New custom-made Stolnica dough board

[Essen1]

Just got this in yesterday. Amazing quality. It was done by Glen Jensen of Old Saybrook Woodcraft in CT.

The board is a 23x24", with 2" high borders to prevent bench flour from spreading all over the prep table. Made from Oak and finished with food safe oil.

If anyone is interested, here's the link:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/OldSaybrookWoodcraft

For custom orders, contact Glen via messages.

[02ebz06]

$369 ? ? ?   I can make all you want for $169 each. 

[Essen1]

$369 ? ? ?   I can make all you want for $169 each. 

No. $155 was mine.

[Pandasbecats]

A little expensive still, think you could get nails and oak pieces from Home Depot for $75-100$ and put one together yourself

Always wanted one but see it as a luxury that won’t make the pizzas any better. Using a long scrap cutting board still works for me

[FoodSim]

As an occasional woodworker I can appreciate how well-crafted it is. I have a workshop where I could make one, but the situation with it having those traditional sides is the closest I come to claustrophobia. Sometimes I like to roll things straight off the edge of the board.

[Essen1]

A little expensive still, think you could get nails and oak pieces from Home Depot for $75-100$ and put one together yourself

Always wanted one but see it as a luxury that won’t make the pizzas any better. Using a long scrap cutting board still works for me

First off, high quality craftsmanship is never "expensive".

I appreciate people who still provide that service and are proud of what they're doing.

If you want to hammer together a board yourself, that's cool. I chose a different route.

Second, you're right, it won't make my pizzas better. They are already as stellar as they can get. *tongue in cheek*

I ordered this board because of Glen's reputation and his craftsmanship. If you scroll up, you'll find out why I wanted it.

[Essen1]

As an occasional woodworker I can appreciate how well-crafted it is. I have a workshop where I could make one, but the situation with it having those traditional sides is the closest I come to claustrophobia. Sometimes I like to roll things straight off the edge of the board.

RN,

You never cease to amaze me.

I didn't know that 2" borders incite claustrophobic feelings

Stay away from this one 🤠

[FoodSim]

RN,

You never cease to amaze me.

I didn't know that 2" borders incite claustrophobic feelings

Stay away from this one 🤠

I'm sure you understood that "the closest I come to claustrophobia" is relative. I don't actually come close to claustrophobia at all. I'm quite comfortable in small spaces despite being 1.98 m tall. It's really just a matter of wanting an unsegmented workspace in the kitchen where space is at a greater premium than my other workspaces, such as my lab.

I'm glad it works for you. As for its value at $155, I think I would charge something similar. I like working with red oak, but it can get expensive. I made one of my cabinet shelves, the most used shelf in the kitchen, from red oak over twenty years ago. It still looks like I just installed it. So I know what you have there will probably serve you for many years.

[Essen1]

I'm sure you understood that "the closest I come to claustrophobia" is relative. I don't actually come close to claustrophobia at all. I'm quite comfortable in small spaces despite being 1.98 m tall. It's really just a matter of wanting an unsegmented workspace in the kitchen where space is at a greater premium than my other workspaces, such as my lab.

I'm glad it works for you. As for its value at $155, I think I would charge something similar. I like working with red oak, but it can get expensive. I made one of my cabinet shelves, the most used shelf in the kitchen, from red oak over twenty years ago. It still looks like I just installed it. So I know what you have there will probably serve you for many years.

RN,

1,98 m....not even Stephen Curry is that tall. 

Anyway, I was very specific with Glen, who was Robin Williams' personal Master wood craftsman, btw.

I requested a board that will withstand warping, has a coating which seals the wood and is sturdy enough to be used for commercial, rough every day use.

Glen delivered. This board is heavy, high quality and much more than I have hoped for.

At $155, it is definitely not too much, imho.

[FoodSim]

1,98 m....not even Stephen Curry is that tall. 

Fortunately for him he didn't need to be that tall to be great at basketball. My father was 2.01 m and played college basketball. I was good at long range, and only okay in the paint.

Glen, who was Robin Williams' personal Master wood craftsman, btw.

That's an interesting bit of information.

I requested a board that will withstand warping,

Red oak is very dimensionally stable. It's like the steel of wood. As a consequence, it's also very hard on tooling. Another reason for a woodworker to charge a little more.

Edit: Looking more closely at the grain in your images, it appears to be white oak, which is still very durable.

[Essen1]

Fortunately for him he didn't need to be that tall to be great at basketball. My father was 2.01 m and played college basketball. I was good at long range, and only okay in the paint.

That's an interesting bit of information.

Red oak is very dimensionally stable. It's like the steel of wood. As a consequence, it's also very hard on tooling. Another reason for a woodworker to charge a little more.

Edit: Looking more closely at the grain in your images, it appears to be white oak, which is still very durable.

Regarding RW,... I found that out during one of our phone conversations.

RW was also a customer of our family business of the restoration of vintage, classic watches and clocks. He was a very pleasant, friendly and polite person. We restored a few vintage clocks for Mr. Williams, as well as a couple of pocket watches.

The world lost a great human being.

I will request the second board to be a red oak. Hopefully it'll outlast me and I can pass it on to someone who'll appreciate it.

[FoodSim]

Regarding RW,... I found that out during one of our phone conversations.

RW was also a customer of our family business of the restoration of vintage, classic watches and clocks. He was a very pleasant, friendly and polite person. We restored a few vintage clocks for Mr. Williams, as well as a couple of pocket watches.

The world lost a great human being.

I will request the second board to be a red oak. Hopefully it'll outlast me and I can pass it on to someone who'll appreciate it.

Robin Williams was an incredible person. It's great that you had a chance to associate with him.

I would stick with white oak. I only use red oak because it's more readily available around here and I like the way it looks with a simple coat of polycrylic. They're both beastly, but white oak can resist slightly more flexure, and you said that's what you want. Glen chose the better option for you, as one would expect with his credentials.

[TXCraig1]

That stolnica is almost certainly made from red oak.

[FoodSim]

That stolnica is almost certainly made from red oak.

That was my initial impression, because it appears more similar to the red oak I use than typical white oak. The problem is I've also seen a lot of white oak look like red oak. Color alone is never a reliable indicator. The only thing I looked at in the end was the length of the medullary rays. The rays are longer in white oak. It should be easy enough to find out one way or the other from Glen.

[TXCraig1]

You see the brown-grey dashes in virtually all of the red oak varieties but you typically only see them in the white varieties in the swamp species, and I'm pretty sure it's neither of those.

[Essen1]

Texted Glen.

He said it's made from clear red oak.

[FoodSim]

Texted Glen.

He said it's made from clear red oak.

Thanks for checking. I even third-guessed myself when I saw that he works with reclaimed wood. That's a very clear piece, wherever he got it from.

You can't go wrong with either one. Red oak is probably even overkill for kitchen use. I use it for building apparatuses for use in the lab because of its dimensional stability. This track was also built around twenty years ago, and it has been moved around more than Billy Blanks in a Tae Bo video.

[TXCraig1]

I used red oak for my prep table. I started to second guess myself at the time, but I'm very glad I did. I stopped oiling it after the first time because the oil would leach back up into the flour, and it's remained perfectly flat ever since.

[02ebz06]

Nice prep table.

[TXCraig1]

Thanks. More on it here: https://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=18634.msg181562#msg181562

The little kid in the pics is now a 330# offensive lineman at Georgia