# Cutting Board without a planer



## Nick W.

I’m new to woodworking and was looking to make a cutting board. All of the videos I see show the cutting board going through a planer after its been glued. Is it possible to build one without a planer? If so, how would you do that?


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## difalkner

I'm assuming you're talking about end grain boards. I use our drum sander to level the board, made 4 in the past week. If you have a planer with helical head you can run an end grain cutting board through if you take light passes. If you don't have a drum sander I've seen people use a belt sander with success. I'm afraid I would end up with a board that is anything but level if I did that. You can also make a sled for your router and level it that way.

David


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## Sawdustmaker99

It’s possible to level a board after the final glue up with a belt sander or router sled. Getting lumber straight and flat without a planer is another set of issues. And it’s possible to put a end grain board through a planer. I know because I’ve done it but stick with the usual advice and don’t do it.


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## allpurpose

Nothing says that it has to be end grain.. Just simple lamination works well also. I used some 1/4" strips of alternating maple and walnut and it turned out just fine. I've used it for quite some time with no problems at all. I used a hand plane and a little time on a small belt sander to smooth it out..


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## Toolman50

Yes, you can make cutting boards without a planer using a hand plane.


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## Tool Agnostic

One of my first "gift quality" projects was this edge grain (not end grain) cutting board, which I made without a planer. I used a Random Orbital Sander to flatten the cutting board, and it worked well, even though the cutting board was made of hard maple and walnut. Here are two photos of the cutting board, which I attached to this post:

http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f9/h...oard-thickness-suspension-183586/#post1789162

Here is how I made that cutting board without a planer:
* I used the table saw to cut strips of maple and walnut.
* I glued the sides of the strips together using pipe clamps to hold them. I flipped some of the strips so the end grain was in "smile/frown/smile/frown..." order. I put two pipe clamps underneath to support the boards and help keep them aligned, and one or two pipe clamps on top, too. Try to keep the boards flat and aligned with each other, but don't get too stressed if you can feel slight bumps and lip edges between boards. The Random Orbital Sander will take care of them. 
* I used the table saw to trim the ends of the assembled strips so the ends of the strips were square.
* MISTAKE: I glued the maple "breadboards" across the ends of the strips using the pipe clamps. This is a mistake because the contraction (and expansion) of the inner strips fighting against the glued breadboards may cause cracking. Knowing what I know now, I would have used dowels in slots on the ends of the breadboard to allow for expansion. (... or skipped the breadboard ends altogether!). 
* I built a crude router table to finish the cutting board sides, so they would match the cutting board slot. I used a scrap piece of plywood and an electric hand drill to cut out the center, then drilled three countersunk screw holes to attach the router. (To be honest, it barely hung on just long enough to complete the router cuts!) I clamped a board to it to serve as a fence. 
* I used a quarter round bit in the router to make the half round edge to match the cutting board slot. I did the first side, then flipped it over. That's why you need a router table instead of using the bearing on the router bit. 
* I used a round bit, the router, and the router's edge guide to make the flutes on the breadboards. I carefully marked the cutting board and tipped the router into position, then slid it across, then stopped manually. If I had to do it over, I would have clamped stop blocks.

-> * I used an ordinary 120v handheld Random Orbital Sander, with many grades of sandpaper (no skipping!!) to flatten the cutting board. I tried the inexpensive ROS from Harbor Freight, but the dust bag kept coming off during use, so I returned it and bought a Ridgid random orbital sander at Home Depot. I like it much better, and I like how I can easily attach the shop vac to it. I _checked flatness with a straightedge_ as I worked. The Random Orbital Sander made it easy to get to decent flatness, despite how hard the wood was. I estimate that it took 60-90 minutes to get both sides flat with all the grits, starting with the course sandpaper, and then remove the scratches by covering all the grades of sandpaper out to 220.

* I used a sanding block and hand sanded lightly with fine sandpaper, only with the grain, for touch-ups. 
* I finished it with cutting board oil and gave it to my in-laws. Frankly, I put too much cutting board oil on it, by frequently wiping it on for a week as recommended by a friend. I spent the next couple weeks letting it air out, frequently wiping the excess so the board would not feel too oily. It feels silky smooth now. 

No planer required. The trick for me is to do your best to align the boards when gluing them together, but don't stress over it. The Random Orbital Sander worked quickly to flatten the cutting board by eye. That was on hard maple and walnut, too. That Random Orbital Sander will be one of the most useful tools in your shop, as you build more projects. It is a huge time saver over traditional hand sanding.


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## Brian T.

My very best and favorite cutting board is a piece of bird's eye maple, about 10" x 14" x 1" thick.
Slopped it up with olive oil to soak in and attached 4 little rubber feet. Nothing else.
How you sand and how you finish makes little difference to any serrated bread knife after a few years of daily use.
I can adjust the feet to compensate for any old twist or warp.

I sure do like the looks of the fancy glue-ups that I've seen and worked on. Amazing investment in shop tools.


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## Sovek

Best option is a router sled. Plenty of videos on youtube. After your glue up what I plan on doing for mine (future project) is to find the lowest point of the cutting board and then just a hair below it with a 3/4" flat bit and then just work it over with the sled. Its not near as fast as a planer but when you don't have $500 for a good planer, that router looks like a great option. Finish off with a belt or finishing sander. 

Belt Sander is also an option, but probably not as fast.


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## MT Stringer

Nick W. said:


> I’m new to woodworking and was looking to make a cutting board. All of the videos I see show the cutting board going through a planer after its been glued. Is it possible to build one without a planer? If so, how would you do that?


Do you have the clamps for gluing up panels? Have you glued up any boards yet? It might be helpful to practice on something like pine.

The pieces need to be flat and square before you do any gluing so they will pull together when the clamps are applied.

Check out You Tube. There is a lot of info there where you can see how others glue up the boards.

Myself, I use a table saw, jointer, planer, and drum sander. And a router tor the juice groove if the board will have one.

Good luck.
Mike


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