I was looking through my scrap wood pile and got an idea to make a sushi serving board. Since this was a large project I had to break it up into four videos. I think they are work watching (*cough cough). I discuss more about these projects below the video section.

The scrap wood pile was calling out to me, “make something from us!” I heeded the call and found some off cuts of a few walnut slabs at the bottom, plus the remnants of the plaid cutting board that I made.

After staring at it for a while, I determined that I would make a sushi or serving board. This project was completely off the cuff. There are features that I added or subtracted as the project progressed. I flattened the plaid board with my cnc, and after a lot of sanding, I then built everything else around that piece. I decided on a few features: 1) I wanted it to have a drawer underneath. 2) I wanted it to have a soft look and feel. 3) I wanted to add metal somewhere.

Using some air-dried walnut, I made the main body of the board. Once it was dry assembled, I cut one end in half to make the drawer front. This means that the drawer front will blend in seamlessly with the body of the board.

With the body together, I then made the drawer. It’s only about 1/2” deep, plenty of room for chopsticks or utensils. I used simple rabbet joints for the drawer constructio, but this is where I incorporated the metal accents. I used brass dowels in the joints. I think it’s a cool element that makes it pop.

Once the entire serving board was together, I took the time to shape it to give it the look that I wanted. I trimmed the ends at the bandsaw, and then spent significant time at the spindle sander to eliminate the blade marks and soften the look. This also helped to make the drawer virtually disappear. And speaking of the drawer, I changed my mind at the end and did not add a knob. I originally wanted a brass one, but after seeing how beautiful everything blended together, I decided to leave it off. I can always add it later and it easily opens by pulling it from underneath.

The entire serving board was finished using General Finishes Salad Bowl Finish. It’s food safe, yet durable.

I absolutely love this project, especially since it was a spur of the moment idea. Hopefully, you like it and maybe you want to make one similar yourself.

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