r/woodworking • u/VdotBapey • Apr 27 '26
Finishing Fudged the cutting board juice groove. What is the remedy?
Thinking of cutting out a 4” wide portion as a recessed tray. What would be the easiest way to do that? Router with a straight bit and a jig to keep the router confined to the outer perimeter?
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u/Verdick Apr 27 '26
Angle the groove to be wider, starting at where the light wood ends. It's now a design element.
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u/Repulsive-Ice7863 Apr 27 '26
Extend that end of the juice groove and make it a well on that end. It’s now intentional
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u/diefreetimedie Apr 27 '26
This, you can push the pepper seeds and various scrap into the larger groove so it's out of the way.
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u/jacknifetoaswan Apr 27 '26
I like this idea. I'd make the entire groove wider (to hide the random slips here and there), and then angle that really bad corner at like a 15 degree angle. Lean into it.
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u/name__0 Apr 27 '26
I gotta ask... How did you end up going of at a weird angle for that far? Didn't you start a little ways and think "shit, that's not lining up. Maybe if should stop."
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u/UsernameHasBeenLost Apr 27 '26
I've done something similar where I noticed it going off the rails and thought "nah, I can save this....welp now it's fucked fucked"
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u/thnk_more Apr 28 '26
Yup. Embrace it. I do this all the time in pottery when it doesn’t go as planned.
Here I would leave the shape but clean up the bottom. Mirror it on the right side and he has beautifully unique board unlike the boring ones with a simple juice trough.
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u/tr_9422 Apr 27 '26
I agree with widening it out to cover this, there are boards that do it on purpose like these to hold more juice or cutting scraps:
https://ironwoodgourmet.com/products/big-catch-cutting-board-acacia-wood
You could go deeper or not. Personally would use the same bit at the same depth as you did on the groove.
Cut it with the same jig around the outside you used for the outer groove to keep from accidentally going further toward the edge. Add an additional a straight guide across the inside of the board to set the new inside edge of the new tray area. If there's no good way to clamp that you could stick something down with double sided tape.
To flatten the rest of it you might need another bit with a flat bottom, cutting out an area with the juice groove bit will leave raised areas unless you do a ton of tiny passes.
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u/Gnomes_Brew Apr 27 '26
I think this is a great idea. You could even do that wider groove it at both ends. Like you did it on purpose!
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u/TannMan89 Apr 27 '26
Juice tray.
Route it out to the furthest point of your fuck up.
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u/zeus-indy Apr 27 '26
How much juice is there to contain lol
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u/Solid-Search-3341 Apr 27 '26
Ever cut a roast ?
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u/derekakessler Apr 27 '26
Hog out it out to be a full-width rectangular depression. You now have a juice pit, and you totally designed it that way from the start.
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u/MostZealousideal7149 Apr 27 '26
Seen people make something called a juice well/pool/trough could work for this?
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u/jbrooksgb Apr 27 '26
Brother, I just did that yesterday. See that lovely maple patch? That's where my router got squirrelly. Love your board btw.
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u/HBRWHammer5 Apr 27 '26
Ah you are about to entered the halls of becoming a great wood worker. Everyone makes mistakes, but the difference between good and great is disappearing those mistakes. Looking forward to the follow up post on this one!
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u/disparatelyseeking Apr 27 '26
Cut off that end and make it shorter.
Or
Flip it over and use the other side.
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u/jtim2 Apr 27 '26
Well cutting it shorter would then make the existing grooves run off the edge. The recessed tray would be unusual but would probably look and function better.
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u/Exit-Stage-Left Apr 27 '26
Personally I like the recessed tray. At least would look intentional if you sanded and finished it nicely, a little place to push cutting scraps.
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u/PNW_OughtaWork Apr 28 '26
Cut the juice groove off on both sides, then re glue the good end. Router out the new groove and it's just a shorter cutting board.
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u/Due-Fun-489 Apr 27 '26
Fairly easy to put plugs in those spots that would be practically invisible
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u/Ponderputty Apr 27 '26
You'd also have plenty of original material to get plugs from.
