Above is an image of a kneading board made of PVC sheet with split wood handles on the sides. Also pictured is a dough cutting scraper with an PVC sheet blade and split wood handle.

I was able to find this PVC sheet for sale for 15,000 KRW per meter. I found that it has many uses and is stiff and durable while at the same time still flexible. This kneading board is just one of the projects I made using this acrylic sheet material.

Above is a commercial made kneading board (often called a pastry board) which is used to knead dough in making bread or other pastries.

The image above shows a marble pastry board in use together with a marble roller for flattening dough to make breads and pastry.

The image above shows how I placed this PVC sheet kneading board over our kitchen table. The idea here is that I could have a large surface to work on kneading dough. This could be helpful in cleanup because I can take this kneading board to the bathtub and rinse off after I cleaned it with dish soap. At the same time this acrylic kneading board would also keep our kitchen table clean.

This PVC sheet board provides a large sized surface for kneading dough and keeps the table clean and is easy to wash afterward. The only disadvantage is that it is so light that it can shift when working the dough. This could be fixed by installing some suction cups at the corners to hold it in place on the table or by using a heavy marble kneading board in the center which would hold it in place and still keep the table clean around the marble pastry board.

See the link “Three Ingredient Bread” for more details of using this kneading board while making flat-bread.

Developing Creativity in Boys

The purpose of this project is that it can help boys develop their masculine logic and ingenuity. Also, they can learn how to overcome problems or design flaws (like the shifting of the light acrylic board while using it). When they invent something then modify it or upgrade it to solve problems then this is an ability that can serve them well as future innovators. It is good to start with simple project like these because even a boy as young as 8-years-old could be taught to cut some PVC sheet and to install some wood handles to create this simple innovation. The same principles used to create this kneading board are also applied if the boy makes other items like a dough cutter scraper.

A dough cutter scraper is used to cut portions of dough. The same principles used to make the kneading board are also used to make this PVC sheet dough cutter scraper as seen above.

The PVC sheet dough cutter scraper can be used to divide portions of dough for kneading into flat-bread. The blade is made of PVC sheet plastic sheet which is heavy enough to cut dough but at the same time it does not scratch table surfaces like a steel dough scraper would do.

The image above is of a commercial made dough cutter and scraper. This tool is made of stainless steel and can scratch the surfaces of tables and other work surfaces. Although it is easy to just purchase the tools you need online, however it is better to develop the ingenuity of boys if they can make their own tools from materials, they find themselves. There is no ingenuity involved with buying something commercially and our PVC sheet dough cutter also has the advantage that it does not scratch any working surface because the blade is made of PVC sheet (plastic) sheeting.

The image above shows that the wood used for the dough cutter scrapper originally came from a broom handle.

The broom handle above was cut to length and split lengthwise to form a split wood handle for both the dough cutter scraper as well as the PVC sheet kneading board. A boy can learn how to use the same principles to create various projects. Again, the purpose of making these projects is to develop the masculine logic in boys to help them become future innovators. Simply buying commercial-made tools does not help them develop any creativity. Even if a project is used only once and discarded then it was still not a waste of time or money because of what reasoning skills were developed in the boys who created these projects. Such projects enable the boys to create something useful to help their mothers in the kitchen while at the same time developing their reasoning and innovation skills.

This Gorilla glue epoxy was painted on the handles of both the scraper and the acrylic kneading board. When cured this epoxy creates a waterproof coating that feels like plastic. This is an example of using something like “epoxy” to create a waterproof coating.

When cutting the broom handle lengthwise, the end of one of the wood handles split and left a gap. I was able to use some tape to wrap the end before filling the void with Gorilla glue. Once cured the glue completely filled in the void and also sealed out any moisture so that the wood can be protected from moisture during washing. Again, the repair of mistakes or fixing things like “wood-splitting” is a means of developing the masculine logic of boys as they have to come up with some ingenious way to fix their mistakes or solve problems or make repairs on split wood. If they only buy commercial-made tools then they will not gain any experience in innovation and no experience in making repairs that are necessary for the development of the masculine logic of boys.

Purpose of Projects is Boy Training

Again, these simple projects may seem “silly” to those who say, “Why not just buy what you need?” But we are not just trying to buy something in mindless manner but we are creating simple innovations that even a young boy can make (which contributes to developing his masculine logic). When he creates something useful for his mother in the kitchen or creates a custom tool that she cannot find for sale commercially, then he will have accomplished something to be proud of. He will be happy when his mother shows the neighbors what a useful tool he created. This praise for a good job done will encourage a boy to pursue more innovations and one day this ingenuity could even payout in the millions if he creates something complex that is a real “game-changer” in some field of knowledge.

For yet another use of acrylic sheet see the link “Ingredient Tray” for more details.