How to Epoxy Maple and Wine Barrel Cutting Board Blanks

Hand plane off glue squeeze out on the bottom of the cutting boards so it sits as flat as possible.  

Cut blanks to be flush as long as they are 16" or longer.

Add green painters tape to the edge of each board to create a dam for the epoxy.

Spread the cutting boards out on the epoxy tables and use the puck level over the stave to make sure the board is level.  Use cardboard or shims to level the piece.

Create glue dams about 1/8" from the edge of the stave to create a dam for the epoxy.  Be careful not to get glue into gap.  It doesn't take a lot of glue, but it does need to be one continuous bead from end to end.  Let this glue set up for 20-30 minutes. 

Mix epoxy with a plastic knife according to the instructions for the epoxy being used.  It will take approximately 75 ml of mixed epoxy per blank.  For example, to do twelve boards you would need 450 ml of Part A and 450 ml of Part B.  

Pour epoxy into the gap.  The goal is to fill everything between the glue dams.  Because of the viscosity of the epoxy, it takes some time to level out, so it is better to sneak up on filling the gap instead of filling side to side right off the bat.  If you fill side to side initially it will likely overflow.    

Brush any extra epoxy on top of flattened staves to seal them.  

Use the heat gun to pop any bubbles, its worth checking every five minutes or so for the first 20 minutes after pouring the epoxy.  The epoxy will be initially cured within 24 hours and fully cured in three days.  Check instructions on epoxy to confirm cure time.