No Products in Your Cart
Chunky Bar Boards[8/4 · 2ft · 5-Pack]
One pack. One build. All 5 boards used. • Makes 5 bar boards
Shop Black Walnut 8/4 · 2ft Pack Shop All Speciesselect 2' Lengths / 4-6"
How it goes together
*Exotic — not available for shipment to US customers. Food-safe species shown.
Thick little serving boards for cheese, charcuterie, bread or a bar setup. Each one is two 11" pieces of 8/4 edge-glued, flattened to about 1½" and finished with oil and wax. Every board in the pack makes one, so you get five — keep one or two and give the rest away. It's an easy first glue-up.
Quick Build — for experienced woodworkers
| Part | Qty | From | S4S size | S2S size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Board halves | 10 | Boards 1–5, two each | 11" × 4" × 1¾" | 11" × 3½" × 1¾" |
| Bar boards (glued pairs) | 5 | Two halves each | 11" × 8" × about 1½" | 11" × 7" × about 1½" |
Boards: two 11" pieces edge-glued, long grain to long grain. One pair per board.
Finish: flatten to about 1½", ¼" roundover on the edges, board oil and wax.
Finished size: S4S 11" × 8" × about 1½" · S2S 11" × 7" × about 1½". Five boards.
Before You Start
Shopping List
- 1 lumber pack — 8/4 · 2ft (S4S or S2S)
- Wood glue (Titebond III — water resistant)
- Sandpaper 120 / 180 / 220
- Food-safe finish: mineral oil or board oil
- Board wax (beeswax and mineral oil)
Tools
- Saw for crosscuts (mitre saw or circular saw with a speed square) — with a stop block
- 4–6 bar clamps, 12" or longer
- Cauls (straight scrap strips)
- Benchtop planer, router sled or belt sander
- Router with ¼" roundover bit (optional)
- Random-orbit sander or sanding block
- Tape measure, combination square, pencil
- S2S only: jointer, straight-line rip jig or hand plane
S4S or S2S? S4S boards arrive flat and square on all four sides — cut and build. S2S boards have rough edges you straighten first. No jointer? Choose S4S.
Our sizing assumptions: ⅛" per saw cut · S4S boards 1¾" × 4", ¼" to square an end · S2S boards trimmed ½" each end and ¼" off each rough edge (3½" clean); we plan S2S at 1¾" thick · sizes drawn for the narrowest board in the pack. Wider boards give you a bigger offcut or a wider part — never a shortage.
Step-by-Step
S4S Lumber Pack
Surfaced 4 sides — no jointing
- 1 One board, one bar board. Each board makes one finished bar board from two matching halves. Pick the best face on every board and mark it with chalk.
- 2 Crosscut. Square one end. Clamp a stop block at 11" and cut two pieces from every board — 10 pieces. You need 22⅛" per board.
- 3 Pair the halves. Lay the two halves from each board side by side, best faces up. Flip one end for end if the grain lines up better. Mark a big V across the joint so they go back the same way.
- 4 Glue up. Spread glue on one edge, clamp the pair edge to edge and keep the ends flush. This is long grain to long grain. Use cauls or alternate clamps over and under so it stays flat. Wipe off squeeze-out once it turns rubbery and leave it overnight. Each board is now 11" × 8".
- 5 Flatten. Scrape off dried glue. Plane or sand both faces flat, down to about 1½" thick. A 8" wide board fits most benchtop planers — this is long grain, so planing is fine.
- 6 Square the ends. If the halves slipped in the clamps, trim a whisker off each end with a crosscut sled or mitre saw so the ends are clean and square.
- 7 Round the edges. Rout a ¼" roundover on all the top and bottom edges, or ease them with a sanding block. Soft edges feel good in the hand and don't chip.
- 8 Sand. Sand 120 → 180 → 220. Wipe with a damp cloth to raise the grain, let it dry, and sand again at 220.
