Archive for the ‘wood’ Tag
The sign in my booth says “Mr M’s Trivets – Protecting Hot Stuff Since 2017.”
And people still ask me, “What’s a trivet?” It’s a funny word, so I can see how people that are non-native English speakers might be challenged, but it’s more than that. Many people just aren’t familiar with the term – in any language. I’ve watched the younger generation ask their elders what a trivet is in their native language and get blank stares.
So that’s the first surprise: many people do not know what a trivet is. So my task is to help educate people, one trivet at a time.
The second surprise is much more artistic.
My trivets are popular, and the most popular purchase … is two, mismatched trivets.
I make the trivets from “blanks,” as I call them. Each blank makes 2x trivets, so people can buy a matched pair. They just don’t want to!
Well, not usually, anyway. Mrs M did want a matched set, so she did not embrace her love of chaos in this particular case. Not predictable, that one. Believe me, after 45 years, I don’t even try to predict her.
But I do work to protect the wonderful hot stuff coming from her kitchen.
Here are the latest trivets for shoppers this holiday season.
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Buying Trivets from the Woodshop
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This problem vexed us for a few years, it did.
Then I found the hardware needed to make cheese slicers. And, here we are.
Slicers are all approximately 7″ wide and 11″ long. The tightly stretched wire will cut hard cheese, soft cheese … all cheese. If you are an eater of cheese, you need to be a slicer of cheese.
There are now 22x of these slicers available, and pricing is between $50 and $90.
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Buying a Cheese Slicer from Mr M
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I have a lot of fun making Lazy Susans. And it’s a good thing: they are a consistent seller.
They are never a huge seller, mind you, but I sell one or two at almost every show. The Lazy Susans I make are unique, colorful, robust … and most of my customers have never seen anything like them.
Families love Lazy Susans. When they can keep the little boys and girls from spinning them so fast that things fly off, that is. But that’s the joy of raising little ones, I believe. I was one once, after all.
Building a memory about a spilled bottle of ketchup: priceless.
I work to keep my Susans unique and fun. I do make simple ones now and again, and they do find happy homes. The Susans that sell quickly, though, are the ones with colors and a bit of flash. This batch belongs to that category; my next batch will have more simpler designs.
If you’re out and about this weekend, come see the Susans, Mrs M and myself at Ventura’s 43rd Annual 4th of July Street Fair. Come on out, and if you’re star spangled, you’ll fit right in.
Oh … and if you haven’t heard, I am running a Kickstarter campaign RIGHT NOW to help me expand the workshop’s capabilities. The campaign runs through July, and is currently 69% funded. If I reach or surpass my goal, then all is well. If I don’t reach the goal, though, then it’s as if nothing happened. No boards get made, no expansion happens. If you are interested in backing my campaign – and getting some cool stuff as a reward – then, please, click here: Handmade Cutting Boards & Wooden Serving Pieces.
Lazy Susan 18 – 14. Woods include Black Walnut, Goncalo Alves and Jarrah 18″ diameter.
Lazy Susan 18 – 19. Purpleheart, Hard Maple & Bloodwood. 18″ diameter.
Lazy Susan 18 – 15. Woods include Oak, Black Walnut, Hard Maple, Yellowheart, Purpleheart and Padauk. 18″ diameter.
Lazy Susan 18 – 18. Woods include Sapele, Purpleheart, Canarywood, Yellowheart & Black Walnut. 18″ diameter.
Lazy Susan 18 – 16. Woods include Padauk, Cherry & Black Walnut. 18″ diameter.
Lazy Susan 18 – 17. Woods include Cherry, Padauk & Black Walnut. 18″ diameter.
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With All Due Apologies, Susan
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Have you become a backer of my Kickstarter campaign yet? Need more details?
All of the information is on my Kickstarter page, here.
Backers that pledge $35 or more can receive a pair of Trivets to protect their table or counters.
If you know people with hot stuff, then they need Trivets.
The Kickstarter campaign is running through the end of July … and my goal of $5,000 must be reached or exceeded by that date. If I don’t make the goal, then nothing happens. If the goal is met however, then all of the backers that have selected Trivets to be their reward will get to choose from these color & wood combinations:
1. Light Colors
Trivet 17 – 09. Hard Maple, Jatoba & Yellowheart.
Trivet 18 – 705. Hard Maple & Purpleheart.
2. Dark Colors
Trivet 18 – 728. Jarrah, Purpleheart, Black Walnut & Honey Locust.
Trivet 18 – 721. Jarrah, Bubinga, Purpleheart, Yellowheart, Padauk & Hard Maple.
