Piece / projectOne brief. Two sides.
A commissioned board with a walnut chopping face, a contrasting serving face, and an open-ended visual brief.
Boards & small goods • Custom-fit object
An RV sink, with a second job
A thin end-grain board made to an exact RV-sink size, with stainless threaded hardware for reinforcement and adjustment.
Documented September 2020From the workshop
The need
Make a thin end-grain insert for a particular RV sink.
The response
Work to exact dimensions and include stainless threaded reinforcement/adjustment hardware.
The result
A completed custom-fit board, documented before installation.
PART OF A LARGER COLLECTIONBoards, one by one →
Professional notes
Contribution
Custom-fit board fabrication and reinforcement/adjustment detailing.
Result
A completed custom-size insert documented with dimensional requirements and adjustable reinforcement.
The opening set the brief
An RV sink insert is a fitted object, not just a cutting board in a convenient size. The completed-project account records an exact target of 23 11/16 by 15 11/16 by 15/16 inches. The thickness was part of that requirement, alongside the length and width.
The job brought together a patterned end-grain surface and a specific footprint. That gives the board a second role as an insert while retaining the visual character of an individual wood object.
A visible surface and a less-visible structural detail
The original completion post identifies stainless-steel threaded rod and hardware for reinforcement and adjustment. Those parts are as important to the project story as the surface pattern: they are a deliberate response to the thin-stock, custom-fit brief.
The pattern remains the visible part of the board, while the stainless hardware addresses a different need. Bringing the exact dimensions, thin stock, and reinforcement together is what makes this piece a custom insert rather than a standard board.
Finishing the fitted object
The completed insert keeps the appearance of an individual end-grain board, but the footprint is tied to a particular opening. The finishing photographs show the pattern, edges, and surface after that fitted form was established.
It is a small object with several requirements: the right length and width, limited thickness, reinforcing hardware, and an attractive working surface. Solving those requirements together was the point of the commission.
Credits & project notes
Design and making: Michael Pytlowany.
Dimensions and hardware purpose are recorded in the original completion caption. These photos show the board, not installation in the customer's RV.
Sources
Mike's Functional Artistry project archive
03 September 2020
Mike's Functional Artistry project archive
2020-09-04
A closer look
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