Hinoki cutting board
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Tagged: Cutting Board, Hinoki, Japanese cypress
- This topic has 7 replies, 2 voices, and was last updated 4 years, 8 months ago by Thomas Blank.
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10 March 2019 at 1:04 pm #555494
Hello all,
I’m about to start a project of making a cutting board out of one solid block of beautiful Hinoki (Japanese cypress). And have some questions and I appreciate any helpful comments.
My brother recently got a new kitchen including a fancy Japanese grill, Teppan Yaki. Although it’s of stainless steel, he’d like to have a cover for it. The idea is to cover this area with a cutting board.Dimensions will be L490xW350xH45 mm including a 10mm rebate, total weight is around 5kg. See the attached drawings attached.
It is planned to include a morticed handle on each end just to give more grip.Basically, I have two questions:
1. Do I have to worry about bending? I (and the later owner) am aware to avoid moisture whenever possible. I already thought about how to prevent bending but I do not come to a solution. Sure, I know the principles but it must fit somehow into the overall design. Any ideas?2. I searched around but have not found THE ONE answer: For a Hinoki cutting board, would you put a finish on it? I found some guys who just used use Hinoki oil (makes sense, indeed), others just state it’s not necessary at all.
If you have any helpful comments or ideas, please share them with me.
Thank you very much!
ThomasAttachments:
You must be logged in to view attached files.10 March 2019 at 9:17 pm #555499For this size, I think this wood will present very minimum bending, assuming it’s not green. One option to further minimize bend is to cut the board in strips and laminate the strips face to face. You could further cut the strips into blocks, say 1”x2” and laminate them end grain up. This would also add the desired benefit of having the wood grain facing the edge of the knife and help preserve the keen knife edge. Using a knife on the long grain, tends to dull knives more quicker. Anecdotal evidence, however. It also gives better “grip” to the food being cut.
It is unclear if this is for an outdoor application. In whatever application, out or in, acclimate the wood to the environment for several weeks.
This wood is very resistant to moisture, which is one of the reasons sushi chefs use it. A finish is optional. However, I would rub mineral oil into the wood, especially if you go the laminating edge grain route. I might even soak it in mineral oil for a couple days then rub/sand it down to remove the raised grain fur. And rub mineral oil into it 1 a month or so for maintenance.
If you go with the solid surface approach or laminated strip approach, then a finish will not really have a benifit as it won’t penetrate the fibers. In any case, post some pics when you complete this project. I would love to see what you came up with!- This reply was modified 5 years, 1 month ago by Kurt Schultz.
- This reply was modified 5 years, 1 month ago by Kurt Schultz.
- This reply was modified 5 years, 1 month ago by Kurt Schultz.
10 March 2019 at 10:03 pm #555503Thank you Kurt for your comments. It is for indoor use only and the wood has been dried down to ~10% or so.
My intention is to work this wood as minimal as possible. Which means I will go the solid surface way.
And yes, I will post some photos of the finished board.10 March 2019 at 11:28 pm #555504Hi Thomas, for its intentions, you will be fine. I see no issue with washing the board between use (to alleviate aversion of water). Curious, on how you got your hands on this block.
12 March 2019 at 9:10 pm #555521Hi Kurt,
as it is near to impossible to get this wood in Europe, I let it ship directly from Japan. Please, do not ask for costs!12 March 2019 at 9:20 pm #555522Oh heck yeah, I’m asking!! Lol! I’m sure your brother will appreciate your efforts.
2 August 2019 at 10:09 pm #595534Hello all,
the board is finished in the meantime. I attach all pictures I have on hand.
Let me give you some more details:
As I said, the board should cover the steel surface of a Teppan Yaki grill. It will be used as a cutting board like the Japanese chefs do.
Hinoki is a very soft wood and has extra anti-bacterial characteristics. We have decided not to treat the wood in any way.
Working the wood is a fantastic experience – not only because it can be worked easily, but especially due to the smell of the wood. After a few plane strokes, the workshop is flooded in this cypress flavour!As you can see from the pictures, the board has nothing fancy – it is special on its own and pure, it matches perfectly to the kitchen.
Why no wax or oil? Because Japanese chefs don’t. The surface will get rough by the time but a plane will take care of it.It took me a like 15 hours for arranging the CAD plans. The actual wood work was completed in 4 hours.
It has now been actively used for 4 months and the board has neither bended nor lost a bit of its beautifulness.
Costs for the rough board including shipment: 250 EURLooks like I can only attach 4 files per post, so I add one more post.
If you have any questions, let me know.
Best regards, Thomas- This reply was modified 4 years, 8 months ago by Thomas Blank.
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You must be logged in to view attached files.2 August 2019 at 10:19 pm #595541The board has first been planed flat on both sides, then cut to length and with. The feet were made from the cut-offs and simply glued to the main body.
As it is a Japanese board, I had to use an original Kanna! However, I switched to No. 4 as I am more used to it. I could not see and feel a considerable difference in the final surface.Attachments:
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