# Poly cutting board frames?



## Northerner (Nov 9, 2010)

I picked up a cheap poly cutting board and was wondering if anyone has tried to make a frame from one. The one I found is about 3/8" thick so I guess two layers could be epoxied together. I trimmed off the end handles and noticed that it melts a bit when I use high speed. Medium speed on a jigsaw gives a good cut. My concern is if a drum sander on a Dremel will melt the plastic. Hand sanding might be a bit time consuming. I guess I can still use it for a cutting board....lol.

Anyone try the poly cutting boards?

Cheers,
Northerner


----------



## NaturalFork (Jan 21, 2010)

I think Rayshot made one didnt he? Or am I mistaking him for someone else? I know someone posted about it.


----------



## justplainduke (May 31, 2011)

I have worked with many plastics like UHMW which is the most common for the white opaque cutting boards. 
Warning: if you can shatter/break the plastic with a hammer then you don't want to use it.
UHMW is common in quality sterile kitchen cutting boards but it does tend to "move" or warp on it's own once the extrusion has been cut. Sanding is best done with a Very coarse sand disk and then by hand. It's very difficult to get a nice finish though and with only 3/8 thick it may bend if you use heavy bands...you can't glue UHMW or it's Teflon equivalent. But you could try some cool bolt fasteners or heavy rivets. That's all I know about that though, experiment and let us know how it works, good luck.


----------



## PandaMan (Oct 14, 2010)

NaturalFork said:


> I think Rayshot made one didnt he? Or am I mistaking him for someone else? I know someone posted about it.


It was Norwegian Wood I believe. I seem to recall that cutting board plastic is very brittle.


----------



## Rayshot (Feb 1, 2010)

Yes I made some from a 1/4 "poly ?" cutting board.

I did a video on shooting it and it will shatter if hit in the middle of a piece. That being said for all intents of slingshot shooting, I could not in any way break the fork once made. I put on heavy double bands per side it handled them, though I was using a fork supported grip. I even had a fork hit when I tried a sizeable stone. just made a little ding. I still use it though I prefer a single band each side, even 1 inch straight cut.

My biggest concern on a catty like mine would be that I left it as is, thin, and shooting it when it gets cold, especially hammer grip. If it was doubled I'd venture to say you couldn't break it, in any weather using it as a slingshot. Even though I feel it is a usable product thin, I do not like the idea that a thin piece is of something that does shatter. Double it up.


----------



## Rapier (May 28, 2011)

Rayshot said:


> Yes I made some from a 1/4 "poly ?" cutting board.
> 
> I did a video on shooting it and it will shatter if hit in the middle of a piece. That being said for all intents of slingshot shooting, I could not in any way break the fork once made. I put on heavy double bands per side it handled them, though I was using a fork supported grip. I even had a fork hit when I tried a sizeable stone. just made a little ding. I still use it though I prefer a single band each side, even 1 inch straight cut.
> 
> ...


Oh crap! Thats cool man.


----------



## Scooby (Jul 8, 2011)

This is somthing I've been wanting to do for a while!
I've been looking at my granite chopping board and wondering if anyone has ever tryed putting one on a water jet cutter and making a sling shot?








Just an idea hahaha

Scooby


----------



## Tex-Shooter (Dec 17, 2009)

Not all cutting boards are HDPE. I don,t think that material will shatter, but am not for sure. I have hit a 1/2 inch thick piece and not hard and it did not shatter. I use it for die plate and when I have a scrap piece, I will try it. -- Tex


----------



## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

I picked up a used cutting board made of very tough plastic material. It is neither hard not brittle, more like nylon board. It will not shatter ... I doubt you could break it by bending, if you could bend it. Mine is 3/8 inch thick. Size is 9.5 x 14 inches. Cost 39 cents at the local Salvation Army thrift store. Looks perfect for making pickle fork shooters.

Cheers ....... Charles


----------



## Rayshot (Feb 1, 2010)

I am not opposing anyone's claim that the cutting board they have will shatter when they said it won't. But I thought what I had wouldn't shatter because it didn't have an apparent brittle properly. Of course remember, it was only 1/4 thick. So before I said on the forum it wouldn't shatter, I shot it with 3/8 steel and it shattered, but not with 44 cal. lead.


----------



## flippinout (Jul 16, 2010)

I have made many, many shooters from cutting board. I always use 3/4" and it is absolutely indestructible. However, the material I was using was from a commercial kitchen, if that makes a difference. I have shot it with a .22 rimfire and it simply makes a tiny hole. I have hit it with a 5lb hammer and it will not break. It is easy to cut with a bandsaw, shapes nicely with coarse abrasives and can be finished with a shine if you take your time. It is certainly worth a try!


----------



## jskeen (Feb 7, 2011)

I've used the 3/4 commercial stuff too, it's a little on the soft side, and almost impossible to glue anything to, but it's tougher than old folks toenails, and very stable. It will melt and if you try to buff it too fast it will smear and look pretty grubby, but once shaped, it's almost indestructible. If you have any type of industrial food plant near you, like a chicken processing plant, slaughter house or vegetable cannery, they use the stuff everywhere, and toss it when the surface gets messed up enough to attract the attention of the usda people. But you wanna have somebody that works there snag you some, rather than try to go dumpster diving for it. DAMHIKT!


----------



## AZshooter (May 1, 2011)

I have cut up a 3/8 inch thick Walmart poly cutting board for some PFS slingshots...and other designs. The material is stabile and can be made with a very slick finish. Less abrassion on bands or tubes. You might also use heat to shape this material, and possibly smooth out rough areas. When applying excess heat be carefull of toxic fumes.


----------



## PandaMan (Oct 14, 2010)

Scooby said:


> This is somthing I've been wanting to do for a while!
> I've been looking at my granite chopping board and wondering if anyone has ever tryed putting one on a water jet cutter and making a sling shot?
> 
> 
> ...


Torsten has made a stone slingshot before, but I'm not sure if granite would be the right stone....
http://slingshotforum.com/topic/4280-the-stone-slingshot/page__p__43643__hl__%2Bstone+%2Bslingshot__fromsearch__1#entry43643


----------



## PUNISHER (Sep 21, 2012)

Rayshot said:


> Yes I made some from a 1/4 "poly ?" cutting board.
> 
> I did a video on shooting it and it will shatter if hit in the middle of a piece. That being said for all intents of slingshot shooting, I could not in any way break the fork once made. I put on heavy double bands per side it handled them, though I was using a fork supported grip. I even had a fork hit when I tried a sizeable stone. just made a little ding. I still use it though I prefer a single band each side, even 1 inch straight cut.
> 
> ...


----------



## swarbt119 (Jan 12, 2011)

I worked in a machine shop for years and worked with a lot of plastic and delrin. We used lots of UHMW, Acetron, and Delrin in thicknesses of 3/4" and 1", you check with local machine shops and pick up some scrap for next to nothing. In those thicknesses I would have no concerns.


----------