- 9 Oil and wax. Flood every face with food-safe board oil and let it soak in overnight. Wipe off the extra, repeat until it stops soaking in, then buff on board wax.
S2S Lumber Pack
Surfaced 2 sides — straighten edges first
- 1 Prep the boards. Trim ½" off each end to remove any end checks. Joint one edge straight, then rip the other edge parallel (¼" off each rough edge is our planning allowance). S2S boards finish 1¾" thick, so screws and some sizes change — use the sizes in this column.
- 2 One board, one bar board. Each board makes one finished bar board from two matching halves. Pick the best face on every board and mark it with chalk.
- 3 Crosscut. Square one end. Clamp a stop block at 11" and cut two pieces from every board — 10 pieces. You need 22⅛" per board.
- 4 Pair the halves. Lay the two halves from each board side by side, best faces up. Flip one end for end if the grain lines up better. Mark a big V across the joint so they go back the same way.
- 5 Glue up. Spread glue on one edge, clamp the pair edge to edge and keep the ends flush. This is long grain to long grain. Use cauls or alternate clamps over and under so it stays flat. Wipe off squeeze-out once it turns rubbery and leave it overnight. Each board is now 11" × 7".
- 6 Flatten. Scrape off dried glue. Plane or sand both faces flat, down to about 1½" thick. A 7" wide board fits most benchtop planers — this is long grain, so planing is fine.
- 7 Square the ends. If the halves slipped in the clamps, trim a whisker off each end with a crosscut sled or mitre saw so the ends are clean and square.
- 8 Round the edges. Rout a ¼" roundover on all the top and bottom edges, or ease them with a sanding block. Soft edges feel good in the hand and don't chip.
- 9 Sand. Sand 120 → 180 → 220. Wipe with a damp cloth to raise the grain, let it dry, and sand again at 220.
- 10 Oil and wax. Flood every face with food-safe board oil and let it soak in overnight. Wipe off the extra, repeat until it stops soaking in, then buff on board wax.
Why two pieces? One 8/4 board is only 4" wide — too narrow to serve on. Two pieces glued edge to edge give an 8" board that holds a wedge of cheese, crackers and a knife.
Why so thick? A 1½" board is heavy enough that it doesn't slide around the counter and looks like it belongs on a bar. It also stays flat better than a thin one.
Why does grain direction matter? Wood swells and shrinks across its grain, not along it. Every glue joint in this plan joins parts whose grain runs the same way, so nothing fights the seasons.
Make It Yours
- Hang hole: drill a 1" hole near one end so the board can hang on a hook.
- Handle: cut a 3" long handle on one end with a jigsaw — a board this size can lose 2" of length and still be useful.
- Two-tone: glue a walnut half to a maple half for a bold stripe down the middle.
Safety and Care
- Wear eye and hearing protection. Use a push stick for every rip under 4" wide.
- Cut the pieces with a stop block on a mitre saw. Keep your hands at least 6" from the blade.
- Wear a dust mask when cutting and sanding, especially exotics (padauk, purpleheart, sapele).
Frequently Asked Questions
Not for S4S boards — they arrive flat and square on all four sides. S2S boards need their edges straightened: a jointer, a table saw with a straight-line jig, or a hand plane all work. No jointer? Choose the S4S pack.
Walnut, maple, cherry, oak, sapele, padauk and purpleheart are all fine for serving boards. Skip aromatic cedar for anything that touches food. Wear a dust mask when cutting exotics like padauk, purpleheart and sapele — the dust irritates.
Yes. They're long-grain boards, so knives leave marks over time. Sand them out and re-oil. For heavy chopping, an end-grain board is kinder to your knives.
Hand wash, dry them standing on edge, and never soak them or use the dishwasher. Oil them once a month, or whenever they look dry.
Planned offcuts only: the end trim and about 1⅛" (S4S) or ⅞" (S2S) at the end of each board. All 5 boards go into the bar boards.
Yes. A 4ft pack makes 10 bar boards: cut four 11" pieces from each board instead of two.
