Guitar Shaped Cutting Board

Two of my favorite pastime are playing guitar and woodworking.

A long time ago, I decided to make a guitar, this will be a future Instructable.

In the process of making my guitar I made a template for the body.

Since I had a few pieces of leftover wood and the template, I decided to make a cutting board.

Supplies

Materiel required:

Wood (you could use marshmallow instead, but I would not recommend it)

I used Cherry, Walnut, Maple and Mahogany.

Waterproof wood glue

Cutting board oil

Tools required:

Table saw

Jigsaw

Power sander

Router

Surfacing router bit

Flush trimmer router bit

1/8 round over router bit

Wood clamps

Sanding paper

Marker

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE):

Mask

Safety goggles

Hearing protection ear muffs

Katana

Edit: Someone asked me what the katana is for.

I don't know where you're from, but here there are zombies everywhere so...

Step 1: Making the Template

I first drew the shape of the guitar from this file on an oversized piece of paper.

Cut it to size with scissors.

Use the paper template to trace the shape on my piece of plywood.

Cut it with the jigsaw, leaving about 1/8" all around.

I finished it with a rasp and 50 grit sandpaper.

You really have to be patient here.

If you take your time to make sure it feels and look very smooth, it will make it easier when you use the template.

The making of this template could be an Instructables on its own.

Step 2: Making the Blank

I decided to make it 1" thick.

I began by cutting two pieces of black walnut 1" wide with the fence on my table saw.

Then I cut five pieces of cherry wood, again 1" wide with the fence on my table saw.

I did the same with two pieces of mahogany.

Finally, I had a thin stripe of maple that I cut two pieces in length, 16 1/4" each.

As you can see I've used small leftovers, so nothing goes to waste.

I glued the pieces together in a mirror pattern, and held them in place with the clamps.

The picture with the clamp is obviously from another project, but it give you a good idea of what it looks like.

Step 3: Surfacing the Blank

For this part I had to make a rail for my router.

I cut a few pieces of wood and I glued and nailed them together to form a platform and a guard rail.

This project could also be another Instructables in due time.

I put the router on top with a surfacing bit and I slowly route about 1/16" at a time.

The picture with the wooden katana is obviously from another project.

For this project I used a 5/8" surfacing bit and I would recommend a much bigger one, like a 1 1/2" if you can.

Once you're satisfied with the surfacing, you sand it with the power sander and 50 grit sand paper.

As you can see, once you're done with the router, there are marks and burns.

I used the template and a marker to trace the shape on the blank.

I then used the jigsaw to cut the contour leaving about 1/4" all around.

Step 4: Final Shape

Next you clamp the template over the blank, trying to center it as best you can.

I used the router with a flush trimmer to give the cutting board its final shape.

As you can see I have flush trimmers of different lengths, in order not to route too much in one pass.

As stated above the smoother the finish of your template and the more careful you are while routing the contour, the easier the sanding will be.

Step 5: Finishing

The second to last step is the hand sanding.

I started with 120 grit using a square block, then 250 grit and finished with 400 grit.

Now you need to wash the cutting board carefully with a moist rag.

Let it dry, then apply at least three coats of cutting board oil.

This is where the project really comes alive.

To protect your cutting board, you should apply a coat of oil after the first use and then once every two months.

I hope you like this instructables.

If you did, please vote for my project!

**I cannot stress this enough, but you need to use Personal Protective Equipment.

**Throughout the project I used a respirator, eye protection and noise reduction ear muff.

**I think that sobriety is overrated, but power tools don't mix well with drugs and alcohol.

Now that I'm done with this instructable I have three other ones to make.

Step 6: 3D CAD

So, I'd like to show you how to get this project to the next level.

Why, you ask...? Because we can!

So, you open Fusion 360 (or any CAD).

Create a new file.

I inserted the telecaster image file as a canvas, then sized it so that the length, from neck to bottom, should be 16 1/4".

I created a new sketch parallel to the canvas.

I used the Fit Point Spline tool to draw the contour of the guitar as closely as possible. (I'm not meant to be a monk!!)

I divided the sketch with vertical lines to create sections.

I extruded one section at a time creating a new body each time.

I then changed the appearance of each body to match the cutting board.

I finished by creating a round over with the Fillet tool selecting each edge.

Remember I used a 1/8 (.125) round over bit.

The result of the CAD rendering is strikingly close to the real cutting board.