I love woodworking and I always wanted to try making my own cutting boards. I thought it would be a fun and useful project that would also help me use up some of the wood scraps that I had in my workshop. In this post, I will share with you how I made my first two cutting boards and what I learned from the experience.
The first cutting board was relatively easy to make since I already had a butcher block remnant slab that a co-worker gave me. It was a beautiful piece of wood that had a thick and solid structure and a nice grain and pattern. All I had to do was to cut it to the size that I wanted, sand it smooth, and apply some mineral oil to seal and enhance the wood. I was very pleased with how it turned out and I couldn’t wait to use it in my kitchen.
The second cutting board was more challenging, since I wanted to make it from scratch using some leftover pieces of walnut, cherry, and maple that I had from my landing net projects. I thought these woods would look great together in a striped pattern, so I decided to glue them in alternating colors and then cut them into a rectangular shape. However, this was not as simple as it sounded. I had never made a cutting board before, so I had to learn a lot of things along the way, such as how to align, clamp, and glue the wood pieces correctly, how to cut and sand the board safely and accurately, and how to fix any mistakes that I made. And believe me, I made quite a few mistakes. For example, I accidentally cut the board too short and I sanded too much on some parts, which reduced the size and quality of the board. I was able to fix these errors as best as I could, but the board was still smaller than I hoped and it had some imperfections. However, I was not too disappointed, because the board still looked amazing and it had a nice contrast between the dark walnut and the light maple. I finished the board with some mineral oil, which brought out the beauty and the richness of the wood. I was proud of myself for completing this project and learning from my mistakes. I gained a lot of knowledge and skills that will help me make better cutting boards in the future.
Making my own cutting boards was a rewarding and enjoyable experience that allowed me to use my creativity and my woodworking abilities. I am happy with the results and I look forward to making more cutting boards and improving my techniques. I hope you enjoyed reading about my process and my progress, and I hope you will try making your own cutting boards too.
