Make an Edge Grain Cutting Board (With Routed Juice Grooves and Handles) 

Thanks for the comment!! It's always good to know that people found it helpful!

Thanks for the comment and good luck with the cutting boards!!

The juice grooves can definitely be a bit nerve-wracking! I definitely recommend making the second jig if you have the time.

I use Tried and true natural oil finish with beeswax seems better than mineral oil. Your board looks great nice juice groove. Nice tip on the blue painters tape.

Awesome! Glad it was helpful!

I somehow missed your comment like a year ago, but thanks!! I need to make a few more this fall, and I definitely recommend the second juice groove jig if you're still making them!

Thanks! Good luck with the cutting boards!!

Hehe! Thanks Barry!

That's great Nick! Thanks for letting me know! I hope they do well!

You mean like I mentioned at 5:13? :) But yeah, it's definite worth doing!

@@aroundhomediy Must have missed that somehow.....my Bad :)

Hehe! No worries! I couldn't remember at first if I'd mentioned it.

Thanks! That's great that you got to make one in school! Definitely make another if you get the chance!

Thank you!

Thanks Bruce! Looking forward to your workbench build!

It actually ended up being easier that I thought to make, so I definitely recommend it for rectangular boards!

I do all mine on the router table, no template needed. Same with the finger holds.

If I can ever build my router table I probably would do the same :).

@@killingoldgrowthsince How do you do the corners on the router table. I haven't figured that part out.

LoL! My uncle and cousins were pilots, so I clearly missed my calling!

Thanks! These were the first cutting boards that I've made, but I really liked the adjust-ability of the 'frame' style jig even though the template one is a bit easier to make. Good luck!!

@@aroundhomediy I did it!!! Just did my first side handle and juice line jig 😊. Wish I could show a pic here 🤷🏻‍♂️ but it’s on my instagram 👍🏻

Awesome! I'll look it up on Instagram!

@@aroundhomediy awesome!! I hope you find me and the pic. It’s the only one I did with side handles 🙏🏼 like yours

Thanks! Good luck with the boards!

Thanks!! Yeah, maple and walnut were definitely my first choices because of that!

I used a non-slip router mater (similar to amzn.to/2FNotUR) to keep it from sliding around which worked pretty well. You do have to rinse off the sawdust every now and then to keep it non-slip.

Thanks!

Thanks! Ah, I didn't know purple heart turned more purple with heat. I'm sure I would have tried something similar. Will know to avoid toasting it now though!

Michael: How warm an oven?

Thank you!

Awesome! Yeah, the groove is definitely the most stressful part. If you think you'll make more in the future the frame jig definitely takes some of the stress out!

I just had the cutting board sitting on a cooling rack inside a (cookie) baking sheet. Similar to these: (amzn.to/2EsmWmn). I suppose I could have also filled the baking sheet with a little mineral oil and let the bottom of the cutting board just soak in it at the same time.

I'm probably not much help with pricing suggestions as I make these for friends and family. You might check Etsy or a few name brand places like Johnboos.com to see how much they go for, but try not to undersell yourself. If you plan on making a bunch, be sure to factor in labor, materials, and machine/tool wear costs.

If you go with the frame for routing the juice grooves, then you don't need a bearing on it, but the bearing is needed when using a template.

Yeah, it's a bit non-obvious, but using the round part lets you go around the corners. I kind of wish there wasn't a flat side at all as it's just extra work to avoid it when doing things like this, but it's useful in a few other cases.

The jointer and planer with a little hand-plane touch up for any snipe has been enough for all the ones that I've made. I'm not sure why sanding the pieces would be necessary.

The juice groove was just a bit under 1" from the edge of the board and about 3/8" deep. I wouldn't do much under 1" if you're doing the handles on the ends just to keep them from intersecting the juice groove too closely. Good luck with the boards!

@@aroundhomediy Thanks I just went on and did a trial where I used 1/2" core bit got it 3/4" from the edge. I want to find what size my jig board needs to be to make my rails for the jig.

Correct, for the MDF frame method, you don't need the bearing version of the bit.

I used this one: amzn.to/2GZ895Z ... If you don't need the bearing they make a similar one that's a bit cheaper.

I think the corners might be a little tricky to get perfect without overshooting. You might could get it to work by undershooting and then very carefully coming back and taking tiny nibbles from each direction? ... or you could intentionally overshoot by say 1/8" and call it a design feature :) ! I'd definitely try to practice on a scrap piece first!

For the frame/outer guide, yup, you should route clockwise and just be careful to keep the round part of the router base against the guide.

@@aroundhomediy awesome .thanks for the quick reply

If I'm understanding your question correctly, the bit I used has a bearing on it that's the same size as the cutting bit. This bearing prevents the template from being cut as it rides only the template edge. Here's a photo of the bit and bearing: bit.ly/2Nx1DIl You're correct that the template needs to be thick enough that you can start the router with the bearing against it so that the cutter does not eat into the template before you plunge. That's why I prefer the second, "frame" method, though you can also use a set of template guide bushings (amzn.to/2H9zr8Q) and avoid needing a bit with the bearing and the issues involved with that method... mine just didn't arrive in time.

