One of our karaoke KJs (Harryoke) got engaged. As an engagement gift, Brenda and I decided to give Harry and his Fiancé a noodle board.
I started with some 5/4 cherry wood I had purchased specifically for a noodle board. After cutting the pieces to size, I used biscuits for alignment and glued them together. Once the glue had set overnight, I removed the clamps and began leveling and sanding. I worked through 80, 120, 180, 240, and 320 grit sandpapers. After the 240 grit, I dampened the board to raise the wood fibers and then sanded again with 240 grit to smooth them out. By the end, the wood was perfectly smooth and ready for the sides to be attached.
Installing the sides
I crafted the sides and back from cherry wood at a height of 2 3/4 inches, choosing a lower profile since I didn't intend to add handles. I ordered specific handles from Amazon just for the noodle boards. To give a cleaner look and add more support, I cut rabbets into the bottom of the sides so they would fit over the board, increasing the glue area. I predrilled holes for screws to attach the sides to the bottom, then glued and screwed them in place. Finally, I added wooden plugs to cover the screw holes and sanded them flush for a polished finish.
Adding the decal
I had previously ordered a decal from EliteVinyls back in December. Harry said he liked it since he did most of the cooking at his house. The decal reads "No Bitchin' in My Kitchen" and is rose gold in color. I first stained the wood with MinWax Cherry stain. After applying two coats, I let it dry overnight before applying the polyurethane. I started with three coats of MinWax Warm Satin Polyurethane, letting it dry completely overnight. Then, I applied the decal and added three more coats of polyurethane over it to firmly secure it in place.
The Noodle Board Almost to the finish line
Once again, I let the board sit overnight to allow the polyurethane to dry completely. After that, I attached the handles to the sides and added 3/4-inch thick rubber cushions to the bottom. With everything complete, the board was ready for packaging and delivery to Harry and Kristy.
The completed board weighs approximately 16-17 lbs.
