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Stratocaster Chopping Board - a.k.a. the "StratoChopper"

Stratocaster Chopping Board - a.k.a. the \"StratoChopper\"
A simple-to-make chopping board from scrap kitchen counter board (a la IKEA) in the shape of a Fender Stratocaster guitar. Next time you have a dinner party for your muso friends, amaze and confuse them by serving cheese on this retro-shaped chopping board.
 
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Step 1Materials and Tools

Materials and Tools
Materials:
* Kitchen Counter board, like oak, maple, ash, about 35mm thick. Mine is a leftover from a kitchen refurb project. Or just go to IKEA and buy a section of kitchen counter. Do not use chip-board kitchen counter!
* Sandpaper
* Tung oil, Counter top oil or Danish oil (not so good as it is not food-quality)
* Liquid paraffin (and old-fashioned medication for rot gut)

Tools:
* Fender Guitar or other guitar with well-known shape, e.g. Les Paul, Telecaster (this is for tracing the shape only - your guitar will remain intact for this Instructable!)
* Band saw or jigsaw. Recommend a band saw, but I managed OK with a jigsaw
* Router with a 10mm-radius roundover bit
* Belt sander, drum sander, orbital sander, linisher, or all of them
* Various grades of sand paper
* Drill and 32mm spade bit for an optional hole
* Pencil
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57 comments
1-40 of 57next »
Dec 30, 2011. 9:26 AMjcookson says:
here's the cutting board and the cheese board...
May 9, 2012. 12:30 AMrilokiley77 says:
Really like your addition to this amazing project. Thumbs up to both you and Gerrit!
Jan 2, 2012. 7:59 AMkilgore64 says:
Thanks for the great idea, Gerrit! I whipped one of these out in a few hours on New Year's Eve to give to my friend who is a guitar nut. I had a wooden cutting board that I salvaged from the top of an old portable dishwasher that we got rid of about 20 years ago. I knew I'd find a use for it some day!! I was short on time so I skipped the hole (I just finished oiling the board as my friend was coming up the driveway).
Dec 29, 2011. 11:11 PMjcookson says:
Great idea! Made this as our gift to our guitar aficionado son-in-law. Great hit! I added a cheese cutting board the shape of a strat headstock (pictures when I get on my laptop -can't load from my iPad).
Dec 19, 2011. 1:14 PMelhauk says:
Thanks for the Xmas inspiration. Making a jazzmaster board as a gift for my guitarist brother. Found blueprints here https://sites.google.com/site/guitarplanscollection/pdf-files/fender-ish that I resized to the width of the board I was working on. And with a little neck to use as handle
Dec 23, 2011. 3:26 AMelhauk says:
Thanks for the inspiration.
Came out pretty good :)

Sorry bout the photo being rotated.
Dec 23, 2011. 9:21 AMwizard124 says:
Awesome idea and well done!
Nov 30, 2011. 7:21 PMDIY Dave says:
I'd like to make an acoustic cutting board
Dec 8, 2011. 7:21 PMWoundedEgo says:
You could throw the discards in the sound hole...
Dec 11, 2011. 7:35 PMDIY Dave says:
That would be great
Dec 5, 2011. 10:07 AMshorepatrol says:
Finally something to do with that crappy old jap strat in the corner...thanks
Dec 5, 2011. 10:43 PMcmalone says:
hey! we jap strat owners have got to stick together.
Dec 9, 2011. 6:38 AMshorepatrol says:
Great, we can do this one together ! I certainly hope you do not mean twice as thick a one. All strats are good but I have a 66 with the original pickups and.....well it just"dont get no better". ENJOY YOURS TOO
Dec 8, 2011. 7:22 PMWoundedEgo says:
I'm so baffled by creativity... was this "out of the blue"?
Dec 8, 2011. 7:18 PMWoundedEgo says:
Slap a neck and some strings on that baby, because it looks ready to rock!!
Nov 30, 2011. 12:40 PMMissouriVillian says:
Excellent. I'll be awaiting the optional guitar string cheese slicer attachment.
Dec 6, 2011. 8:32 PMjjmcgaffey says:
Actually...I was in a little kitchen supply store the other day and they had a cheese slicer that was a hand-sized slab of wood with two metal supports on one edge, and a spiral wire running from a screw on one side, over the metal supports, and to a thumbscrew on the opposite side. They said specifically that the wire could be replaced at need by a .020 steel guitar string...it was actually (the size) engraved on the wood, so you could remember that. Unfortunately, I have no idea what the brand was.
Dec 4, 2011. 2:14 PMKatie5757 says:
Brilliant.. hit the design Villian.
Nov 30, 2011. 10:50 PMJordo! says:
When I'm at a kitchen store, I always play those egg slicer gadgets like some kind of weird harp, lol.
Dec 5, 2011. 7:11 AMcforeman says:
Same Here.
Nov 30, 2011. 7:21 PMDIY Dave says:
lol
Dec 6, 2011. 3:14 PMaspir8or says:
Great project. I may just have time before xmas to make one about 80% size Alembic bass for my son. I've been wracking my brains for weeks about what to get him. He's an awesome bassist, teaching as well as playing, so this will be perfect. Now the only problem will be what I get him in the future, as this is going to be hard to equal, let alone top.
Dec 4, 2011. 8:04 AMI Hate Your Guts Too says:
Awesome idea and well executed! I do have some concerns about your choice of material though. Oak is not particularly suited for cutting boards because it is a very open grained wood and will retain bacteria from anything that has juices (like veg) and possibly even cheese. Does the parrafin seal it enough for this to not be a problem?

