How To: Create A Customized 3D Carved Chopping Board

Who does not need a customized reducing board?  And with the vacations proper across the nook, it is time to begin considering of issues that earn you severe brownie factors along with your family members – enter your Inventables Carvey and the custom-made reducing board mission. 

MatterHackers is positioned in California, and as a surfer, I’ve an amazing quantity of California delight, so for this mission, I’m going to create a California inlay on a 12-inch walnut reducing board. Right here is how i make the reducing board:

Step 1 – Select Your Supplies 

I really like walnut. It is simply my favourite wooden to work with and appears wonderful, particularly after some sanding and an oil end. For the inlay, I’m going to make use of arduous maple, each for power and shade distinction. Additionally to finish this mission you’ll wish to have some wooden glue, mineral oil, 100 grit sandpaper, and a clear rag. Here’s what I used: 

• Walnut wooden 
• Maple wooden
• 100 grit sandpaper
• Sort II wooden glue
• Mineral oil
• Clear rag

There are a whole lot of choices for wooden on the market – choose one you want! 

Step 2 – Create the Chopping Board Design

I cheated – the Carvey’s program, Easel, created by Inventables has a couple of ‘inventory’ reducing board shapes to make use of, which I took benefit of. Right here is a hyperlink to the one I used for this demo [12” x 6” rounded cutting board]. If you click on the blue ‘Open mission in Easel’ you are able to go.

Step 3 – Design the Inlay

I in all probability sound like a damaged document, however that is tremendous simple additionally. Easel means that you can import any image and it turns it into an inlay through the use of the ‘Inlay App’ (from the Apps tab). I selected a California and used a tolerance of 0.004”. The inlay wooden I used was a Laborious Maple that’s 0.125” thick, so I made the inlay on the reducing board that deep. The outside of the reducing board goes by way of my whole 0.75” walnut wooden clean.

Step 4 – Structure the Workpieces

For this reducing board I used 2 workpieces: one for the reducing board which reduce out the outside of the cuttingboard in addition to the California pocket, and one for the inlay itself.

You should definitely set:

• Materials Dimensions
  • Walnut reducing board base: 0.75″ x 6″ x 12″
  • Laborious Maple inlay: 0.125″ x 6″ x 8″
• Depth of reduce for every function 
  • Exterior: 0.75 inches (full thickness of reducing board)
  • Califonia Pocket: 0.125 inches (thickness of inlay wooden)
  • California Inlay: 0.125 inches (Full thickness of inlay wooden)
• Bit used for every reduce (Store Carving Bits)
• Examine the ‘Use Tabs” for the inlay reduce – they make sure the inlay doesn’t break away earlier than the carving is full

I used a ⅛” up-cutting bit, which created some tear-out (tough edges that type when carving in opposition to the grain of the wooden) that wanted to be sanded – subsequent time I will use a straight reduce bit to scale back the cleanup wanted.

Step 5 – Begin Chopping with the Carvey

You’ll wish to seize a cup of espresso for this step as a result of your involvement could be very passive. After getting the board clamped within the machine and the Carvey plugged into your pc (should be linked to speak with Easel) – hit the massive inexperienced button and sit down. When the 3D Carving for the reducing board is completed, unload the walnut and throw within the arduous Maple. Clamp, begin, and repeat.

Cleansing up after reducing on the Carvey

Step 6 – Assemble Your Chopping Board

The inlay might have a little bit of sanding to suit simply proper. Use 100 grit sandpaper – that ought to do the trick. Be sure to sand down the tabs used for the inlay properly. Clear the within of the pocket and use a couple of dabs of wooden glue to bond the inlay into the pocket. If there are any gaps, use a combination of wooden glue and a few of the leftover sanding mud to fill them.

Gluing and setting the inlay into the board. 

Step 7 – Sanding the Customized Chopping Board

You’ll wish to ensure you sand the highest flush (the inlay with the reducing board base prime floor) and customarily contact all the exterior floor with 100 grit sandpaper. Ease the sides so they aren’t sharp. For this step, I used a random orbital sander with 100 grit sane paper, however a few of the ultimate touches I did by hand. 

Sanding the sides of the reducing board

Step 8: Coat the Chopping Board with Mineral Oil

Use Mineral Oil (it’s meals secure and doesn’t spoil, so is ideal for reducing boards) and apply a beneficiant coating, wipe off the surplus. You could wish to do that twice, wooden likes to drink up that oil.

Coating the reducing board in mineral oil

Step 9 – Get pleasure from Your New Customized Chopping Board

Now you’ve a rad, custom-made reducing board to make use of for your self or give as a present. This may impress family members and pals, particularly once they discover out you made it your self. 

In case you are curious about studying extra about 3D Carving, be at liberty to e mail help@matterhackers.com – we would love that will help you get began!