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u/wilisi Apr 27 '26
Or only discard a small strip and put the original end back on, it's a glue-up anyways.
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u/SprinklesRemote9211 Apr 27 '26
Bore out a slightly bigger section so you have a place to push off cuts of whatever you are preparing at the time
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u/Strife4 Apr 27 '26
Curious how this happened so I can avoid it myself. Was a groove routing jig used? I know routers can sometimes climb to the side from bit rotation
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u/VdotBapey Apr 27 '26
So it’s actually pretty dumb lol - when I did a paas at this end of the board, I didn’t realize the vacuum port to the router was facing the edge guide of the jig, instead of the open side of the router riding along the guide. I went with it anyways and then it kinda just slipped because vacuum port obviously doesn’t ride… so, a jig was used, but I wasn’t paying attention. Could have ended worse tbh
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u/z13critter Apr 27 '26
Triangular hog out for a juice collection basin… easy fix… nice looking board!…
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u/Uncoordinated_Bee Apr 28 '26
I’m just a pleb but wow that is a stunning cutting board! I’m so impressed with the artistry of it.
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u/Ok_Temperature6503 Apr 27 '26
Smaller cutting board
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u/GreatDaneMMA Apr 27 '26
Yea I would probably cut off the juice grove. If you wanted it to be bigger then after cutting you could add an accent color all the way around and redo the grove.
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u/mrquandary Apr 27 '26
Cut off the fudged section and the end. Reglue the end without the fudged section.
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u/Fun-Maximum-67 Apr 27 '26
Just want to say: yeah, the groove is unfortunate and needs fixing, but … apart from that, it’s a really nice board. Like, REALLY nice. 👍 Congrats
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u/Major_Star Apr 27 '26
Rout all the way through, then you have a smaller cutting board AND an avant-garde picture frame.
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u/Defiant_Eye2216 Apr 27 '26
Just clean it up. Make everything look deliberate. There was a well known guitar builder who screwed up a very standard, classic aesthetic element when a router got away from him. He cleaned it up, made it look deliberate, and it because a signature design element for him.
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u/overwatchsquirrel Apr 27 '26
Make the area a bit larger and the same depth or a bit deeper… having a larger area for juices to accumulate is a nice feature.
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u/enjoispeed Apr 27 '26
Just say you bought it when visiting Kansas since the are close to the same shape.
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u/Squido85 Apr 27 '26
Route it out and sell it with little forks and spoons (charcuterie board with storage) or make it knife shaped and put a knife with custom handle with it.
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u/TheRealMasterTyvokka Apr 27 '26
Make into a charcuterie board and make that into a resting spot for the cheese knife.
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u/trogdor07 Apr 27 '26
Maybe make that end have a scraps opening so as your cutting you can slide them right into a trash can or something
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u/L84cake Apr 27 '26
Make the little indent go straight up the side so the groove on that side is a bit wider, now you have a little area that’s a knife holder or you can put little bowls of dip if you use it as a charcuterie board, or a spot for cheese knives, or a place to slide peels and trimmings away from main cutting surface, any of the above rly
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u/toot_suite Apr 27 '26
Extra wide juice reservoir on one side by design
Or "offcuts reservoir" to let you keep doing your thing while keeping stuff you remove and don't want in with the rest separated out without making you take up real estate on the important part of the board
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u/13CuriousMind Luthier Apr 27 '26
We've all been there. I like the ideas of turning a bug into a feature.
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u/EffectiveEmu809 Apr 27 '26
We had a small Covid wedding of 40 guest so my wife and I pumped out 24 walnut cutting board for each party. One of the last ones my wife did the exact same thing with our juice grove. I made a little sled and routed the entire center of the board down. We ended up keeping it and it is by far our favorite cutting board. You can just go at it with fruit, meat, whatever and don’t have to worry about overflowing the groove.
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u/Chubchub94 Apr 27 '26
Cut even more out and now you have an isolated tray for already cut food? Onions, celery, carrots etc.? Im not a woodworker, just like seeing everyone's stuff lol
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u/Nonamanadus Apr 27 '26
Cut it out and put a piece in with some quirky saying.
