When making my cutting boards the process is very time consuming. So once I've start I don't like to stop. This time I should have stopped because I was tired and I was soon to be woken by a wooden rocket. But as I learned here, mistakes don't have to be a bad thing! I had already ripped the wood into thin strips on the table saw. Once I glue these strips together overnight I have what I call a blank. I take that blank and crosscut it into thin strips, again using the table saw. Then another overnight glue up and that's what makes up an end grain cutting board. So yeah, I was making the crosscut and had a momentary lapse and the blank floated up just a little bit and caught the blade. It kicked back so quick that I didn't have time to react. "KICKBACK" the word that all woodworkers dread! Luckily, out of habit, I position my body out of the path of the blade for this exact reason. Otherwise, it would have hit me in the face. The blank (piece of wood) hummed by my ear. I could feel the wind as it passed. I think I tasted it too, ha ha!! I mean it was close y'all! It smacked into the door behind me with a big bang and left a huge hole. Close call! I was lucky but the blank was ruined where it caught the blade. It had a big gash in it. Wait, don't throw it away! Instead, I put it aside sure that I would come up with some way of using it. And because I've managed to make some beautiful stuff out of what would be trash, I can't stand throwing things away. Later that night while eating some supper it happened! I'd remembered seeing a catchall at the craft show I'd recently been to and I thought, "That one was made of glass but I could make one out of wood?!? That's it, that's what I'll do!!" I couldn't wait to get home to start carving and creating. Or at least attempt to create. I finally made it home, ran down, grabbed the mangled blank, made a few cuts on the miter saw to square it up, pulled out my canvas roll of chisels, carving mallet and went to town. Good thing I don't have any neighbors as I carved late into the night. I had no idea what would come of it but I was sure I would learn along the way. And this I did. It slowly took shape as the hours fell from the spinning minute hand. It worked! It was a lot of work but once again, I had managed to create something out of what would have otherwise been trash. I had blisters on my hands from gripping that chisel so hard. Since the first attempt (the multi colored, striped catchall pictured above), I've established a quicker and more accurate method. The trick is having a super sharp chisel. The brown dish pictured below is a solid walnut catchall made by recycling the scrap cuttings from my cutting boards. So yes, I've come up with one more thing I could make using recycled/scrap material. "Repurposed Wood" I love it. Lesson learned, with every mistake comes a chance to create/recreate! That's the beauty of recycling!! And that's what recycling is all about! Oh, you want one??! I can make these in any size, any depth, using any species of wood. They are a great center piece for a coffee table or side table, great for holding candy or potpourri! Or put them on your dresser or bedside table where they catch all! I made me one big enough to hold my keys, wallet, and money (bills and loose change!) Again, I'm always seeking your feedback! So please let me know what you think!
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