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Patriots Cutting Board
A bamboo ply cutting board (football shaped) with a laser etched Patriot's logo. A Christmas gift for my partner's mother, who is an avid Patriots fan. Her name happens to be Patricia (Pat) so I took a little creative liberty in the text and turned "Pats" into "Pat's". I thought it was clever... no one else really noticed.
Required Resources: 2 hours, $10
Size: 16" x 8" x 1"
Materials: 1" Bamboo Ply
Finish: Howard's Butcher Block Conditioner (Canuba + Bees Wax + Mineral)
Tools: Laser Cutter, Band Saw, Stationary Belt Sander, Wood router with 1/8" round over bit
New Techniques: This was the first cutting board I'd made with bamboo ply. Side grain cutting boards tend to splinter when cut upon and create "chasms" where bacteria aggregates and mold grows. Bamboo also has a tendency to mold rather quickly. Fortunately, between the wax/oil finish and the limited chopping that this board actually sees, the board has held up well over the last 2 years.
Lessons Learned:
Accurate work offsets are important: In fiddling with the right settings on the laser cutter, somehow I input a focal height of -0.5" instead of 0.5" inches. After the first properly set pass, the head of the laser dipped below the top of the working surface and while traversing for the next cut moved the work piece. The next proper etching pass was predictably off, as evidenced by the bottom surface of the board. Check your settings twice before cutting!