand which has no colour or scents added. This is an example from CVS.

http://www.cvs.com/shop/product-detail/CVS-Mineral-Oil-Usp?skuId=152355

Another food safe option is bees wax.


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## 600grit (Oct 11, 2012)

Ok thanks I will keep that in mind. Where can mineral oil be found? Like at a grocery store?


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## liquid6 (Feb 15, 2011)

I made a friend of mine a cutting board for a wedding present. He and his wife love it. They use it almost every day. The cutting board was my first "real" woodworking project. 

I checked out The Wood Whisperer. I learned a lot. Check out this link. http://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/videos/how-to-make-a-butcher-block-cutting-board/

Here are a few images of the cutting board I made. It is rock maple and walnut.


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## stephen77 (Sep 12, 2018)

Clearly you said in this post. Thank you.


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## Sicle Stix (Sep 8, 2018)

Any of those posted are a great gift idea. I made something like this 180 years ago in high school. lol


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