I would recomend to anyone who would like to build this cuting board to use beech or maple (both available at ikea) as they are designated as "food safe" woods.
Dec 6, 2011. 7:22 AMmkrichardson says:
Oak creates an enzyme when bacteria from juices of meats and poultry hit it.
As long as you wash your board and, periodically give it a bleach and water wipe down, it's fine. Another poster put a link into the Food Science research at UC Davis. I have used oak butcher blocks and cutting boards for years.
Dec 4, 2011. 10:56 PMwanna beco says:
I wouldn't worry much about bacteria... go here

http://faculty.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/faculty/docliver/Research/cuttingboard.htm

You can skip to the last paragraph, but it is a very interesting read concluding that wood is safer than plastic cutting boards and that plastic should be considered a health hazard. And if it fits, wet your wooden board and microwave it for about 45 to 60 seconds.... watch out that you don't burn it. It will come out germ free and kinda warm.. LOL
Dec 5, 2011. 9:12 AMelatrommi says:
still though does not include any information as to wood species type. As a general rule you should not use open grained woods like oak as it is more likely to retain contaminates. So as this article (for a woodworker) is great info (i printed it out for customers) though as with anything with food it is all how you maintain your cutting board. For home use it is probably just fine.

another tip is to use end grain or edge grain for you cutting boards that see more knife action.

all in all i dig the ible great job!
Dec 5, 2011. 1:41 AMmischka says:
Great !
Nov 30, 2011. 12:53 PMhoo-t says:
This is incredibly cool! Congratulations on a great instructable! I'd like to mention that there are printable templates on the web for lots of guitars designed for actually building guitars. Additionally, since maple is a preferred wood for guitar bodies, and a preferred wood for cutting boards, it would seem to be a great choice tor this project! Neat idea!
Dec 4, 2011. 5:51 PMwanna beco says:
ohhhh, could you imagine a nice flamy maple PRS... that would rock!! could you use nitrocellulose as a finish?
Dec 4, 2011. 9:55 PMhoo-t says:
Nitrocellulose may not be the best choice for a finish on a cutting board used for food. I think I'd stick with one of the oil finishes recommended by the op.
Dec 4, 2011. 10:42 PMwanna beco says:
I know, it just used to be a great guitar finish... I was kinda be silly... but I still want a flame maple PRS cutting board!
Dec 4, 2011. 8:57 AMsteelchef says:
Hey Hoo-t,

Would you have a link to these templates by any chance? Would be greatly appreciated!
Dec 4, 2011. 9:53 PMhoo-t says:
Well there's a good telecaster template on the tdpri forum, located at http://www.tdpri.com/forum/tele-home-depot/74504-d-size-tele-body-blueprint-files-here.html

Other than that you could do a google search for your preferred guitar and the word template..... stratocaster template, or "gibson les paul template", etc.
Dec 4, 2011. 9:03 PMbuckshot00 says:
Sweet!
1-40 of 57next »

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Author:gerrit_hoekstra(Hoekstra (UK))
At heart an engineer, musician, polyglot, cook, computer programmer, wood worker, brewer and hacker.