Cutting Boards and Magnetic Strips

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Marko Tsourkan

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I mentioned recently that I will offer a limited number of boards and magnetic strips, and later will add wall/countertop blocks as well.

Please fill out a Board Survey Form, so I can get a better idea what people are looking for, or what their preferences are.
http://www.tsourkanknives.com/index.php/accessories/end-grain-cuttinb-boards-survey

I would like to ask you to also fill a Magnetic Strip Survey, for me to get an idea what the preferred lengh would be.
http://www.tsourkanknives.com/index.php/accessories/stock-wooden-magnetic-strip-survey

Boards, blocks and strips will be side projects and I will make them in limited numbers. I won't be taking custom orders for these.

Boards
Most boards will be 2" thick and will have a low-profile (about 3/16" over the counter top). Another design feature is fingers cutout that allows to move the board around easily. See picture below.

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I like to use full rows so the width will wary a little bit depending on the thickness of the lumber after it is squared. I will try to get as close as possible to typical widths ( 12, 15, 16, 18").


Magnetic Strips
These will be made of some highly figured grain woods I come accross once in a while. Most woods will be domestic, but I will also use (sparingly) tropical hard woods like macassar ebony. Here are a couple of examples of woods that I would use.
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A typical thickness of a magnetic strip would be 5/8" and a typical width will be 2". Length will vary.


Thank you,

M
 
Thanks to the few folks who submitted their input.

A few of things to clarify.

The boards will be one-sided and with silicone feet. Low profile (recessed feet) is to reduce the height of the board on the counter top - less strains on your wrists (this worked for my wife). Finger recesses are essential for moving board around - it would be awkward to lift a low-profile board of a counter top without this feature. Besides, these boards are pretty heavy even before they are seasoned with mineral oil, so finger recesses will allow for a good grip. Feet are necessary for air circulation under the board, to prevent slipping and to absorb impact better.

The magnetic pull on a magnetic strip will vary depending on the amount of carbon in the steel, so I am wondering if I should try to come up with a common-denominator solution that will work for both carbon and stainless, or should make blocks for carbon or stainless knives separately.

Strips will be chamfered, for an easy separation of knife from the block and will be finished with food safe finishes (mixture of food grade mineral oil and natural waxes).

M
 
I mentioned no feet, because I'd rather just put a towel under the board and then store the board on its side/on top of removable feet to dry. Can you expand on how the feet would help with absorbing impact?
 
16x22" or 18x24" without feet is quite a beast to handle to be honest. I haven't weigh mine (I think it's 15x21), but I would estimate it to be at least 16LB. The recessed feet protrude only 3/16, so I don't think this will be an issue to store the board on its side.

I tenderize meats on my board, so silicone feet absorb impact from a tenderizer pretty well.
 
Beautiful looking boards Marko! I think the recessed feet are a great idea and the fact that there's 6 feet instead of just 4.
 
Thank you. 12x18 will have 4 feet, all of the other ones will have 6.

The idea for recessed feet I got from my wife. She is not very tall and for her to use a 2" board, it has to sit as low as possible.

M
 
Did you add the 2 extra feet on the larger boards for stability or to help prevent warping/sagging in the middle?
 
I filled out the board section but the mag bar section appears to be missing now.
 
@Theory - Fixed the link, thanks for pointing out.

Yes, adding 2 extra feet on larger boards allows for extra stability and/or to prevent warping over time (which not entirely sure is the case, but preventive measures can't hurt).

It seems that majority of the responders preferred walnut to other woods (and single tone to two-tone boards), which is a good news for me, as walnut has the most figure on the end grain. The one below has been my favorite.

I won't be making maple board at this time.

M

View attachment 13600
 
Thanks for explaining that, Marko. You still owe me a cutting board from a year or so back (kidding, partly ;))
 
I stopped making boards a year ago or so, as I didn't have access to wide belt sander. I do now.

Thanks again for chiming in, folks. I find these surveys very effective, as it makes me think of things I didn't think before and air them on the forum. Keep them coming and I will keep answering, so others will get the same info.

In my opinion, two-tone (w/ a contrasting frame) looks good on larger boards - 16x22 or 18x24, as it allows the inside section to be of a good size. I personally don't like two-tone on a 12x18 for the reason I just stated.

The thinnest I would go would be 1 7/8" on 12x18 and 14-15x20". Ultimately, you want a stable board that will last for many years. Hands recesses will allow to move the board around (I wash my board probably once a week) easily and recessed feet allow the board to sit almost as low as if it didn't have any feet.

I get lumber from a very reputable place locally. All their lumber is kiln dried, ready to be worked, but as a rule, I keep it in the shop for some time for it to acclimate. This hopefully will add to the stability of the future board. I use Titebond III, lay out the grain for stability and do a proper seasoning with mineral oil and mixture of natural waxes/oil before packing and getting it out. I would ship by FedEx or UPS packed for the worse case scenarios.

I will make them only as I find lumber with interesting end grain - a handful per month if that.

