I’ve had a store bought magnetic knife block in my kitchen for years but I always felt the magnets we’re strong enough so I decided to make my own.
I started with a very sexy piece of Wenge (watch out for splinters!)
Tapered the edges on the table saw (about 10 degrees I think, maybe less)
Here’s my dangerous set up for tapering the short edges. A miter gauge and a bunch of clamps.
I used 1″ x 1/8″ neodymium magnets here. I flipped the board over and drilled 1″ holes almost all the way through. They are glued in place with Elmer’s ProBond. I made sure to alternate the polarity of the magnets so they didn’t repel each other laterally. It was easiest to “stage” them all on the back of this sheet pan.
You can see the keyhole brackets I mounted flush on the back of the knife holder.
Here is the knife holder mounted to the wall. I finished it with only mineral oil since it will be in direct contact with the knives. It kept that great dark color but the grain isn’t nearly as prominent.
With knife goodness. They stay attached very well.
