Wooden Cutting Board
I always had commitment issues with my cutting boards.
After years of struggling with Sanitisers, soap, and water, I have given up. If I see a suspicious mold- like dot on my cutting board, I immediately throw it away.
My husband, who comes from a very environmental family has an issue with throwing away plastic.
The other day, while I was reading an article about the benefits of a wooden cutting board, he went out to our storage unit and dragged back a long piece of hardwood.
According to the article, when cutting fruits or vegetables on a plastic board, the knife leaves tiny grooves where bacteria can easily hide and eventually create mold! That’s why wood is better for cutting your greens. Because wood is tougher, the little grooves can't be created as often, thus, no room for bacteria. Yay!
We had a long piece of Australian Ironwood in our storage unit. But any hardwood would do the trick.
We went over to an acquaintance's who has a surface planer to level the wood. He also helped us cut it to the desired measurements with his circular saw. We went for 10" by 17" cutting board because it was the exact size as our old plastic board.
Some Epoxies have an FDA clearance to used around food, however, it is not recommended. We decided that one side of the cutting board will be decorative.
I draw a pineapple and a strawberry on the wood using a thick permanent Artline 109.
My husband is a Makita Router expert. He cut out the wood with a round-shaped bit the exact same size as the 109 width, following the black lines.
I made small changes with a pencil and cut it with Dremel.
Note, using a router leaves no room for errors.
If you are not experienced with a router, I recommend using a Dremel tool instead. Slow and steady is always better than fast and furious.
We mixed Epoxy in two containers. In one we mixed with blue pigment powder, and the other with purple pigment powder.
Then we set it aside to cure.
When using a small amount of Epoxy, it usually takes more than 24 hours to cure.
Logically we think that small amount will cure faster, however, in Epoxy it’s the opposite.
After 30 hours the Epoxy cured completely. Then, we decided to make a groove by the edge of the cutting board to prevent fruit and vegetable juice from spilling. We used a router with a narrow bit to make the groove.
After we were pleased with it, we sanded both the cutting side and the decor side surface, using a Makita eccentric sander. When sanding, the Epoxy becomes opaque.
Then came the messy part- Rubbing oil on the surface.
While rubbing the surface, the Epoxy returns to his transparent and shiny state.
Upon completion, we cleaned any excess oil and set it aside in the sun for 2 hours. We are using Ikea oil for interior use, so we followed the instructions on the can. Any food-proofed oil would be fine to use.
The dry board wasn’t as smooth as it was before. It can happen sometimes when oiling. So, we sanded it some more with super fine sandpaper and applied a second layer of oil.
After a few hours in the sun,
it was dry enough to touch and ready to be used.
bon appetit 
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Neat idea!
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FYI: I use mineral oil on my wooden cutting boards after I have washed them down with a clorox mixture. Most of them have been retired to display because I use those plastic sheets & love them. I store the sheets in a napkin holder on the counter.
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That is a pretty and decorative board. Too pretty to use. Thank you
Plastic ones can be scrubbed with bleach and soap. Ive never had mold. I think people need to clean more often and more diligently. Wood ones are nicer looking. I dont want to bleach wood, it will crack eventually. Wood ones actually harbor more bacteia.
Frequently asked questions
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Are you aware that when using wood cutting boards you must have separate ones for meat with a separate one for "dairy", vegetables, fruits, etc.? This goes back thousands of years to "Kosher". Keeping meat separate from other products lessens the chance of contamination and food-borne illness.