I buy cheese in this common sized 400 gram brick and like to use it on sandwiches or burgers, etc. Slicing it can be a pain, because the cheese often sticks to the side of the knife and can annoyingly break apart when I peel it off. So what I found is that the next cut will push the last slice off the knife, but it's more difficult to line it up to get consistent thickness slices. This gadget solves this and produces slices that are the perfect thickness. Ways you can help support this channel: Patreon: www.patreon.com/user?u=865843&ty=h Project plans for sale: ibuildit.ca/plans/ More videos on my second woodworking channel: ru-vid.com My home reno channel: ru-vid.comHome My "Scrap bin" channel: ru-vid.com Website: ibuildit.ca/ Facebook: facebook.com/I-Build-It-258048014240900/ Instagram: instagram.com/i_build_it.ca/
Just an idea for the last stuck slice. If you had a small piece of wood that was about the same size as the cheese slice but slimmer than the cut of cheese, you could put it up against the stop block and slice down with the knife to push off the last slice.
This is what I love - simple solutions to everyday problems that just make your life better. How thin a slice do you think you could make? Could it make a 16th? That's be handy for butter in the winter - real butter that is, the sort that doesn't come out of the fridge soft.
Well done John. Here in Europe such slicer for soft cheese are very common. Usually instead of a knife a very thin steel wire is used. The cheese will not stick as much as on wide knife blade.
In my first year of high school back in 1975 we built a cheese slicer in woodwork class. It had a base board with a pivoting cutter shaped in a wide u-shaped bow and was to have had a piano wire stretched on it like a coping saw blade. I don't remember why but we never finished them by putting the wire on. I brought it home but never finished it myself and of course it has been lost since then. Anyway, using a thin wire cutter should alleviate any problem of the cheese sticking to the blade; but the hollows in the blade on your knife should help compared to a flat blade.
A simple design any connoisseur of a cheesy comestible could appreciate. The real genius is in the inspiration, and let's be honest... no one missing a passion for cheese would have ever come up with something so useful in their life.
John that’s a great idea. I like that its a video that was just showing making something that was just for you and that it didn’t need to be really fancy or complicated but just for something to make what you enjoy easier and or more enjoyable. You don’t see many people doing this and it was great to see that.
If I need to drill hardened steel (as a knifemaker it happens), I’ll spot heat with a torch, at least until I’ve worked through all the temper colors and sometimes until the steel is iridescent, making sure to heat sink any areas I don’t want to lose their hardness, just the area I’m drilling. Even mu cobalt split points struggle when you’re dealing with kitchen cutlery hardness! Nice little video John.
Guffaw! This is so gimmicky, I love it! I might have hubby make one with this scrap knife I have. I think he will find this very amusing as well! Thank you!
How many times have we heard "all I need is 1/8" thick slices" I can already see the version 2 slicer video in the works, Power assist, micrometer adjustable, auto advance cheese belt feeder... it goes on and on. So much for any realistic DIY projects that any of the rest of us might consider! :) jim
Finally!! I don't know how long I've been watching your videos hoping I'd get to see a close-up of you eating cheese! Seriously, though, I really liked this project. Good job -- you've got consistently good content.
There is a version of this commonly used at cheese stores, they use a thin wire instead of a knife and it works great. I actually have one at home and am quite happy with it. For such thin cheese, a knife is OK I am sure but for thicker cheese you want a wire.
I'm constantly learning. I noticed in your video that one of your drill bits was crooked. Plunging the drill bit into thick piece of hardwood three or five times fast at high speed. It will heat up fast and with the rotation of the drill bit, it will straighten itself. Give it a try
And just what is the "perfect thickness" for cheese John? Seriously, great job on this jig. My friend and I made a device very similar to this for cutting the ends off of corn for schucking.
The further the cheese-block is from the pivot, the more the edge descends vertically to make the cut. (Matthias would build a parallelogram mechanism to keep the blade perfectly horizontal at all times, ensuring a perfect cut, no matter what thickness cheese-block was being sliced.)
Love the channel. I watch some blacksmithing vids on youtube as well, if you hit the tip with a blow torch to change the temper you might've been able to soften the metal and save a bit.
awesome as always! I think i might have to make this, i'm pretty good at cutting even slices but it's a pain would be nice to just cut without worrying about it
When I build one, I think I'll use a "hot wire" similar to a styrofoam cutter. The trick will be to adjust the heat so it will not completely melt the cheese and having runny cheese sauce all over everything... ;)
I love to cook and something like that would have so many applications, just have to make it adjustable, but probably would want a couple for different foods anyway.
Haha great. Just to say the ideal cheese knife is a relatively wide wedge that is also not very wide. Wide blades like that one drag on the cheese and make cutting slower. Just if you fanced optimising it you could remove 60% of the metal from the back of the knife and have a much better cutter!
-although- the blade width actually doesn't matter much at all for cheese that thick. It's when you're cutting much thicker pieces that this matters, like cutting into wheels etc.
That drill bit at 1:06 gives me the wiggles :-) In the final shot, it looks like it needs some weight (maybe that is why these boards are some times made out of marble), or more surface towards you. If you use a string instead of a knife, then it doesn't stick.
Interesting alternative to the traditional wire and roller cheese cutter. Not sure I'd want to go to the trouble of unscrewing the knife every time to clean it though.
When you center punch stainless steel you create a tool-hardened divot exactly where you want to drill. Cobalt bits aren't very expensive and cut stainless pretty easily.
Have you considered making a guitar string or piano wire cutter with a tray that slides (incrementally)? A bit more complex (esp if made to move in 1/8" increments) but I can't imagine it not outperforming a knife in just about every way.
That moment when you realise someone has a cheese cutter that is more accurate than your most expensive wood working tool. But you are right, it's annoying when the cheese comes apart, I think it's worse with mature cheese.
