Mess Hall Acquisitions

[cleanshaved]

I'm going to put casters on it so I can roll it into a corner when I'm not using it.
Want to make a gyuto soon. We will see though. Hopefully it will turn out.

Being able to move it will be great. It should look really nice when all oiled up.

I'm sure the gyuto will turn out great. Back yourself and have a crack, sounds like fun. What type of steel are you thinking of making it out of?

I've been considering getting Svord, a local knife maker to make custom carving knife and fork set.
He makes them out of 15N20 carbon steel.

But change the handle to either something like this burl.

Or better still some NZ Pounamu (greenstone). I think this would look great but I'm scared to ask the price.

Since I can't make my mind up, I'm parking on the idea for now.
With that said the greenstone just seems right and I keep going back to it. A NZ handle for a NZ made knife.
Maybe I should look at other NZ wood options for the handle.

Then again this looks nice IMO.........see what I mean. decision, decisions, decisions.

or, or, or a stag handle.............. See, I'm hopeless.

 

[sfeile]

Being able to move it will be great. It should look really nice when all oiled up.

I'm sure the gyuto will turn out great. Back yourself and have a crack, sounds like fun. What type of steel are you thinking of making it out of?

I've been considering getting Svord, a local knife maker to make custom carving knife and fork set.
He makes them out of 15N20 carbon steel.

But change the handle to either something like this burl.

Or better still some NZ Pounamu (greenstone). I think this would look great but I'm scared to ask the price.

Since I can't make my mind up, I'm parking on the idea for now.
With that said the greenstone just seems right and I keep going back to it. A NZ handle for a NZ made knife.
Maybe I should look at other NZ wood options for the handle.

Then again this looks nice IMO.........see what I mean. decision, decisions, decisions.

or, or, or a stag handle.............. See, I'm hopeless.

I'll probably be making it out of 5160 carbon steel. It oil quenches well and that's all I'm set up to do right now.

As far as your custom, to me, use helps determine handle material. This is all just my opinion, so take it as you will.

Bush knife or hunter type knife, I want full tang and very durable scales. They take the most abuse, and full tang is easier to field craft a replacement scale if they fail for some reason. Half a stick and some tape or cord and you are back up and running again.
Hidden tang you have to try and hollow something out then attach it somehow, plus they are structurally weaker. Partial tang, and you are just screwed.

A kitchen knife isn't going to be chopping kindling or abusive stuff like that, so the fancier stuff is fine.
Personally, I have a thing for the exotic woods, but the stone doesn't look bad at all. It will most likely limit your design choice to a full tang construction unless he has the means to drill and turn it. Drilling and turning aren't usually very common with stone though due to cost of equipment.
Stag is strong, but it's got to be on the right blade for me. Scales on a chefs blade with brass bolster and butt cap.... possibly. Hidden tang on a gyuto? Nahhh..

 

[sfeile]

Casters are on and top is mounted. The bottom is red oak and finished in danish oil. The top is side grain soft maple and normal cutting board oil finish. First coat is on, I need about 3 more to "season" it, but it's pretty much done otherwise.

 

[Intrigued]

Casters are on and top is mounted. The bottom is red oak and finished in danish oil. The top is side grain soft maple and normal cutting board oil finish. First coat is on, I need about 3 more to "season" it, but it's pretty much done otherwise.

Beautiful, Shawn!

 

[sfeile]

Beautiful, Shawn!

Thanks Connie!

 

[strop]

Shawn, any particular reason for side grain as opposed to end grain?

 

[DoctorShavegood]

Very nice cutting board Shawn. Oil once per day for a week, once a week for a month, once a month for a year.

Here's mine from my Dad's wood shop:

 

[sfeile]

Shawn, any particular reason for side grain as opposed to end grain?

Side grain is easier on knives than face grain, and easier to assemble in a short time than end grain.
Without having a fancy clamp system to clamp from all 4 sides evenly, you would have to glue pieces in the same manner as I did for mine, then crosscut pieces off that board to just over the thickness of your intended finished board. Then try to line those up in the pattern you want and try to get them to stay lined up as you glue and clamp them together.
If you get it all good to that point, then you have to hope that a planer blade doesn't rip a chunk out as you try and level it all out and make it flat. Probably wouldn't have been as big of a worry since his is a carbide insert spindle instead of the blades, but still a chance.

