Recycling

The company who delivered our swimming pool fencing left their timber pallet on the front lawn and I started thinking how I might use the timber.  I removed the eight rough sawn top planks from the pallet and ran them through the Thicknesser before using waterproof glue to secure then together as a long block.  Then the block went back through the Thicknesser to square it before ripping it longitudinally with the deWalt bench saw.

I now had planks made of strips of pine which went back through the Thicknesser before being glued back into a block.  This left me with a length of timber made of 20x20mm pieces of pine.  The timber again went through the Thicknesser to square up the block before slicing it into nine 50mm thick pieces.  These pieces were glued together with some scrap Jarrah as a decorative line.  Back through the Thicknesser to smooth and parallel the top and bottom surfaces.  Finally I used the bench saw to square the sides before sanding and giving the block a coat of olive oil.  I now have a 40mm thick chopping block.