How to Make a Cutting Board in 5 Steps

A cutting board is a surface that is used for chopping and slicing food for food preparation. They can be made from plastic, silicone, or granite, but wood cutting boards tend to last the longest and are the most gentle on knives. You can make a DIY cutting board simply with the right wood, woodworking materials, and other household tools.

The best materials to use for wooden cutting boards are durable, non-porous hardwoods from leaf-bearing trees that produce fruits and nuts. Maple, teak, walnut, and beech are all durable woods for cutting boards that also produce showy designs when used together. Avoid porous woods like soft pine, because bacteria and water can seep into the pores and cause mold or warping. Bamboo cutting boards are very pretty, but some chefs find that they dull knives faster than other types of wood.

To make a DIY cutting board at home, you’ll need a few simple woodworking materials and tools. Here is what you need to make a DIY cutting board.

1. 1. Lumber: You’ll need some assorted pieces of non-porous hardwood to make your cutting board. You’ll be gluing a series of small, 1.5 inch square sticks together to make your cutting board.
2. 2. Wood glue: You’ll use glue to fasten your pieces of wood together.
3. 3. Saws: You’ll need a table saw and a miter saw to cut your pieces of lumber.
4. 4. Bar clamps: Bar clamps will help you hold your pieces of wood together as they dry.
5. 5. Hand planer: You’ll need this to plane your cutting board to a uniform thickness and smoothness.
6. 6. Sandpaper: You’ll need this to sand your cutting board surface down when your project is finished.
   
7. 7. Oil: You’ll need food-grade mineral oil to seal your cutting board from any food or bacterial contaminants.
8. 8. Safety goggles and gloves: You should have safety goggles and gloves on hand for any woodworking project to protect your hands from cuts and your eyes from wood dust or debris.

Follow this simple step-by-step tutorial to design and create your very own custom wood grain cutting board.

1. 1. Prep your wood. Wearing your safety goggles and gloves, cut your pieces of scrap wood to a thickness of roughly 1 ½ inches and a length of 16”, running them through a planer until they are smooth. Depending on the design you choose, pick varying or uniform pieces of wood to create your pattern. Plan on making your board slightly larger than your desired size, so you can cut and sand it down without compromising the final area.
2. 2. Lay out your design. Lay out your pieces of wood next to one another. Play around with the different textures and shades of wood you have to come up with a design you like. This is the last chance you will have to alter or switch your design before putting your board together.
3. 3. Glue your boards together. When your design is finished and ready to be glued, lay down some newspaper below your workbench to keep your space clean. Apply a liberal amount of wood glue to the inside surfaces of your wood pieces using a glue brush. Use two or three bar clamps to hold your freshly-glued pieces together, and run a damp rag over the surface to remove the excess glue. Leave the board to air dry overnight.
4. 4. Cut your board to shape. When the extra glue has been scraped off and the board has dried, remove the clamps. Use a bandsaw or jigsaw to cut off the rough edges created by the uneven slabs. For rounded edges, trace a glass or can along the corners of your board and cut off the right angle tips.
5. 5. Sand, oil, and treat your finished board. After sanding your board down (using 800 grit sandpaper), choose a wood finish that permeates the wood fibers rather than one that just creates a protective coating. To treat your board, start with wiping it down with some food-grade mineral oil (or liquid paraffin oil), followed by a coat of beeswax.

Caring for your DIY cutting board is similar to caring for butcher block countertops. With proper maintenance, your cutting board can last for years.

1. 1. Clean your board thoroughly after each use. Scrub your board with soapy water after each use, and never run it through the dishwasher. Do not let your board (or wooden salad bowls, wooden spoons, etc.) soak in warm water or they may warp, and always dry thoroughly with a paper towel or clean cloth. Some people do choose to use a very weak food-safe bleach solution when washing, but this is not necessary and may discolor your board over time.
2. 2. Remove odors with lemon juice. If your board begins to smell, scrub it with a combination of lemon juice and baking soda. Rubbing the surface of the board with a freshly cut lemon or white vinegar will also work.
3. 3. Use a wood conditioner over oils. Use a wood conditioner to treat your cutting board instead of cooking oils like vegetable oil, canola, or coconut oil. These tend to go rancid over time. Board creams are sold at kitchen supply stores, but are similarly unnecessary.
4. 4. As your board ages, sand it down. If your board becomes severely worn down over time, simply sand down the entire surface to expose a new layer of wood.

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