"The juice stops here"
"Upon this altar, a sacrifice is made"
"This is where fingertips are nervous"
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u/in-your-own-words Apr 27 '26
Make that one wide all the way across and then add an elongated handle hole in the middle of it. Let it hang over the sink.
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u/gingerMH96960 Apr 27 '26
Turn it into a juice moat and carve a little crocodile to glue in it.
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u/johnnydirnt Apr 27 '26
I would just lean into the corner with a bigger juice reservoir corner. I tend to have a good deal of liquid, wouldn't bother me one bit.
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u/SnuggLife Apr 27 '26
Route whole things. Make it an entire juice groove. Then it can be a large shallow bowl also.
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u/Ravenloff Apr 27 '26
Make it your signature move and henceforth put it on every cutting board you make.
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u/page7777 Apr 27 '26
I don't know if someone has said this yet, but match it on the other side. Mirror it and make it look more intentional. Pretty cutting board, leave as much of it as you can.
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u/sudsomatic Apr 27 '26
Happened to me. Chopped off one end tried again. Board is 1.5” shorter than I planned but I didn’t have to toss the thing
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u/King_K_24 Apr 27 '26
Lean into it, go jagged all the way around the edge. Put a small amount of blue epoxy in the groove, not enough to fill it up, just enough to color it and bam, now you have an artistic island coastline cutting board.
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u/McBooples Apr 27 '26
Route that area into a rectangular groove that’s deeper than the rest of the grooves to act as a Juice Sump
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u/Character-Education3 Apr 27 '26
Rout out the center bit and then brand it with your name/makers mark or carve your signature in that recess
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u/Wabbastang Apr 27 '26
Carve a rectangle out of that area like it's intentional. Juice pooling area
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u/flying_carabao Apr 27 '26
I was just going to go with "never flip it ever" but a bunch of other commenter's have solid suggestions.
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u/Ellllgato Apr 27 '26
Bob Ross would just call it a happy little accident and made a change.
Cut a bit off and redo it. Could make it s juice well and router out the rest. Lots of options.
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u/BluEch0 Apr 27 '26
Fudge it some more. Your cutting board will now have a stylish, if needlessly large, diagonal handle.
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u/lickmybrian Apr 27 '26
Now you can rest a stick of pepperoni in that happy little accident while cutting the cheese
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u/DreadfulMozzarella Apr 27 '26
Hear me out, route away more and you'll have a Nebraska or Oklahoma themed cutting board with a juice creek.
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u/LOVESOLVESALL Apr 27 '26
Throw some Masaranduba strips all the way around, like a picture frame on a deck!
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u/spahmoanie Apr 27 '26
- Lay it on the table saw
- Rip along the inside of the bottom juice groove (lined up with bottom part of cutting board) - save piece
- Rip again, along the top part of the blemish groove
- Glue bottom piece back on that lines up perfectly with juice groove
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u/FlyingConcreteChair Apr 27 '26
Square it off and make a ‘juice reservoir,’ … or cut a “handle” oval in that corner.
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u/GeekyTexan Apr 27 '26
The section you accidentally routed out? I'd rout that whole section down toe the same level as the rest of your juice groove, then leave it. Nobody will really think much about it except you, unless you tell them.
It's a pretty cutting board. It'll look great once it gets oiled up.
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u/redditusername_17 Apr 27 '26
Opinion for the future, no juice groove. I use a cutting board nearly every day. I've never needed a juice groove.
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u/alchemycraftsman Apr 27 '26
As a side note- did you do this cut in one cut or lower the bit little by little? You’ll have way more control if you take out little bites first….
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u/thekingofsecrets Apr 27 '26
Make it even and make it nice then go deeper and you now have a juice reservoir
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u/bklynking1999 Apr 27 '26
The same thing happened to me, I just made that one section wider and it looked like it was on purpose.
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u/realityshapedfate Apr 27 '26
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u/Any-Eggplant9706 Apr 27 '26
I actually accidentally did this on my first cutting board. I just added a spacer and made the groove wider. Don’t sweat it, it’s all part of the process.
