Making a knife block with a circular saw?

[Adam Funk]

Years ago we got a knife set with a nice wooden block at a convenient angle. The slots in the block no longer suit some of the extra & replacement knives & scissors, & I haven't been able to find a similar but more versatile replacement.

It seems to me that making an angled knife block could be a simple matter. Design an adequate length to make the angle for the last step; a long enough block of wood & make some suitably deep & wide slots with a circular saw; take another block & make more (for the smaller knives); add another layer; glue the lot together; chop the end off at an angle & glue it onto the rest to form the support.

Obviously this would be easier with a table saw, but I don't have one (& don't have anywhere to keep one, otherwise this would be an excuse to buy a nifty tool). Am I missing anything?

Thanks.

[polygonum]

I did more or less that - for our small knives. The "back" - which is against the wall at the back of the worktop has a load of screws in it. Made it much heavier and stops it moving about.

[meow2222]

Or you could use thin strips instead of cutting slots.

Or if you want more character, take a bit of 5-6" branch, cut it across into 8 wedges, saw a slot in each & reglue.

NT

[stuart noble]

Not sure I can visualise this (a bit early in the day for me). However, I will just say that increasing the kerf size on a circ saw by a *SMALL* amount is possible by putting an equal number of strips of masking tape on both sides of the blade. Gives it a slight wobble action. Might be useful

[Roger Mills]

I made a load of knife blocks - probably 30 years ago - to sell at a church bazaar, and we're still using one of them in our kitchen.

Each is made out of 2 pieces of 3x2 with a number of slots cut into the

3" face with a circular saw.[1] The two pieces were than glued together with the cuts facing each other and with a piece of plywood in the middle, forming a sandwich. I seem to remember that the wood I was using (salvaged from computer pallets at work!) was long enough to make 2 at a time - so I cut through at an angle after the glue had set, so that each one had a sloping top. [1] Can't really remember what saw I had at that time. I think it was a B&D jobbie with a 7 1/4" blade, clamped under a third-party saw stand to convert it into a poor man's table saw. Did the job, anyway!

[Adam Funk]

One more question: apart from not using obviously bad stuff like tanalised or creosoted wood, will planed spruce/pine or any similar "bog standard" indoor wood from B&Q be suitable for this?

[Adam Funk]

I'm having trouble visualising that trick with the tape --- can you clarify?

[Adam Funk]

That's quite encouraging, thanks!

[stuart noble]

Sure. Where the nut holds the blade on there is a big washer. Let's say under one edge of that you put 6 layers of tape, and then opposite that but on the *other* side of the blade (i.e. the one that faces the motor) you also put 6 layers. This will make the blade wobble as it rotates, so the kerf will be slightly wider. You can increase this gradually to a very fine degree. It's vital the two lots of tape are identical in thickness and exactly opposite each other. A couple of caveats. You need two hands on the saw, so secure the wood to the bench. Don't overdo the kerf increase or the saw will become unstable and dangerous. The technique is for *very fine* adjustments. In the old days you could buy a "wobble washer" set. If you can find any reference to it, it will illustrate the principle

[F Murtz]

You mean cockroach hotels

[Adam Funk]

Now it makes sense, thanks.