Matt Estlea
The Chopping Board
Want to learn how to dimension timber entirely by hand? This series will teach you how to flatten, square, thickness, join and re-flatten three pieces of wood to make a simple chopping board. These are fundamental principles that must be learnt in order to be a successful woodworker.
Project Overview
In this quick video, I will brief you on the project ahead so that you know what to expect and can get the most from this course. Many resources are available at your fingertips so don’t miss the opportunity to make the most of them!
Project Overview
You will learn:
- What you need to begin this project
- How the course is structured
- What processes you will learn
- How to use the resources available
Tool List
Unsure you have all the right tools for the project? This handy guide helps you choose not only the tools you need, but also gives my recommendations in order of preference. It also provides various options to suit different budgets.
Tool List
You will learn:
- Tools required for this project
- Tools recommended for the project
- My first, second and third choices
- What to avoid
#1 Cutting and Orientating Timber
In this lesson, I’ll show you how to cut the timber to size, work around defects, and orientate the grain to get maximum stability.
#1 Cutting and Orientating Timber
You will learn:
- How to select suitable woods
- How to select suitable grain
- How to size timber
- How to ensure stability
#2 Squaring Timber by Hand
In this lesson, I show you the first extremely important steps needed to plane timber square as well as demonstrate helpful techniques to make the process quick and enjoyable!
#2 Squaring Timber by Hand
You will learn:
- How to use a cambered blade
- How to flatten a face
- How to use winding sticks
- How to square an edge
#3 Thicknessing Wood by Hand
In this lesson, I show you how to work on the remaining two sides of the components and thickness them to size.
#3 Thicknessing Wood by Hand
You will learn:
- How to use a face side and edge
- How to layout the thickness
- How to efficiently remove material
- How to ensure flatness
#4 Gluing and Flattening Panels
In this lesson, I show you how to glue it all together and explain the finer details behind finishing the board. It’s not a case of sticking it together and buzzing over it with a sander!
#4 Gluing and Flattening Panels
You will learn:
- How to edge joint boards
- How to glue boards
- How to check for accuracy
- How to flatten wide boards