Making a fish cleaning table

[anchor man]

I going to use one of the doors from our old fridge (side by side fridge)and mount it to the back wall in the garage with hinges and some supports. I'll be using it for fish cleaning and likely processing deer too. I'm wondering what the best material would be to fasten onto the door for the cutting surface. I thought maybe getting a stainless steel sheet, or perhaps a certain type of wood. Just wondering if anyone has suggestions for the best all around cutting surface.

Thanks

[Scott M]

Doing the same thing with a free piece of countertop. Hinges and swing in supports. Hoping to put this together this summer in the shed at the family cabin. Good luck on your project. I'd go stainless if you can.

[GFNER]

White nylon, the same stuff you find fillet and cutting boards made out of. It wont ruin the edge of your knife and washes up better than wood. You can google it and buy it in sheets.

[reinhard1]

hey, another Andover neighbor. you are correct. this is exactly what to get. it is what every butcher has been using for years in the Cubs, Rainbows, ect. very easy to clean and durable. and as this poster has said does not dull your knife. i have some here at home and i use them to cut deer up, and smaller ones i take with me for fish cleaning and at home. good luck.

[Gordie]

Stainless is easy clean up but I would use the nylon cutting boards on the stainless.

Now where to find the SS look for some old restaurant equipment sales places they may have some tables and sinks that would work for ya also.

I know there is one on 169 just znorth of Princeton.

[harvey lee]

I got a very nice stainless table for cutting up deer for free at a place after an auction as noone wanted to haul it away. I used it in a shop when I lived in the country and it was great. Cleaned up easy and didn't rust.

In town now, I purchased a few larger cutting boards of the white nylon type and they work awesome. I have a smaller one on collapable legs that I can hang a bucket under for the remains and that also is very nice and easy to take along for a weekend of fishing.

I cheated, I purchased mine.

[reinhard1]

when i was working, the Deli wanted to get rid of one of their preperation tables fully enclosed with doors for storage and a drop hole on one end where you can drop fish guts, deer bones, or whatever you dont want in a barrel bellow. all stainless steel on top. that's what i use to do deer on. cut and wrap and toss. sometimes Cub stores or others get rid of equipment and you can maby contact these places if they have anything in the "back" they want to get rid of. i still got my name in the hat for certain stuff when available. good luck.

[Tom7227]

I'm not sure why you would screw around with a door from a fridge that you have to cover anyway. Scratch and dent section of a Menards or similar is most likely going to have a piece of formica countertop for cheap. I would think a fairly large piece of the nylon cutting board would be awfully expensive though. Anyone know the cost and availability of the stuff?

[BLACKJACK]

White nylon, the same stuff you find fillet and cutting boards made out of. It wont ruin the edge of your knife and washes up better than wood. You can google it and buy it in sheets.

So what exactly is that 'white nylon' called?? Did a search, couldn't find anything that came in sheets, and the boards I did find were pretty spendy once they got some size to them.

[backtroller1]

for the past few years, I have been using and old ironing board, pick them up at garage sales for 1.00, fold up easy, store easy, and easy to clean. These are the perfect height for cleaning fish.

[reinhard1]

for many years i have just called them white nylon cutting boards. the material may also be called polyethylene as well. i called a butcher i know who is still working and he thinks the boards they are using now are polyethylene but not possitive. i guess i would go with that. the boards we used at work lasted for many years with hard use. what i do to keep them nice and white is to wash them first, then put a small amount of bleach on the board and scrub it around some, and then rinse well with hot water. good luck.

[BartmanMN]

[reinhard1]

i looked on line to see the price of polyethylene cutting boards. one place had a 24 by 24 inch board for 38 bucks and a size like i have 30 by 24 inch goes for 56 bucks. just have to google polyethylene cutting boards.

here is the deal for these boards. if a guy just wants to clean fish after a day's fishing a post about using an old ironing board may do the trick. however if you are going to get a stainless steel table and then get the polyethylene or white nylon boards as i call them, then i would think that table will be used for multiple uses such as cutting wild game, cleaning fish, or preping food for example.

if you want something easy to clean, durable, wont dull your blade, and last you probably your lifetime then i would go with the white polyethylene cutting boards. maby call your local cub or rainbow store and ask where they get theirs. good luck.

[laportian]

Right now I have a placstic drafting table that I use. It is okay. The suface is textured and it really helps keep my fish in place. My table is chest high now cause I have it blocked up with cinder blocks. Which makes it a pain if I need to move it. I want a better set up. This summer I am planning on making a better one that will have a big cutting board made of polyethylene and I love that once it gets well used its surface gets marred and scratched up. This rougher surface helps grip fish better than old counter tops or metal.

[reinhard1]

it takes a long time to make deeper cuts or scrapes in a good polyethylene board. eventualy you do get some. the only thing bad about that is it gets harder to clean with bacteria getting trapped in those cuts and scrapes unless the board get's cleaned well. always a good idea to rinse the board well after use and then apply some bleach on the board with a brush. then let it set for 15 minutes or so and then use soapy water and brush again and rinse well. that board will last you a lifetime. good luck.

[anchor man]

Tom7227, I like the idea of recycle-reuse. I'm putting the fridge brackets and shelves in our pantry for canned goods. Two projects--zero cost so far.

[leechlake]

I use melamine/particle board shelves. They last 2-3 years and since I don't take that great care of them they get warped and I get a new one. I suppose if I baby'd them they'd last longer but I don't care that much.

I get them for free but I'd bet there about $6 from your locker big box store. I use an electric filet knife and don't have issues with a ton of "deep" knife marks in the melamine. I'm not cutting potatoes, just filleting fish.

I take an old plastic dish soapbottle and fill with water and a bit of pine sol for clean up, I've also used a bit of bleach in the mixture but if it splatters you'll end up with tiny holes in any clothes it gets on so I skip the bleach now so my wife at least can't be mad at me for that.

[Tom7227]

If you do the Google you can find a number of places that handle the High Density Polyethylene boards in sizes as large as 2 X 8 feet. I am reasonably sure you can find a place that deals with it in the Twin Cities at a price more reasonable than you can find a cutting board at a big box.

I have used chip board for work benches for years. I get the 5/8 inch material and then cover it with 1/4 inch hardboard. Put a couple coats of varnish on it and it looks good, cleans up well and is durable.

[uffdapete]

I got a free 2' x 4' piece of corian when my brother remodeled his restaurant that works well.