Going Bananas! – Banana Holder

The “Going Bananas!” project is a whimsical version of a banana bunch holder for your kitchen counter.

The holder’s hooked arc is an oversized wooden banana connected to the base with mortise and tenon construction. The base features a relief carve of a banana leaf for a little extra whimsy!

The finished dimensions are about: 5″ wide x 8 ” deep x 10.5 ” tall.

Purchase Project

STEP 1 – Upload Project

Open the Designer software and open the included project file(s). You can then simply compile (upload) the project(s) to your memory card.

After the project is compiled, select “Normal or Best” for the File Quality setting. Click “OK” to upload to your memory card.

NOTE: Carve times are as follows:

Banana_Halves.mpc
- Good – 1 hours 57 mins
- Best – 3 hours 2 mins
BASE-and-MIDDLE.mpc
- Good – 1 hours 16 mins
- Best – 1 hours 56 mins

Take and insert the card into your

machine and load the project board.

Turn your machine on and proceed with Step 2…

STEP 2 – Carving

Run through the setup steps and carve the project.

Once the carving is finished, remove it from the machine and vacuum or blow off any excess sawdust.

STEP 3 – Separate Parts from Material

Separate the parts from the boards. Sand off tabs and all undesirable toolmarks from the base. The tabs on the banana sections will be sanded after glue-up.

STEP 4 – Banana Section Glue-up

Sand the flat parts of the sections so “fuzzies” won’t interfere with glue-up. Glue the sections together by spreading a thin, even layer of wood glue on the mating surfaces and stack align them together.

I used a few drops of CA glue (aka super glue) to tack the parts in place after aligning.

Clamp the sections together using rubber bands.

STEP 5 – Sanding and Finish Prep

After the glue is dry, sand the banana to blend the seams of the layers. For hand and power sanding, use a coarse sandpaper to begin with then move up through successive finer grits to yield a final, smooth finish. I used 100-grit progressively up to 320-grit, plus a rotary tool with various abrasive attachments.

Sand off tabs and undesirable toolmarks. A rotary tool is handy for the initial rough sanding and blending.

Hand and power sand using 100-grit progressively through to 320-grit sandpapers.

Drill a pilot hole for the cup hook. Drill underneath the top about 0.75″ to 1″ from the end of the stalk, being careful not to drill all the way through. I used a 9/64″ diameter drill bit for the pilot hole on the sample. Your particular cup hook may require a different diameter bit to be suitable for the threads.

Drill a pilot hole from underneath the stalk. Position the hole centered, and about 3/4” to 1” from the end.

Limit the depth so it won’t go through the top side, yet deep enough to allow for the length of the cup hook threads and shank to avoid splitting the stalk.

STEP 6 – Sanding and Finish Prep

Apply your choice of finish. Here’s what I used on my Going Bananas! sample made from Select Pine.

BASE:

Applied Rust-Oleum Golden Mahogany stain
Two coats of gloss Krylon Clear Acrylic spray
Applied acrylic craft paints onto the leaf (greens and yellow mix)
Several coats of gloss Krylon Clear Acrylic spray

Apply stain, then two coats of Krylon clear. Next, paint the leaf.

Apply final coats of Krylon clear.

BANANA:

Two coats of gloss Krylon Clear Acrylic spray to seal
Wiped on thinned yellow acrylic craft paint to give it a yellow tint, yet allow wood grain to show through
Two coats of Krylon clear acrylic spray to seal
Applied browns and black acrylic craft paints to ends of banana and dry-brushed lightly along random high points to simulate a ripening banana
Several coats of gloss Krylon Clear Acrylic spray

Apply two coats of Krylon clear. Then wipe on thinned yellow acrylic craft paint, allow to dry, then apply two coats of Krylon clear.

Apply browns and black acrylic paint to ends and dry-brush random areas.

Apply final coats of Krylon clear.

STEP 7 – Final Assembly

Screw in the cup hook, then glue the banana into the slot of the base. I used some CA glue to tack in place while the wood glue dried. You can also use a couple pin-nails from the bottom, if you like.

Glue the banana tenon into the base mortise slot.