@@aroundhomediy Thank you so much for this response. That answers my question, & more. I'll make sure to use a similar bearing, & mind the advice about the thickness of the scrap piece. Again -- I really appreciate you taking the time to share such a thorough response.

No problem! At some point I'll do another video showing the bushing set as well. Need to finish up this desk I'm doing first. Just yell if you have any other questions.

Most from our local lumber company and a maybe one piece from our local woodworking store.

I haven't had any issues. I just lightly mist it, so there's not much water soaking in. It's probably less than it would see in use when getting rinsed off.

@@aroundhomediy so I’ve made 4 cutting boards and one charcuterie board and each time without fail the board will warp. I leave it standing and it goes back to normal after a few days but do you know why that would be? Even if I lightly rub with a damp sponge they still end up warping. I’ve made only end grain cutting boards if that makes a difference.

I haven't made any end-grain boards yet, so I don't have much to compare to. I've had to re-sand one just a bit to get it to lie flat after a couple of years of use, but nothing major. There's a post at The Wood Whisperer (thewoodwhisperer.com/articles/cutting-board-warping/) that talks about warping some, but there's not much offered as a solution unfortunately.

@@aroundhomediy oh thank you I appreciate that. Thankfully my boards straighten out after I leave then standing for a day or two but I was just wondering if this is a common occurrence. I’ve asked quite a bit of people now and it doesn’t seem like anyone else struggles with it. I’m also wondering if the maple I got is a higher moisture content than usual. Just trying to find answers so I can correctly move forward. But again, thanks for the response

Thanks, but sorry, I don't make them for sale.

Thanks! It's just mineral oil. It can usually be found in pharmacies or the pharmacy sections of grocery stores. Butcher block oil or conditioner can also be used.

@@aroundhomediy I buy my mineral oil at Tractor Supply in the equine health section (it is used a a horse laxative) less than $20 a gallon.

Thanks! I just used Target's store brand. You can find it in pharmacies for like $2/bottle.

Around Home DIY I'm from the UK. We don't have target. Cheers tho!

Any pharmacy should have it. It's actually used as a laxative :)

Around Home DIY I'll look into that.

@@paulcalvert2099 Try someplace that supplies health supplies for horses (my go to place in the US is Tractor Supply) I pay less than $20 per gallon.

It's based on how the router bit spins so that it will help keep the router against the template. I believe the general rule is to route counter-clockwise when routing around the "outside" of a template and clockwise when routing around the "inside" of a template (the frame in this case). I usually just think of routing left to right based on the direction when pushing away from me into the guide. For instance, pushing "away from me" into the first, small template would be along its bottom edge and left-to-right there means routing in a counter-clockwise direction. When pushing "away from me" into the frame along the top of it, left-to-right results in a clockwise direction.

@@aroundhomediy I Made my first cutting board the other day and it came out great except for the juice groove. I made the outside template,,,and I thought it was going to work well...but I had a hard time controlling it (the router) and messed it up. I was going CCW....do you think that could be what I had difficulty controlling it? (BTW...I wasn't going that deep...). Let me know what you think...I now have to plane it down and start over with the groove....THANKS!!

Yeah, I think if you were routing counter-clockwise with an outside template like the second one I made, then that could cause it to skip or be hard to control. If you've got a scrap you can test on definitely give it a shot moving clockwise and see if that works better.

@@aroundhomediy THANKS for the response!! Although it takes some time to set up....I think I will take your advice and try on a scrap first and see how it goes. I can use just a piece of plywood. (rehearsing one time will do some good....) Good idea!! I will try tomorrow and let you know how it goes. THANKS AGAIN!!

@@aroundhomediy OK here is the conclusion. Going CCW was a big mistake. I practiced a bit going CW and thought I had it down. When almost finished I inadvertently moved the router to the right and left a big gouge in it. I decided not to plane it down again...I just made a juice groove about 1-1/2" instead of the original 3/4" (making 2 passes with a straight bit). Thank goodness the board is pretty big...the large (wide) groove is not really that bad. I am sort of disappointed I that I made the board edge grain walnut, maple and Paduk...it really looks beautiful. I made it to give away and am a bit embarrassed to because of this wide groove. I know this is a long response...if anyone else is reading this....Build an outside jig. Make sure jig is secure and will not move when you put router pressure on it. Go CW!! Practice a few times. Keep router cord and extension cord over your shoulder (if you have a helper to keep the cord slack and NOT twisted around router even better!!) Keep pressure on the outside jig with router. Make sure to keep router flat on board. Practice with the router stopped a few times...just moving it across the board with no power. DO not let the cord get in the way/between router and jig. And do not let the flat side of router come into contact with the jig. Don't take off too much at a time...a few 1/32nd at a time. I thought I was pretty skilled at using the router....but making this juice groove was "trickier" than I thought....I guess I can compare it to hitting. golf ball...you have to do 10 things right. BTW: The last pass with the straight bit was perfect. In retrospect, I probably should have made a more simple design board for the first one.THANKS for your help!! Much appreciated!!