Forgot to include these

I swear that was not intentional, a happy accident

Lol I’m glad it’s appreciated. The real reason is that I’m impatient AND crave external validation

Hard maple

Two options, patient and impatient. Patient is taking the time to properly apply the many the recommended coats of tung oil, since I’ve got some that’s cut with citrus oil and it looks and smells heavenly. Impatient is a 50/50 beeswax and mineral oil mix I made, quick and easy to apply, 85% as good looking as the tung oil, with like 1% the effort

Like, instead of one, large 2" slice, two 1" slices, rotated 180° relative to each other?

I’m specifically wondering about an end-grain cutting board, but that’s really good looking!

Two things:

1. sick username

2. do you have any pictures handy? I couldn’t find a single image of a cutting board like I’m imagining

I don’t think I’m describing my question clearly. I’m imagining a 2" thick cutting board made up of 4, 6"×12" end grain slices from the beam.

Every end grain cutting board I’ve ever seen is comprised of many individual pieces from like .5"×.5" up to like 2"×2" at the largest.

Is checking the only risk from using very large pieces, like I want to?

I’m glad you agree. I’m just curious what it will be like working with a wood that’s got a ~2700 janka hardness.

IF this project ever actually comes to fruition, I’m considering just burnishing as a finish, but that’s waaaaaayyyyyy far off

I’m really glad to hear you like it! I’m glad it gives off that impression, because a not insignificant amount of time was spent finessing each individual joint

I eased the edge by hand with sandpaper, but I wanted it to look as unadulterated as possible. It’s a trade-off, for sure

Also, if you think those corners are bad, look at this torture device I made earlier this year

It’s hard maple, and those real thin edges are basically blades if you’re walking by. It’s a genuine hazard

This feels like a conversation I have with my wife about me placing everyday objects around the house in places where they would logically be, then she runs straight into them anyway

“Darling, I cannot protect you from what is right in front of your eyeballs”

Old school, or strapped for cash and no space for power tools, take your pick🤷

If I remember correctly, I chopped the mortises on the tapered face, then cut the tenons with square shoulders, then transferred the angle of the taper to the shoulders and cut off the tiny bit of excess. It wasn’t nearly as bad as I expected

Fuck yeah

Hammer and mortise chisels I got from Amazon

As for the tenons, I’ve got a trash little craftsman saw that’s probably like seven bucks at home depot, I just had to score cuts well and be careful not to go outside my marks, LOTS of cleaning up with a paring chisel was necessary

Another point of pride I forgot to mention, this was an impulse project, so I didn’t have a plan, just kinda fumbled my way through it, making decisions as necessary. I’m especially pleased with the taper on the legs, think that adds a bit of grace to an otherwise chunky table