Trivet 17 – 12. Black Walnut, Oak & Padauk.
3. Red Tones
Trivet 17 – 05. Black Walnut, Padauk and Hard Maple. 8.5″ x 8.5″ x .75″.
Trivet 18 – 710. 8.5″ square.
Trivet 18 – 722. Jarrah, Jatoba, Hard Maple & Black Walnut.
4. Brown Tones
Trivet 18 – 727. Purpleheart, Mesquite & Black Walnut.
Trivet 17 – 13. Black Walnut.
Trivet 17 – 12. Black Walnut, Oak & Padauk.
5. Colorful, Stripey
Trivet 18 – 714. 8.5″ square.
Trivet 18 – 713. 8.5″ square.
Trivet 17 – 10. Hard Maple, Padauk & Jatoba.
All boards have unique coloring and grain patterns. Therefore, every piece I create is unique. I will do my best to match your requests for wood and color to the pieces that I create.
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My Kickstarter Campaign
The Woods In The Woodshop
Kickstarter: Coasters
Kickstarter: Trivets
Kickstarter: Cheese Boards
Kickstarter: Handled Cutting Boards
Kickstarter: Large Serving Pieces
Kickstarter: Carnivore Boards
Kickstarter: Best Cutting Boards
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These Handled Cutting Boards are available to backers of my Kickstarter campaign that pledge $75 or more.
All of the details are on my Kickstarter page, here.
These boards are made to be mobile in your kitchen. They can hang from the hole in their handle, so they’re easy to grab when you need to chop an onion or prep some vegetables. Do your knife work, and then carry the board directly to the stove to deliver your work for cooking.
Backers that select these Handled Cutting Boards – AKA Sous Chef Boards – as their reward will get to choose the colors/woods that I use to create the boards. Here are the options:
1. Light Colors
Sous Chef 18 – 707. Bloodwood, Jarrah, Hard Maple & Black Walnut. Chaos board. 11″ x 20″ x 3/4″.
Sous Chef 18 – 705. Jatoba, Bloodwood, Jarrah & Hard Maple. 11″ x 20″ x 3/4″. Commissioned Piece.
Sous Chef 17 – 910. Padauk, Yellowheart & Birdseye Maple. Large size, with the work space approximately 9″ x 15″, with the handle extending for an additional 6″.
2. Dark Colors
Sous Chef 17 – 912. Black Walnut, Purpleheart, Yellowheart, Bubinga, Hard Maple & Sapele. Chaos Board. Large size, with the work space approximately 11″ x 15″, with the handle extending for an additional 6″.
Sous Chef 17 – 909. Jatoba & Birdseye Maple. Large size, with the work space approximately 11″ x 15″, with the handle extending for an additional 6″.
3. Red Tones
Sous Chef 17 – 915. Purpleheart, Cherry, Bubinga, Black Walnut & Bloodwood. Large size, with the work space approximately 11″ x 15″, with the handle extending for an additional 6″.
Sous Chef 18 – 703. Purpleheart, Jatoba & Hard Maple. 11″ x 20″ x 3/4″.
Sous Chef 17 – 917. Purpleheart & Birdseye Maple. Large size, with the work space approximately 11″ x 15″, with the handle extending for an additional 6″.
4. Brown Tones
Sous Chef # 15 – 04. Black Walnut and Birdseye Maple. 9″ x 22″ x 1″.
Sous Chef # 15 – 37. Black Walnut, African Teak and Birdseye Maple. This board has a wider work surface … I got carried away and couldn’t bear to cut anything off.
Sous Chef 18 – 704. Caribbean Rosewood, Jatoba, Black Walnut & Birds Eye Maple. 11″ x 20″ x 3/4″.
5. Colorful, Stripey
Sous Chef 16 – 005. Teak, Quilted Hard Maple, Purpleheart, Canarywood & Birds Eye Maple. 11″ x 14″ work area w/6″ handle.
Sous Chef 18 – 702. Canarywood, Black Walnut & Purpleheart. 11″ x 20″ x 3/4″.
Sous Chef 17 – 913. Yellowheart & Purpleheart. Large size, with the work space approximately 11″ x 15″, with the handle extending for an additional 6″.
Please note that the color and grain patterns in wood vary with every board. I’ll do my best to match your requests for color and wood with the piece that I make for you.
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My Kickstarter Campaign
The Woods In The Woodshop
Kickstarter: Coasters
Kickstarter: Trivets
Kickstarter: Cheese Boards
Kickstarter: Handled Cutting Boards
Kickstarter: Large Serving Pieces
Kickstarter: Carnivore Boards
Kickstarter: Best Cutting Boards
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End grain cutting boards are the king of cutting boards. They are the Best Cutting Boards.