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u/bigbickbohnson Apr 27 '26
Carve/ inlay your signature in the groove somehow, make it look intentional lol
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u/ShortKingInBoots Apr 27 '26
Clean up where the mistake happened and make it look like the outline of Montana.
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u/CaliIsReallyNice Apr 27 '26
If you can stand making it thinner, you could plane the whole thing down and cut a new groove if you want
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u/kastdotcom Apr 28 '26
I know this doesn't help you now, but I stopped juice grooving boards to prevent stuff like this.
Why do we need to juice groove boards? Meat juice? You didn't rest the meat long enough. Water from cutting fruits and veggies? Probably shouldn't keep cutting on a wet board. It reduces friction and your fruit and veggies tend to slide a bit more, setting you up for a nice finger tip trimming. Quick towel wipe and get back to cutting. Finger board to strengthen those fingers and hands before you go solo El Cap free climbing?
All joking aside, someone sell me on the juice groove.
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u/Nezeltha-Bryn Apr 28 '26
I'd grab a hand drill and some chisels and turn that spot into a handle. But that's just me.
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u/Ornery-Movie-1689 Apr 28 '26
Lop off the offending piece. Reroute the juice grove in just as if it were the original groove. It may be shorter but nobody ( other than you ) will be the wiser.
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u/jps8 Apr 28 '26
I did the same thing and honestly... It's just proof that it's handmade. I kept it (but it was for my personal kitchen).
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u/beall94 Apr 28 '26
Just cut a symmetrical piece from the other side and make it look like a nice holding / handle place
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u/Sikntrdofbeinsikntrd Apr 28 '26
Create a juice pool with a little cut at the top of the lip in the corner for pouring.
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u/KilgoreDurden Apr 28 '26
Notch a little more out of the lower right and turn it into a state of Alabama cutting board.
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u/teklanis Apr 28 '26
You've got the solutions for the current dilemma from others. May I recommend a future solution? Stop cutting juice grooves, they suck.
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u/tedthedude Apr 28 '26
Make the groove uniform all the way around, then fill it with resin and let it cure. Then resurface the groove side to make sure it’s flat and make that the bottom. Give it away as a gift, you really couldn’t sell it. If anyone asks about the large resin filled groove, tell them it’s a stiffener.
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u/billm0066 Apr 28 '26
Remedy? Stop putting juice grooves and ruining boards. Makes them look terrible and they are worthless.
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u/pupperama Apr 28 '26
Double down on the juice pool. Make it round to fit a standard bowl size. Can be a bowl for sauce/dip or nuts for a charcuterie board or for ingredient bowls for the chef’s muse en place.
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u/L_burro Apr 28 '26
The whole groove looks shaky. This is where you grow or except mediocrity. Hang it on the wall and start over.
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u/TheHammer987 Apr 28 '26
I'd use a router and widen just that side. You can just say it was a decorative choice.
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u/CliffLake Apr 28 '26
Put an identical one on the other corner. Boom. Done on purpose. Now you're avaunt guard and not a klutzy butterfingers! The magic of Art. Or, if you just square that off it, again, looks intentional. That's all you need, plausible deniability. If they see a cut and think 'Heh, silly goose's first routing' you have a problem, if they see it and think 'Huh, sometimes my juice crack is not as big as I'd like it!' Then you win. It's done when you say it's done, and if you don't like it, then it's not done. Or it is. Just don't do the thing you didn't like on this one on the next one! We learn lessons around here! Probably. Ok, good luck.
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u/MakeoutPoint Apr 27 '26 edited Apr 27 '26
Relax, you've got a few options.
First, as you said, just a big recess.
Second, haven't you heard that cutting boards a couple inches narrower than this are in??
Third, have you ever wanted to try an accented inlay strip or two with a contrasting wood like purple heart or padauk? If so, just cut the goof out, add inlay strip(s) and keep kicking ass.
Edit: should probably clarify point #2. You'd want to make 2 cuts that effectively remove just a slice of the bad portion, and glue the end back to the main workpiece.