Nothing gives me more pleasure than taking a plain piece of wood and making something useful
I started my shop after a phone call from my son telling me I wanted to set up on Etsy. He had listed a gumball machine and it sold in a couple of days. I took a look at some of the wood items I had on hand and took some pictures and did some listings. I'll never forget my first sale--a Wall Hanging Sled. I remember the good ole days with forums. I would talk to different people and get suggestions on different cutting boards to make. As time went on I would get requests to make a "sheep" cutting board, "wine bottle" cutting board, "butterfly" cutting board. At one point I couldn't keep "Penguin" cutting boards in stock. Cutting boards continue to be a big seller and my Charging Stations sell quite well.
99% of my cutting boards are made from strips of wood. I use maple, beech, ash, cherry, hickory, oak and elm for the boards. I set up the mixed hardwood strips to make what I call a "blank". Some are 20" long, then 15" and finally a 12". The width is 11-12". I glue and clamp, let dry and run them through a planer when I am ready to make a board. After cutting I sand the edges, if the board needs eyes I install them and sand both sides of the board, put it on the router and round-over all the edges, then finish sand and coat with mineral oil.
My charging stations are made from oak or cherry hardwood. It is a long process from a piece of wood to a useful product. I usually make a "run" of 5-6 units at the same time.
At this point creating useful items is still Fun.