Backers of my Kickstarter campaign (details are here) that pledge $275 or more can receive one of these end grain cutting boards. Pledge $300, and you can receive a Groovy Cutting Board, with a Juice Groove.
All of these cutting boards and heirloom quality, and making them is one of my greatest pleasures in the shop.
Backers that select the Best Cutting Boards as their reward will receive 3 custom designs from me that use the colors/woods that they select. To start the conversation, here are some examples in the various colors shown.
1. Light Colors
Cutting Board 18 – 703. Hard Maple & Jatoba. End Grain, Juice Groove. 16″ x 18″ x 1-1/2″.
Cutting Board 17 – 427. Jatoba & Hard Maple. End Grain. 14″ x 20″ x 1-1/2″.
2. Dark Colors
Cutting Board 16 – End 032. Cherry, Padauk, Yellowheart, Bubinga, Bloodwood, Canarywood & Purpleheart. End Grain. 14″ x 18″ x 1-1/4″. $225.
Cutting Board 16 – End 023. Chaos Board. Hard Maple, Black Walnut, Cherry, Padauk, Jatoba, Yellowheart & Purpleheart. End grain. 14″ x 17″ x 1-1/4″.
Cutting Board # 15 – 083. Hard Maple, Cherryt, Yellowheart, Jatoba, Bloodwood & Canarywood. Sold in its first showing. End Grain. 16″ x 20″ x 1-1/2″.
3. Red Tones
Cutting Board 17 – 424. Bubinga, Cherry, Purpleheart & Hard Maple. End grain, juice groove. 17″ x 21-1/2″ x 1-1/2″.
Cutting Board 17 – 403. Cherry, Hard Maple, Goncalo Alves, Yellowheart, Bubinga, Bloodwood, Purpleheart & Jatoba. End grain. 14″ x 20″ x 1-1/4″.
Cutting Board # 15 – 050. Black Walnut, Cherry, Jarrah & Jatoba. End grain with juice groove. 16″ x 21″.
4. Brown Tones
Cutting Board 17 – 425. Cherry, Jatoba, Canarywood & Hard Maple. End Grain, Juice Groove. 16″ x 21″ x 1-1/2″.
Cutting Board 17 – 422. Black Walnut & Cherry. End Grain, Juice Groove. 18″ x 20″ x 1-1/2″. Commissioned Piece.
The back of the board has routed handholds, but does not have the typical feet that I use. The board was designed for 2-sided use. I included a non-skid rubber mat to keep the board from sliding around on the owner’s counter.
5. Colorful, (but not so) Stripey
Cutting Board 17 – 426. Black Walnut, Bubinga, Purpleheart, Yellowheart, Hard Maple, Honey Locust, Goncalo Alves & Padauk. End Grain, Juice Groove. 16″ x 21-1/2″ x 1-1/2″.
Cutting Board 16 – End 040. Bubinga, Cherry, Bloodwood, Goncalo Alves, Canarywood, Padauk, Purpleheart, Yellowheart & Hard Maple. 16″ x 21″ x 1-1/2″.
Cutting Board 16 – End 018. Purpleheart, Hard Maple & Jatoba. End grain. 14″ x 21″ x 1-1/2″.
The end grain cutting boards here are a mix of colors. All can have juice grooves that are 3/4″ wide x 3/8″ deep: much larger and much more useful than a typical juice groove found in generic, commercial cutting boards.
All wood has unique colors and grain patterns. I will do my best to match your requests to the pieces that I create.
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My Kickstarter Campaign
The Woods In The Woodshop
Kickstarter: Coasters
Kickstarter: Trivets
Kickstarter: Cheese Boards
Kickstarter: Handled Cutting Boards
Kickstarter: Large Serving Pieces
Kickstarter: Carnivore Boards
Kickstarter: Best Cutting Boards
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If you become a backer of my Kickstarter campaign (details are here), then you will get to choose your reward.
One possible reward for backers that pledge $85 or more are these Large Serving Pieces.
They have been called large surfboards. They have been called Cheese & Cracker Servers. Get one, and you can call it what you want. For now, though, I’m calling these Large Serving Pieces.

The Cheese & Cracker Server, in action.
Cheese & Cracker server # 92, The Surfboard. Black Walnut.
Choose this reward, and you’ll get to choose the woods that I use for your piece. Here are the options:
1. Light Colors
Surfboard # 15 – 39. Curly Cherry, Hard Maple & Purpleheart. 12″ x 19″ x 1-1/4″.
Surfboard # 15 – 29. Red Oak, Padauk & Black Walnut. 12″ x 19″ x 1-1/4″.
