Large Serving Piece

I started making these about 5 years ago, after seeing a similar piece made on a woodworking TV show. The problem I have ... is the name.

When I started making these, uh, LSPs, people started calling them Surfboards because they have a curvy shape … and we’re in SoCal.

We have surfers here, you see. Deal with it.

So, these were called Surfboards for a couple of years. Then I thought that they weren’t really shaped like surfboards – especially when I started making true surfboard-shaped cutting boards, so I started calling these Cheese & Cracker Servers.

Which is true … but limiting. Some people use these to serve the entree. Or the dessert. Whatever. They work great as Cheese & Cracker Servers, of course … but that’s not all that they are. So, for now, I call them Large Serving Pieces. You can call yours whatever you want!

Making these puts a LOT of sawdust into the shop, because each edge of each piece has to go across the table saw blade at an oblique angle multiple times. There’s no saw guard to help with dust collection when I make these “open faced” cuts. Plus, the work pieces go across the saw blade, not through the blade,  which means that a whole lot of sawdust gets made to shape those elegant curves under each edge. Those curves are actually made in the shape of the saw blade as the work pieces go across the blade. These cuts are called cove cuts, and you rarely see them used these days.

Which only means I’m old school. Or something. In any event, these LSPs are individually designed, hand shaped and hand rubbed.

Each piece is 12″ wide x 19″ long x 1-1/4″ thick. All are finished with my standard food-ready finish: mineral oil, with a top coat or my “Board Butter,” which is locally-harvested beeswax mixed with mineral oil. All pieces have non-skid feet held on with stainless steel screws for long life.