Knife Block -- Free-Standing

Step 7 The base

In the photo you can also see that I put a 45 degree chamfer on all edges of the knife block that were not rounded in the previous step.

The upright portion of the base is two pieces of oak glued together for a total thickness of about 1 3/8 inches.  Before cutting it, I used a fulcrum and experimented with where the fulcrum should rest to achieve the angle I wanted and to find a balance point so the knife block would be stable when standing on the counter.  The upright portion of the base holds the knife block about two inches over the top of the flat horizontal part of the base.  The flat horizontal portion is 4 3/8 inches square.  I used the router to make a quarter round profile on all four sides.  

The curves in the upright portion were done with two sizes of hole saws.  I smoothed them with a sanding drum on my radial arm saw.  

A long sheet metal screw (head recessed) goes from under the flat horizontal piece through the vertical part of the base and into the knife block.  The pieces are also glued.  

After sanding, I rubbed on mineral oil.  It does not become rancid and makes a pleasing finish.