Surfbord # 15 – 38. Red Oak, Black Walnut, Teak & Yellowheart. 12″ x 19″ x 1-1/4″.
2. Dark Colors
Surfboard # 15 – 34. Black Walnut & Yellowheart. 12″ x 19″ x 1-1/4″.
Surfboard # 15 – 36. Hard Maple, Padauk & Black Walnut. 12″ x 19″ x 1-1/4″. Sold in its first showing.
Surfboard 15 – 31. Black Walnut, Cherry, Hard Maple & Goncalo Alves. 12″ x 19″ x 1-1/4″.
3. Red Tones
Surfboard # 15 – 07. Hard Maple and Jarrah.
Surfboard # 15 – 05. Cherry, Black Walnut and Hard Maple.
Surfboard # 15 – 43. Black Walnut, Purpleheart & Curly Cherry. 12″ x 19″ x 1-1/4″.
4. Brown Tones
Surfboard # 15 – 40. Black Walnut, Jatoba, Cherry & Hard Maple. 12″ x 19″ x 1-1/4″.
Large Surfboard # 15 – 21. Cherry, Black Walnut & Hard Maple.
Large Surfboard # 15 – 22. Black Walnut, Hard Maple, Cherry & Red Oak.
5. Colorful, Stripey
Cheese & Cracker Server 17 – 07. Hard Maple & Padauk.
Cheese & Cracker Server 17 – 06. Bubinga, Hard Maple, Jatoba, Purpleheart & Canarywood.
Cheese & Cracker Server 17 – 02. Hard Maple, Canarywood, Purpleheart & Bloodwood.
Please note that all pieces of wood are different. Color and grain patterns can very widely. I will do my very best to match your requests to the piece that I make for you.
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My Kickstarter Campaign
The Woods In The Woodshop
Kickstarter: Coasters
Kickstarter: Trivets
Kickstarter: Cheese Boards
Kickstarter: Handled Cutting Boards
Kickstarter: Large Serving Pieces
Kickstarter: Carnivore Boards
Kickstarter: Best Cutting Boards
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These coasters – and coaster sets – are available to backers of my Kickstarter campaign.
Haven’t heard of Kickstarter? All of the details are on my campaign page, here.
But, briefly, if you become a backer of my campaign, and my campaign goal is reached by July 31, then backers that select these individual or sets of coasters will get to choose the colors of their coasters. Here are the options:
1. Light Colors
Coasters 18 – 28. Hard Maple & Cherry.
Coasters 18 – 27. Hard Maple, Honey Locust, Black Walnut, Bloodwood & Canarywood.
Coasters 18 – 11. Hard Maple, Bloodwood, Cherry & Canarywood.
2. Dark Colors
Coasters 18 – 03. Chaos Coasters. Jatoba, Cherry, Purpleheart, Black Walnut, Bloodwood, Yellowheart, Jarrah & Cork. Shown with Black Walnut holder.
Coasters 18 – 08. Cherry, Purpleheart, Jatoba & Cork. Shown with Jatoba holder.
3. Red Tones
Coasters 18 – 01. Purpleheart, Cherry, Bloodwood & Cork.
4. Brown Tones
Coasters 18 – 24. Black Walnut, Hard Maple, Mesquite & Cherry.
5. Colorful, Stripey
Coasters 18 – 12. Sapele, Hard Maple, Padauk, Yellowheart & Purpleheart.
Coasters 18 – 06. Chaos Coasters. Yellowheart, Jatoba, Bloodwood, Cherry, Hard Maple, Jatoba, Purpleheart & Cork. Shown with Black Walnut holder.
Please note that wood varies in color from board to board, and therefore all pieces that I create are unique works of art. I will do my best to match your wood and color requests to the pieces I create.
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My Kickstarter Campaign
The Woods In The Woodshop
Kickstarter: Coasters
Kickstarter: Trivets
Kickstarter: Cheese Boards
Kickstarter: Handled Cutting Boards
Kickstarter: Large Serving Pieces
Kickstarter: Carnivore Boards
Kickstarter: Best Cutting Boards
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I have launched a Kickstarter campaign to help expand the Woodshop. You have the opportunity to become a backer of my campaign, and as a reward you’ll get one or more of the things I produce in the shop.
You get to choose.
All of the details, complete with a video I shot in the garage woodshop, is on my Kickstarter campaign page, which is here.

Some days in the shop are worse than others … but I need more space!
Go ahead & check it out. I’ll wait.
My hope, however, is that not only will you consider becoming a backer, but that you will, most importantly, forward a link to my campaign to your friends that might want to support this woodworker’s expansion efforts.