Since I don't have the fancy clamping system available, I would have had to do it the long way. Also, it was being done in between tables for one of his customers and I didn't want to tie up a lot of space in the shop. So I took the easy route. Other than waiting for glue to dry, I think I've only got 2-3 hours in it all total for shop time. I did the finish at home.

 

[sfeile]

Very nice cutting board Shawn. Oil once per day for a week, once a week for a month, once a month for a year.

Here's mine from my Dad's wood shop:
View attachment 853289

Thanks!
That looks sweet! Looks like it's got some maple, pine, mahogany, oak, cherry, and hickory in there.
My bathroom cabinets are all cherry, and my whole kitchen is done out of hickory. Hickory is beautiful wood I think. Lots of character.
Here's one when I was still installing them.

 

[strop]

That is interesting. For some reason, I had always been lead to believe that the end grain was easier on edges.

The side grain boards are certainly easier to make, although a drums sander makes quick work of the end grain. And Stanley made a plane especially for smoothing end grain butcher blocks!

 

[Jim]

Oh no now you have Mark talking about planes....better get a drink and a chair!

 

[davent]

Oh no now you have Mark talking about planes....better get a drink and a chair!

At the very least Lee Valley/Veritas & Lie-Nielsen currently produce bevel up low angle jack planes, based on the Stanley 62.

dave

 

[strop]

Glad to see someone else that knows about a 62! In reality, though as much as I like hand planes, I can't honestly say I have the desire to flatten a big end grain block with a hand plane!

 

[Shave_Rat]

That is interesting. For some reason, I had always been lead to believe that the end grain was easier on edges.

The side grain boards are certainly easier to make, although a drums sander makes quick work of the end grain. And Stanley made a plane especially for smoothing end grain butcher blocks!

I had thought the side grain was easier on the edge, but the end grain blocks hold up over longer time much better.

 

[sfeile]

That is interesting. For some reason, I had always been lead to believe that the end grain was easier on edges.

The side grain boards are certainly easier to make, although a drums sander makes quick work of the end grain. And Stanley made a plane especially for smoothing end grain butcher blocks!

I had thought the side grain was easier on the edge, but the end grain blocks hold up over longer time much better.

End grain is generally the easiest on edges. Side grain is just better than face grain. It's the happy medium. Side grain is generally a bit more durable than end grain. Also being easier to make, they generally cost less.
Not that cost was an issue with mine, but time and ease of production was.

 

[Shave_Rat]

End grain is generally the easiest on edges. Side grain is just better than face grain. It's the happy medium. Side grain is generally a bit more durable than end grain. Also being easier to make, they generally cost less.
Not that cost was an issue with mine, but time and ease of production was.

Ah, got it. Good info!

 

[davent]

Exciting day in Canada today, acquired some plastic wrap. Tired of poorly performing Glad Wrap i found 1001'/305m roll of an alternate brand in a box with a proper cutter which does in fact work like a dream, $10 cdn. They did also have a 300m roll of Glad Wrap with a cutter box, had never come across that pkg. before, ~$14 cdn.

dave

 

[BigLeegr]

Exciting day in Canada today, acquired some plastic wrap. Tired of poorly performing Glad Wrap i found 1001'/305m roll of an alternate brand in a box with a proper cutter which does in fact work like a dream, $10 cdn. They did also have a 300m roll of Glad Wrap with a cutter box, had never come across that pkg. before, ~$14 cdn.

View attachment 854441 View attachment 854442 View attachment 854443
dave

How does the wrap itself work? Also, is it made in Canada? I'm guessing it is judging from the company website.

 

[davent]

Finished a roll of Glad Wrap last night so other then setting up and starting the new stuff, slicing off the leading edge and sticking it over the rim of a glass hasn't been used yet. Held very well on the glass. Will be easy to use, set the box on the counter, starting wrapping whatever needs wrapping then slice through the wrap and finish wrapping, effortless one handed slice, beats trying to wrap with a recoiled wad of wrap.

The end box says;
Manufactured by:
W. Ralston (Canada) Inc.
Montreal, Que. H4N 1E8
Bramton, Ont. L6T 1B5

Bought mine at a 'Nations' grocery store but i've also seen it on the Home Hardware website. Haven't checked instore to know whether it's regularly stocked, it was more money at Home Hardware site.

dave

 

[cleanshaved]

The little plastic sliding cutters on the wrap boxes are the bees knees.
Good to hear you found some up your way.