End grain cutting board 3rd version added

[Cheese]

I have never seen Bamboo as end-grain? You would think it would suck up everything like a sponge?
Bamboo plywood, yes, it's pretty cool stuff. It's hard and hard on tools, but looks great.

My neighbor is a GC and he was asked by another neighbor to update their rental property. A few years earlier I had helped my neighbor install strip flooring in his own house renovation so he asked me to help him start the rental property floor.

It was engineered bamboo end grain planking about 3-1/2" by 1/2" (?) thick. There was some type of a very hard catalyzed finish applied and it was really tough on saw blades. White cabinets, stainless appliances and the bamboo floor provided a stunning rental property.  [cool]

 

[Mini Me]

Making end grain chess boards.

 

[PaulMarcel]

Making end grain chess boards.

Reminds me of a friend whom I help from time to time with building theater props. He wanted to make a back-lit, wall-suspended chess table with hidden drawers for pieces, etc. Was actually one of his very first big projects. While a lot of us helped with opinions and instruction, he did it all himself. Was pretty impressive!

The night he finished it, he sat down to play some chess challenges (I don't know what they are really called; kinda like problem set ups). Couldn't figure out why none of them were working until he sat back and realized he made the board 8-columns by 7-rows. The irony was that he was in a college chess team.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

Making end grain chess boards.

Reminds me of a friend whom I help from time to time with building theater props. He wanted to make a back-lit, wall-suspended chess table with hidden drawers for pieces, etc. Was actually one of his very first big projects. While a lot of us helped with opinions and instruction, he did it all himself. Was pretty impressive!

The night he finished it, he sat down to play some chess challenges (I don't know what they are really called; kinda like problem set ups). Couldn't figure out why none of them were working until he sat back and realized he made the board 8-columns by 7-rows. The irony was that he was in a college chess team.

That's a gigantic Oops! How did he not realize that it wasn't square?

40grit on a rotary (non orbital) sander is nothing short of violence, on nearly anything, even end grain.
The careful part is in taking off the high parts without digging a trench. The big (8") geared orbital can smooth it all over, I find that 120grit is plenty good enough for end grain cutting boards.

 

[PaulMarcel]

That's a gigantic Oops! How did he not realize that it wasn't square?

The board was etched on glass; he said he must have fat-fingered a 7 for an 8 when making the layout file, but you'd think it would have stood out! There was an LED light strip embedded in the groove holding the glass so it was nicely lit. It wasn't made to ever remove the glass so that part I did for him routing an access groove on the part that mounted to the wall. Will never see it. It plays much better now!

 

[Crazyraceguy]

Version 3, made for the brother-in-law of the original boards. He really liked the ones I made for her.
I'm going to have to start charging for these things....

This one is 50% thicker at 1 1/2". I like it better myself, but the thin was by request.