My First Wooden Cutting Board

Stephen Scott Johnson
by Stephen Scott Johnson
Using a few power tools and some sandpaper, I was thrilled to make my first cutting board.
For less than $50, I purchased three closed-grain hardwoods - walnut, purpleheart, and curly maple. After sanding and then wiping on food-safe mineral oil, the wood with their colors and grain patterns just popped out.
Pictured above is the cutting board in its early stages. I cut several boards to the same thickness, glued them together, and then trimmed off the uneven ends with the tablesaw.
I used my $50 Black and Decker portable belt sander to do rough sanding and to make the surface totally flat and even. This was much cheaper than going out and buying a $300 to $400 planer.
Finished sanding with the orbital sander. Don't forget the dust mask.
Rounded the edges with my router
Added four rubber feet so my board won't slide on the countertop
Wiped on 2 to 3 coats of food-safe mineral oil
My finished cutting board. I gave this one to my mother on Mother's Day.
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Thanks, and happy crafting!
Stephen Scott Johnson
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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Frequently asked questions
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  3 questions
  • JoAnn Hanna JoAnn Hanna on Jul 03, 2016
    Could you use Cedar wood in place of one of these woods?
  • Tim22262619 Tim22262619 on Mar 29, 2017
    Where did you buy the wood?
  • Mary Kay Maples Mary Kay Maples on May 12, 2018

    would love to build this myself! it resembles the technique i have heard about for making one's own butcher block counter tops to me. Can this project be adapted to do just that (with the thickness being adjustable-to be a bit thicker I mean)How do I build my very own kitchen island butcher block counter top?

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