Magnetic strips I can make in a variety of woods (domestic and imported), but again, the grain has to be interesting. These are to complement my knives - I am not interested in mass-producing either of these two products.

M
 
Marko,
Maybe you could offer the silicon feet as an option with it's own check box, or just include the feet in a baggie with installation directions and leave it up to the customer.
I need to slide my cutting board into a narrow cabinet that also holds our cookie sheets. I think the feet will just make things tighter and will probably catch on the pan edges as I try to push it in. I too am happy with putting a dish towel under it to keep it from slipping around and help absorb impacts. It also means I have two usable sides to work with.
 
Marko,
Maybe you could offer the silicon feet as an option with it's own check box, or just include the feet in a baggie with installation directions and leave it up to the customer.
I need to slide my cutting board into a narrow cabinet that also holds our cookie sheets. I think the feet will just make things tighter and will probably catch on the pan edges as I try to push it in. I too am happy with putting a dish towel under it to keep it from slipping around and help absorb impacts. It also means I have two usable sides to work with.

Or you could just remove the feet when you get the board.
 
These boards will be one-sided. You can remove the feet (they are screwed in), but the bottom side will show recessed holes and recessed area for a grip. Given the thickness and weight of these boards, particularly the larger ones, I won't be comfortable sending them modified.

I will try to factor in individual preferences, but ultimately these will be ready-made boards and will be offered on first-come-first-serve basis. I will give the heads up to the folks interested when I am going to post them though.

These boards won't have juice groves as I don't see a reason to have them unless it's a dedicated carving board. If there is interest for carving boards, I might consider making some.
 
Very nice work. Beautiful cutting boards.
 
Finalizing design for magnetic strips. Will use Lee Valleys countersink washers and screws to mount these on the wall, so need your input on color - brass or stainless steel. Added a field at the Magnetic Strip Survey below.
http://www.tsourkanknives.com/index.php?option=com_rsform&formId=11

I ordered a number of different strength magnets to come up with an optimal pull for both stainless and carbon steels. The knives I will use for experiment will all be in 210-270mm size. An optimal pull will be when the knife is kept securely on the strip, yet it won't be difficult to remove (pull is not too strong).

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6 feet on wider boards may lead to rocking on uneven tile counter tops. Not usre it's necessary for board strength over time.

Love the boards - especially the recessed feet and finger groove design.

Pricing?
 
Very good point, thanks for chiming in.

I will price them competitively, but to be honest, I haven't spent much time thinking about the prices. First I need to finalize the design and preferences, then will work on the prices.

M
 
Use brass if they are going to be visible. Invisible would be preferable if the mounting solution is elegant and discrete. Make sure it's strong enough to hold a 210mm deba too.
 
I will make prototypes of both constructions. Ordered hardware and magnets, so hopefully early next week will get something out in the open. Hidden hardware would still allow the strip be mounted flush on the wall and will be sturdy to support whatever it is on the strip.

Logo or no logo on the front side? What would be the preference? If logo, I would probably need to get a small head for my burning iron. The logo would probably be .5"x1.5", so fairly small. Alternatively, I can burn a full size 1x2 in the back of the board, but it won't be visible.
 
Marko,
Maybe you could offer the silicon feet as an option with it's own check box, or just include the feet in a baggie with installation directions and leave it up to the customer.
I need to slide my cutting board into a narrow cabinet that also holds our cookie sheets. I think the feet will just make things tighter and will probably catch on the pan edges as I try to push it in. I too am happy with putting a dish towel under it to keep it from slipping around and help absorb impacts. It also means I have two usable sides to work with.

From my experience, if the dish towel happens to be wet and your leave it overnight, it may warp the board. . Ditto if you happen to have a wet towel on top of it.. Happened to me! careless mistake.

Rubber feet wld have its usefulness. IF you chop heavily or use a mallet on your say cleaver,
a) it will absorb the impact adn not transfer the force from board to the counter top and prevent scratching it when it moves. The rubber feet is softer than board. Thus it depends on your usage. IF it is just fine/ regular cutting it is not an issue.

b)Recessed hole for the rubber feet. Without it, at least you can take out the screws of the rubber feet,try to close/ fill up the screw holes adn use it as another surface. Especially when it is slightly uneven.

hv fun and stay sharp....
d
 
Use brass if they are going to be visible. Invisible would be preferable if the mounting solution is elegant and discrete.

+1

If you could mount a separate wall piece that a similar part on the back of the strip would fit into, like a z-bar, the front could be clean and the piece could be easily removed for cleaning, polishing, etc.

As for your logo, I'd keep the front clean. You could put it on the side of one of the end pieces.
 
I think the logo is important. Just put it in one of the lower corners where there is no magnet so it doesn't get covered by a knife
 
I would not mind commissioning mini metal logo that can be embedded into the block, but I don't even know where to look for those or what they are called. It would be just letters A and T in the circle like in my full logo. Can anybody point me in a right direction?
 
Found out that these would be custom coins or crests. Sent an inquiry for pricing.
M
 

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