If you know people that eat, then you know people that might want an heirloom quality cutting board.
If you know people that drink, then you know people that might want a coaster set to protect their furniture.
And, of course, there are several other options as well. Don’t dally, though: the campaign ends at midnight on July 31, no matter what.
The clock is ticking.
So, please, share my campaign widely and help me reach my goal of $5,000 in pledges. If I don’t make that goal, then nothing happens. No funds are collected, no boards get made … it’s as if the campaign never was.
However, if you help me surpass the goal of $5,000, then the magic can happen, and I’ll be making and shipping cutting boards & serving pieces & such right up to December 1.
I promise.
Will you help me, please?
Here are examples of the rewards that are offered to my backers.
Coasters 18 – 04. Cherry, Teak, Bloodwood, Morado & Cork. Shown with Jatoba holder.
Trivet 17 – 081. Padauk, Hard Maple & Oak.
Cheese Board 18 – 106. Goncalo Alves, Hard Maple, Black Walnut & Birds Eye Maple. Chaos Board. 9″ x 11″ x 5/8″.
Sous Chef # 15 – 47. Purpleheart, Cherry & Jarrah. 10″ x 22″ x 3/4″.
The Cheese & Cracker Server, in action.
Cutting Board 18 – 713. Cherry, Black Walnut & Hard Maple. 12″ x 15″ x 1-1/4″.
The Carnivore Board, in action.
Cutting Board 17 – 424. Bubinga, Cherry, Purpleheart & Hard Maple. End grain, juice groove. 17″ x 21-1/2″ x 1-1/2″.
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My Kickstarter Campaign
The Woods In The Woodshop
Kickstarter: Coasters
Kickstarter: Trivets
Kickstarter: Cheese Boards
Kickstarter: Handled Cutting Boards
Kickstarter: Large Serving Pieces
Kickstarter: Carnivore Boards
Kickstarter: Best Cutting Boards
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When I started Mr M’s Woodshop, I started making Cheese Boards. It was the first thing I sold, actually.
Today, Cheese Boards are, of course, one of the rewards for Backers of my Kickstarter campaign that pledge $40 or more. If you haven’t read about my campaign yet, then all of those details are here.
If you are one of those Backers (thank you!), then here are the wood/color options that you have to choose from for your Cheese Board:
1. Light Colors
Cheese Board 16 – 024. Padauk, Hard Maple, Cherry & Black Walnut. 9″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Cheese Board 16 – 005. Edge Grain. Hickory, Hard Maple & Teak. 8″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Cheese Board # 15 – 046. Hard Maple & Cherry. Edge Grain. 8″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
2. Dark Colors
Cheese Board 17 – 346. Black Walnut, Padauk & Honey Locust. 9″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Cheese Board 17 – 327. Black Walnut, Jatoba, Honey Locust, Canarywood, Padauk & Bubinga. 9″ x 11″ x 5/8″.
Cheese Board 16 – 012. Jatoba, Padauk, Bloodwood & Black Walnut. 9″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
3. Red Tones
Cheese Board 17 – 323. Purpleheart & Hard Maple. 9″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Jatoba, Cherry, Hard Maple and Purpleheart cheese board. 10″ x 11″ x 7/8″.
#28: Red Oak, Purpleheart, Hard Maple, Padauk.
4. Brown Tones
Cheese Board # 15 – 047. Black Walnut, Goncalo Alves, Purpleheart & Hard Maple. End Grain. 9″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Cheese Board 17 – 305. Chaos Board. 9″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Cheese Board 17 – 310. Chaos Board. 9″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
5. Colorful, Stripey
Cheese Board 18 – 118. Purpleheart, Hard Maple, Cherry, Bubinga, Bloodwood & Jarrah. 9″ x 11″ x 5/8″.
Cheese Board 18 – 112. Purpleheart, Yellowheart & Jatoba. 9″ x 11″ x 5/8″.
Cheese Board 18 – 105. Chaos Board. Yellowheart, Padauk, Cherry, Birds Eye Maple & Purpleheart. 8″ x 11″ x 5/8″.
All boards are unique. All grain patterns are unique. Therefore, I’ll do my best to match your color/wood requests with the pieces that I make. But, as I love to say, “I take what the wood gives me.”
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My Kickstarter Campaign
The Woods In The Woodshop
Kickstarter: Coasters
Kickstarter: Trivets
Kickstarter: Cheese Boards
Kickstarter: Handled Cutting Boards
Kickstarter: Large Serving Pieces
Kickstarter: Carnivore Boards
Kickstarter: Best Cutting Boards
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