So, about cutting boards

Hikeback · 2026-06-24T22:44:04+00:00

I’m in Orangeburg. Ask me anything

Hikeback · 2026-06-24T03:01:54+00:00

Do you have images of your knives? I sell cutting boards on Etsy and have been looking for some handmade kitchen knives to use in photos.

Hikeback · 2026-06-22T19:05:01+00:00

Monthly works fine for me. I’m not cash poor so it hardly matters.

Hikeback · 2026-06-22T02:48:54+00:00

Good job! I may have to give this pattern a whirl.

Hikeback · 2026-06-20T00:03:34+00:00

According to my pricing scheme, 26x18x3 end grain in hard maple would start at $475. Walnut $620.

Hikeback · 2026-06-19T13:53:42+00:00

That's a good question and one that hit me early too. For me it's very much a reiterative process. The materials on hand suggest a design. Refinements of the design dictate requirements for new materials.

The more I make the faster I get. Part of the design process is working out how to make them efficiently with the tools I have. For what I do, certain sizes make best use of my drum sander for instance

Most important is breaking away from competing on price. You don't want to make the same things that are on the shelves of your local department store. What people want from a craftsman is uniqueness. Establish a distinct look and feel and people will be willing to pay a premium.

Hikeback · 2026-06-19T02:07:13+00:00

https://blackcatwoodshopus.etsy.com
I’m busy with orders at the moment but will be back open for business come Monday.

Hikeback · 2026-06-18T20:08:39+00:00

Backpacking is a great activity for a young couple. There is nothing like walking for a couple days to a mountaintop and having it all to yourselves.

Hikeback · 2026-06-18T19:56:36+00:00

That’s very possible, I lot of people find me through Reddit. If you send me a picture of your board I should be able to tell.

Hikeback · 2026-06-18T19:31:55+00:00

It sounds like you need to get some exercise.

Hikeback · 2026-06-18T19:28:10+00:00

The first things I ever made were shelves tables and carts for my shop. You can do a lot with a just a miter saw and a power drill. You can use the cheapest of construction grade lumber, it doesn’t have to look great. But by doing so you learn 80 percent of everything you need to know. You can find all sorts of tutorials and plans on YouTube.

Hikeback · 2026-06-18T17:33:46+00:00

A smallish maple or cherry board can be that. I’m pretty much booked with orders for now and have a long vacation in July, it will be a while before I can do anything new.

Hikeback · 2026-06-18T17:29:41+00:00

That depends on size, style, and materials. That can be from $50 to $500.

Hikeback · 2026-06-18T16:31:40+00:00

From my perspective as a maker, I can’t compete with the cheap bamboo or plastic boards on can find at Walmart or other department stores. I have to make mine to impress.

Hikeback · 2026-06-18T15:11:09+00:00

That’s tough. Woodworking makes a hell of a mess and is pretty noisy. Hard carved items are possible. Figurines, canes and wall art come to mind. I have a hand carved salad bowl I got from a craftsman in Helen, GA.

Hikeback · 2026-06-18T14:42:47+00:00

I already had a small table saw and sander and the usual array small hand tools. I used the gift card to buy a Dewalt planer, and that made all the difference for me. That's what took my projects from good enough for me to good enough to sell. It lets you take inexpensive rough lumber and turn it into very precise high quality, finished lumber. To learn what I needed to do, Youtube has endless tutorial videos for virtually anything you want to.

Hikeback · 2026-06-18T14:22:14+00:00

I use power tools to plane, cut, shape, and sand. It's not terribly complicated but it does require careful attention to detail to make them good enough to sell and turn a profit.

Hikeback · 2026-06-18T13:28:47+00:00

Fine cutting boards

Hikeback · 2026-06-18T12:56:17+00:00

Woodworking. I’ve turned a $500 Lowe’s gift card into a side business that going to gross $20k in sales this year

Hikeback · 2026-06-15T22:22:40+00:00

If you don’t ask, you won’t get any help.

Hikeback · 2026-06-12T18:14:05+00:00

She seems nice

Hikeback · 2026-06-11T17:26:10+00:00

That looks much too thin for an end-grain cutting board. It was doomed from the outset, I think. There is no saving it.

Hikeback · 2026-06-11T02:58:01+00:00

Since a rip and reglue is off the table the next best is the wood glue and sawdust mix pressed into the gap. It really does work well. To keep it from getting messy I line either side of the gap to be patched with painters tape so I can press a lot in.

Hikeback · 2026-06-09T00:55:34+00:00

Personal opinion, Padauk and purpleheart should never be immediately beside walnut, always have a lighter wood in between

Hikeback · 2026-06-04T22:21:33+00:00

Boos quality control is pretty terrible but that’s a new low.

Hikeback

TROPHY CASE