How to do a DIY cutting board is a fun and simple project and one that’s affordable. You can easily make a beautiful, durable, cutting board using leftover scraps that you have hanging around your woodworking shop. The design possibilities are endless depending on the type of scrap wood you have on hand.
Of course, you can also buy wood for this specific project if you have something special in mind, but if you’re on a tight budget then using scrap lumber from your woodshop is a great option. This type of basic project will allow you to explore your new woodworking skills, and experiment with different types of woods, sanding techniques, and finishes. It’s a great project for the beginner or the woodworker on a tight budget who wants to put his or her old scrap wood pile to use.
How to do a DIY cutting board is a fun project for beginners and seasoned woodworkers. All you need are some basic woodworking tools, wood glue, and scrap wood. This project can be completed in just five simple steps and will leave you with a beautiful finished project that will look great in your kitchen or can make the perfect gift. For the project, you’ll need the following supplies:
- Roundover bit
- Router
- Clamps
- Planer
- Sander
- Table saw
- Miter saw
- Wood glue
- Beeswax and oil
- Mineral oil
- Wood scraps
- Sandpaper
- Glue brush
As you can see, you’ll probably have most of the supplies needed for this project already lying around your woodshop.
Table of Contents
Cutting Board Design
Making a thicker edge grain board is a perfect choice, however, you can make end-grain and face grain boards using all types of designs.
For this project, you’ll need the following supplies:
- Roundover bit
- Router
- Clamps
- Planer
- Sander
- A good portable table saw
- Miter saw
- Wood glue
- Beeswax and oil
- Mineral oil
- Wood scraps
- Sandpaper
- Glue brush
Making your own cutting board can be done in just a few simple steps. You’ll want to start by prepping the stock for your board and lay out the cutting board design. Next, you’ll glue the wood pieces and give it its final shape. Last of all, you’ll sand and oil the board.
Prep
If you find some beautiful scraps of wood such as mahogany, walnut, and cherry, you can combine these pieces to make a gorgeous cutting board. Most boards will be around 1 to 2 inches thick. Take your first piece of wood and cut it to16 inches in length using the Bosch GTS1031 table saw. Next, you’ll cut the scrap wood into 16 in chunks. You can use some basic miter saw tips and tricks for this and set the stop block at 16 inches.
However, you can use whatever size scrap wood you have available, or simply choose the size you want your board to be, it doesn’t have to be 16 inches. You’ll find that the side supports on your miter saw station will come in handy for this task.
Next, you’ll lay out the cut up pieces and consider what type of design you want. The next job is making all of the pieces approximately the same width. I recommend setting your saw to two inches, so you can rip all the boards down to the right size. Keep in mind, you can use whatever width you want.
Design
Choose a primary wood and another type of wood for accent stripes for one side. Use a table saw or bandsaw for small strips to cut them down to the right size. You can go for one to two different types of wood such as mahogany and Maple.
Next, you’ll want to do another quick layout of your board to determine whether or not the design seems to be coming together. For a good cutting board that’s smooth and flat, a smooth surface is a must. Each piece should be run through a planer until they’re smooth. For certain types of wood, you may need to run them through several times in order to thin them out.
Glue
For this cutting board, you’ll be gluing these pieces together so there’s just wood glue, no biscuits, or dowels.
Turn a piece of wood over and place glue on one half of the planed face, then stand each piece back up against the other pieces. You can use a glu-bot and brush which will save you some time and mess. T
The next step is wiping down the wood to remove as much of the wet glue as possible. Wiping down the boards is much easier than having to scrape off hardened blobs of glue once the board is finished.
Shaping
Next, take the board and send it through the planer. For this part, you’ll use the skip planing technique. It should be done until you have smooth wood on each side. To make the final size of the board and give it a clean look, trim the ends. You can use your table saw for this with a crosscut sled. You can also use a router and a roundover bit to give the board a decorative edge.
Sanding
Sanding is the last step in the process and it’s probably most the woodworker’s least favorite. You’ll want to use a 100 grit sandpaper. Before you get started sanding, wipe down the board again with water. This technique is referred to as raising the grain which causes the fibers in the wood to stand up so you can easily sand them down for a smoother feel. If you skip this step you’ll end up with a very rough cutting board. Once the board dries you can sand it by hand until it feels smooth. Wipe down the board again, but this time you’ll be using 220 grit paper.
Finish
Applying to finish will really bring out the beauty in the wood. Most woodworkers will use basic mineral oil and some beeswax. To start, just use basic mineral oil pouring it in a puddle in the middle of the board and begin spreading it out and wiping down the board using an old rag. Allow the oil to sit for about 10 minutes and make sure you use a clean rag to wipe off any excess oil. You can repeat this process an additional time until the board is saturated. Next, you’ll use the beeswax to buff off the board to give it a nice shine. And that’s it.
Related Questions
What Wood Can I Use to Make a Cutting Board?
For a cutting board, you’ll want to use hard, dense woods that have fine grains. Some common choices include mahogany, oak, cherry, birch, maple, and walnut. Make sure, whichever type you choose that you cut it at least two inches thick in order to prevent the wood from warping, later down the line.
Will a Planer Fixed Warped Boards?
If you want to flat a cupped, twisted, or warped board, you must first use a jointer to create a single flat face. Next, you’ll run the board through the thickness planer, keeping the flat face side down. It’s that simple. This is a basic woodworking technique and one that will come in handy for many projects.
How Do You Seal a Cutting Board?
In order to keep your cutting board looking rich and new, you should seal it with some mineral oil at least once a month. You can also use tung oil or linseed oil, both of which will seal it from the inside, hardening the wood. Other types of oils are not recommended since all they do is penetrate the top layer of wood.
What Woods are Food Safe?
Woods that are considered food safe include most types of domestic wood such as oak, walnut, and maple. Once cured, all finishes are also considered food safe. Carnuba wax, mineral oil, and shellac are all considered the basic go-to types of finishes that you can use when you’re making an item that will come into contact with food.
Final Thoughts
So, how do you make a DIY cutting board? Using some basic woodworking tools and scraps of wood that you have lying around your shop you can easily turn out a beautiful finished product in a matter of 1 to 2 hours. If you want to take this project up a notch you can also add juice grooves, handholds, or feet. But for the most part, keeping it simple allows the wood’s true beauty to shine.
