Run 04 · 20 made

How we build the Brickwork Serving Board

Twenty-four steps from board to box — the same bench order every piece follows in our Atlanta shop. End-grain redwood and holly set in a brickwork pattern so the dark blocks read like city pavement and the light mortar lines show the grain. Built for daily use and heavy knives.

Materials: Redwood · Holly · Food-safe finish
Finished size: 13.5 × 14.5 × 1.5 in
Price: $210

Design & stock

Drawing bench — step 1 of building the Brickwork Serving Board

Step 1 of 24 · Drawing bench

Confirm dimensions, wood species and any metal or fabric detail against the customer request. Sketch the cut list.

Lumber rack — step 2 of building the Brickwork Serving Board

Step 2 of 24 · Lumber rack

Pull the boards. Read grain and figure, mark the show faces, and set aside off-cuts for accents.

Miter saw — step 3 of building the Brickwork Serving Board

Step 3 of 24 · Miter saw

Rough-crosscut boards to length plus 2" so they can move before final milling.

Sticker rack — step 4 of building the Brickwork Serving Board

Step 4 of 24 · Sticker rack

Sticker and rest the rough stock 24–48 hours so internal tension settles before milling.

Milling

Jointer — step 5 of building the Brickwork Serving Board

Step 5 of 24 · Jointer

Flatten one face, then joint one edge square to it. Mark the reference faces.

Planer — step 6 of building the Brickwork Serving Board

Step 6 of 24 · Planer

Take even passes off both faces to final thickness. Light final passes to avoid tear-out in figured woods.

Table saw — step 7 of building the Brickwork Serving Board

Step 7 of 24 · Table saw

Rip to final width off the jointed edge. Use a splitter and a fresh blade.

Crosscut sled — step 8 of building the Brickwork Serving Board

Step 8 of 24 · Crosscut sled

Cut to final length with a stop block so matching parts are identical.

Joinery

Bandsaw — step 9 of building the Brickwork Serving Board

Step 9 of 24 · Bandsaw

Resaw book-matched panels or veneers and cut any curved parts to the line, leaving a whisker.

Router table — step 10 of building the Brickwork Serving Board

Step 10 of 24 · Router table

Cut grooves, rabbets and dados. Climb-cut a light scoring pass first on brittle exotics like ebony.

Mortiser / domino — step 11 of building the Brickwork Serving Board

Step 11 of 24 · Mortiser / domino

Cut mortises and tenons or floating-tenon slots. Check each joint for square.

Dry fit — step 12 of building the Brickwork Serving Board

Step 12 of 24 · Dry fit

Assemble with no glue. Check diagonals, seating and reveals. Adjust with a shoulder plane, not force.

Assembly

Glue-up — step 13 of building the Brickwork Serving Board

Step 13 of 24 · Glue-up

Glue in stages with cauls and clamps. Wipe squeeze-out wet, check for wind and square before it sets.

Flush trim — step 14 of building the Brickwork Serving Board

Step 14 of 24 · Flush trim

Trim proud joints with a router or hand plane, working with the grain direction.

Shaping

Router / trim router — step 15 of building the Brickwork Serving Board

Step 15 of 24 · Router / trim router

Ease edges with round-overs or chamfers. Keep the profile consistent all round.

Hand plane & scraper — step 16 of building the Brickwork Serving Board

Step 16 of 24 · Hand plane & scraper

Refine surfaces with a smoothing plane and card scraper to leave a burnished, sanded-flat-free face.

Inlay & hardware — step 17 of building the Brickwork Serving Board

Step 17 of 24 · Inlay & hardware

Fit brass, steel or fabric details. Test-fit dry, seat with epoxy or fasteners, clean the shoulders.

Sanding

Random orbit sander — step 18 of building the Brickwork Serving Board

Step 18 of 24 · Random orbit sander

Work 80 → 120 → 180 grit, vacuuming between grits. No skipped grits.

Hand sanding — step 19 of building the Brickwork Serving Board

Step 19 of 24 · Hand sanding

Raise the grain with a damp rag, let dry, then hand-sand to 220 with the grain. Break every edge.

Finish

Step 20 of 24 · Finish room

Apply the spec'd finish — food-safe oil and beeswax for kitchen pieces, hardwax oil for furniture.

Cure rack — step 21 of building the Brickwork Serving Board

Step 21 of 24 · Cure rack

Build coats with cure time between each. Buff the final coat once fully cured.

QC & pack

Inspection bench — step 22 of building the Brickwork Serving Board

Step 22 of 24 · Inspection bench

Check dimensions, joints, finish sheen and hardware. Sign and date the underside.

Photo corner — step 23 of building the Brickwork Serving Board

Step 23 of 24 · Photo corner

Shoot the finished piece for the customer's bench diary before it is wrapped.

Packing table — step 24 of building the Brickwork Serving Board

Step 24 of 24 · Packing table

Wrap per the order — signature gift wrap and card if requested — box, insure and record tracking.

Your own piece, photographed as it is made

Once you order, this same 24-step list becomes your private build page — and the shop adds real photos of your piece at each step as it moves down the bench.

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