KitchenCommander
Well-Known Member
I recently came into the market for a new cutting board for my birthday. I have drooled over Boardsmith boards for many months and knew that if I ever upgraded my board that I would get it from him. I noticed that his shop was in Dallas, which is in my area. So last week I gave John a call and left a voicemail asking him if he had any large boards available and if I could come by on Saturday and pick something out. He calls me back later that day and says he has a couple options available and will send me some photos of what he has almost finished.
The next day I get a call and email saying he has two 18"x24" boards ready for completion by Saturday; a Maple second and a Cherry first. The Cherry looks great, so that is the one I choose immediately. John does not have a store front, and despite being quite busy on Saturday, carves out some time to meet at his shop Saturday afternoon to give my wife and I a quick tour and allow me to pick up my new cutting board. Also on the bench was a HUGE custom end grain Walnut top that was 5" thick and about 3ft x 4ft for a custom butcher block cart. Very impressive to behold and made me envious to be sure.
Unfortunately, in the heat of the moment I did not get any photos to commemorate the experience, but I do have some photos of my new end grain Cherry. It was truly a pleasure to meet John and he is a true artisan woodworker. The quality of his work is exceptional. He also offers custom woodworking and furniture, which is his true passion. John offers excellent customer service, was very responsive to calls, and altered his schedule to accommodate my visit on short notice. He is a great guy and if I ever need another board, it will be a Boardsmith. Although this one is built to last a century or more.
Here are a couple photos. It is a large board, but I LOVE the amount of cutting space I have now. Its slightly longer and much wider than what I was using, also does not have that annoying perimeter groove that traps food and is hard to clean.
A big Thank You to John for letting me come out an see the shop and for putting the extra time into completing the Cherry board for me. I love it!
Forgecraft 10" chef knife for scale.
The next day I get a call and email saying he has two 18"x24" boards ready for completion by Saturday; a Maple second and a Cherry first. The Cherry looks great, so that is the one I choose immediately. John does not have a store front, and despite being quite busy on Saturday, carves out some time to meet at his shop Saturday afternoon to give my wife and I a quick tour and allow me to pick up my new cutting board. Also on the bench was a HUGE custom end grain Walnut top that was 5" thick and about 3ft x 4ft for a custom butcher block cart. Very impressive to behold and made me envious to be sure.
Unfortunately, in the heat of the moment I did not get any photos to commemorate the experience, but I do have some photos of my new end grain Cherry. It was truly a pleasure to meet John and he is a true artisan woodworker. The quality of his work is exceptional. He also offers custom woodworking and furniture, which is his true passion. John offers excellent customer service, was very responsive to calls, and altered his schedule to accommodate my visit on short notice. He is a great guy and if I ever need another board, it will be a Boardsmith. Although this one is built to last a century or more.
Here are a couple photos. It is a large board, but I LOVE the amount of cutting space I have now. Its slightly longer and much wider than what I was using, also does not have that annoying perimeter groove that traps food and is hard to clean.
A big Thank You to John for letting me come out an see the shop and for putting the extra time into completing the Cherry board for me. I love it!
Forgecraft 10" chef knife for scale.