The client brought me a piece of elm that held sentimental value for her and her partner. Unfortunately, the board had been stored down the side of a fridge, where the warmth caused it to bow slightly and widened some of the natural cracks. The client wanted to turn the finished piece into a charcuterie board for entertaining groups of friends.
The first step was to flatten the board and remove the bow. I did this using a router-sled jig before running it through the large drum sander. I then turned my attention to the natural cracks and small holes. These were filled with black resin to blend with the grain, while the larger split was repaired with two bow ties. The bow ties help prevent the split from widening by resisting the opposing forces within the wood.
One side of the piece had been flat-sawn, so I created a live edge before sanding the entire board to 600 grit. The edges were then rounded to give the board a more organic feel.
Finally, I fitted non-slip feet to keep the board raised from the surface and applied plenty of food-safe mineral oil to nourish and protect the wood for years to come.
