Drawer Pull Cutting and Carving Board Trays...

Get your drills out because this is an easy and fabulous project and a perfect gift for that hard to shop for person or family on your Christmas list.

I heard about this fabulous idea last year from a friend who saw them in Houston somewhere, but I never saw one until we made one ourselves. We made MANY of these last year at Christmas for gifts and we're making more this year because they were such a big hit and so easy to make. I sure wish I knew who dreamed this idea up so I could brag about them here!





You can find plain cutting boards and meat carving boards all over the place. I like to go to Ross because they usually carry a big selection of the larger well made boards at a great price (usually $5.99-$11.99). You can also try Marshalls, Walmart or Big Lots too.

Finding the right fabulous drawer pulls and hardware is a little bit harder. Try Hobby Lobby, Anthropologie or Restoration Hardware. It is MUCH easier to do this project with pulls/hardware that have holes in them that all you have to do is drill the screw (make a hole first with drill) through the hardware hole directly into the board like these:












It is a little bit more work to attach pulls that do not have the holes and require a screw to be drilled all the way from the bottom the board through the top and screwed into the hardware itself like this one:




I know it's VERY tempting to use antique or vintage pull but I do need to mention that the modern day pulls are now made with a coating/sealant over the metal so you can get them wet. Unfortunately, antique pulls will not fair well when you rinse your board after use.

You can attach your hardware on the top of the board, or if you have a thicker board and hardware with holes, you can attach on the side. If you cannot find screws to match your hardware, just paint the screws after you have attached them to the board with a matching metal/enamel paint (I use Testors Enamel Paint Pens). As always, detailed instructions are at the end of this posting.

I just love to make these boards and especially like it when I can find the meat/turkey carving boards with the tunnels carved into them (I'm sure there is a technical term). The meat carving boards are a great gift for families that grill a lot because it's perfect for taking meat off the grill and serving right directly the board itself:





A big thanks to my super crafty and power equipment expert friend BJ, who did this project with me today in my workshop (kitchen):












Again, detailed instructions are at the end of this posting and as always, thank you for your sweet comments, emails and notes and please send me pictures if you decide to make this project. Look for another fun project coming up within the next couple of days.

Instructions for Attaching Hardware WITH HOLES:

1) Decide on your hardware placement on your board.

2) Measure your exact placement and mark your holes with a pencil directly on the board itself.

3) I do not recommend skipping this step and drill the screw into the board without creating a hole first, you could cause a split in your board. So using the same size bit (or just a tad smaller) as your screw, drill a hole with the drill on your pencil markings (just enough for the screw).

4) Place your hardware over the holes and screw in your screws.

5) Your done....

Instructions for Attaching Hardware Without Holes (through the board itself)

1) Mark your hardware placement with a pencil on the bottom of the board. You are going to have to be extra careful to measure exact.

2) With a spade bit, drill the spade at your hole markings on the bottom of the board halfway through board.

3) With a smaller bit, drill a hole through the spade hole all the way through the board.

4) Take ONE hardware screw and drill it all the way through the board.

5) Attach your hardware to the one screw and twist your hardware around until tight and exactly over your second hole.

6) Drill screw in second hole and into the hardware. Your bottom of your board should look like this:





7) Your done...




Cheers!

Cyndy

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