Dovetailed chopping block

[Rosco]

Hi someone asked recently about the construction of Robin Wood's chopping block on dovetailed legs.Having seen them in the flesh I decided to make my own and take some pics. Unfortunately I'm not computer savvy enough to copy the text to here so here's a link to another site where I posted it(took 3 times longer to do tutorial than make the damn thing!)
Cheers John

http://www.bodgers.org.uk/bb/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=843

 

[mr dazzler]

I saw that up on the bodger's site, excellent and interesting tutorial. Please do more
I agree with the other poster about using cross grain for a block rather than end grain. I use half a 12 inch diameter 3 foot long ash log with 4 legs, I used tapered square sockets rather than round ones. In fact, by coincidence I too re-legged it just a few days ago. I am a fan of tapered round mortices on chair seats, they self tighten. I have 2 vertical ash pegs (about 1 1/4 diam and 5 inches sticking out) set into the log at one end, about 5 or 6 inches apartso I can use them as supports for hewing and carving very handy for spoons and ladles etc. Its based on a viking shipbuilders hewing bench they held oak boards in sim ialar benches with folding wedges, to support the board's for hewing scarf joints etc. The axes never grab into it BUT you do lose chips off the log quite fast. I always think end grain is more likely to absorb grit that will blunt the axes.