Thoughts on Making Cheese Slicers

I've now made about a dozen cheese slicers, large and small, and from any number of different materials. All use the same assembly; bar, wire and handle. These are available from two sources. The first, a combination retail/mail order storefront charges $11.99 each. If you're going to sell these, that has an impact on your price point. A bit of searching, Googling as it were, found a U.S. based, small business mail order house that has the same sets at $5.95/each, plus shipping. They are in Wisconsin, so sales tax is not an issue (yet!). They have a Veterans free shipping program and that's a bit incentive. So, now I have parts inventory, large, small, black and chrome. 

Each slicer has presented the same challenge, mounting the wire to the hinge point, and it is a design issue, easily remedied. The original plan requires a 3/8" deep groove (saw kerf) to be cut at X" from the edge. It also requires a 3/8" hole to be drilled such that the two intersect where the wire loops onto the swivel/handle bar. If you do it right, you will have serious issues getting the wire to fit with sufficient space for the bar to pass through. Heretofore, this required that some cutting tool or another be used to round, gouge or in some other way make space for the wire and the bar to coexist in the same tight space.  Not no more!

The remedy is simple. Cut your groove 7/16" deep instead of 3/8". This gives sufficient room for the wire to loop. Ta Da! I have one caveat and it is related to the material from which your slicer is made. If your material is solid, then the additional 1/16" will have negligible impact on the structural integrity of the board. If it is a build up with many joints passing through and under the kerf, consider making your material 7/8" thick instead of 3/4".

My next version of these slicers will incorporate inlays of both wood and resin epoxy to make each board unique.

Never under price your work. Target and Walmart can import it from Asia. A buyer looking for a unique addition to their kitchen will pay a fair price for a piece of art made with care.

Always remember to count your fingers before sweeping the shop floor. Stay health out there, now. Y'hear?

Karl